Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό.

Το is the definite article, so it means the.

In Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό, it shows that we are talking about the set/service, not just any one. Greek uses articles very often, and they must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here, το matches σερβίτσιο, which is neuter singular.

Σερβίτσιο is neuter.

A common clue is the ending -ο or -ιο, which often signals a neuter noun in Greek. Because it is neuter singular, the article is το and the adjective also appears in a neuter singular form: ακριβό.

So the agreement is:

• το = neuter singular the
• σερβίτσιο = neuter singular noun
• ακριβό = neuter singular adjective

Greek adjectives change form to agree with the noun they describe.

The basic dictionary form is often masculine, for example:

• ακριβός = masculine
• ακριβή or ακριβιά? No — the standard feminine here is ακριβή
• ακριβό = neuter

Because σερβίτσιο is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular:

• το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό

Compare:

• ο καναπές είναι ακριβός = the sofa is expensive
• η τσάντα είναι ακριβή = the bag is expensive
• το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό = the set is expensive

Είναι means is here. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb είμαι = to be.

So:

• είμαι = I am
• είσαι = you are
• είναι = he/she/it is

In this sentence, Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό, είναι links the subject and the description, just like is in English.

In a normal full sentence like this, yes, Greek uses είναι just as English uses is:

• Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό.

In casual speech, Greeks sometimes drop words in very informal contexts, but for standard, correct sentence building, you should include είναι.

So for learners, the safe rule is:

• subject + είναι + adjective

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The thing that is expensive is το σερβίτσιο, so that is the subject.

For this noun, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• το σερβίτσιο = nominative singular
• το σερβίτσιο = accusative singular

That is very common with neuter nouns in Greek.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

• Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό.

But you may also hear:

• Ακριβό είναι το σερβίτσιο.

This changes the emphasis. It can sound like It’s the set that is expensive or The set is the expensive thing.

For learners, the normal pattern is best:

• subject + είναι + adjective

A rough pronunciation is:

To servítsio íne akrivó.

A few notes:

• το = to
• σερβίτσιο = servítsio
• είναι = íne
• ακριβό = akrivó

The stressed syllables are marked by the accent:

• σερβίτσιο
• είναι
• ακριβό

The accent mark shows which syllable is stressed.

So:

• σερβίτσιο → stress on βί
• είναι → stress on εί
• ακριβό → stress on the last syllable βό

Stress matters in Greek pronunciation, and written accents are an important part of correct spelling.

No, it is a loanword, borrowed historically from Italian.

That is quite common in Greek, especially for words connected with household items, food, trade, and everyday life.

Even though it is borrowed, it behaves like a normal Greek noun here:

• it has gender: neuter
• it takes a Greek article: το
• it works with Greek adjective agreement: ακριβό

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό = The set is expensive
• Ένα σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό = A set is expensive or One set is expensive

Το is definite: a specific set. Ένα is indefinite: a set / one set.

So if the original meaning is about a particular item, το is the correct choice.

Not always. Depending on context, ακριβός / ακριβή / ακριβό can also mean dear, precious, or valued.

But in a sentence about an object like σερβίτσιο, the natural meaning is expensive.

So here:

• Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό. = The set is expensive.

Usually, no, not in normal standard Greek.

Greek uses articles much more often than English does, especially with specific nouns. Saying just Σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό sounds incomplete or unnatural in most situations.

The normal sentence is:

• Το σερβίτσιο είναι ακριβό.

So a good learner rule is: if English has the, Greek will usually need the matching article too, and sometimes Greek uses the article even where English would not.