Το αγαλματάκι είναι μικρό.

Το is the definite article in Greek, meaning the.

In this sentence, το goes with αγαλματάκι because αγαλματάκι is a neuter singular noun. Greek articles change depending on gender, number, and case, unlike English the, which always stays the same.

Here, το αγαλματάκι means the little statue / the figurine.

The ending -άκι is a very common diminutive ending in Greek. It often adds the idea of something being:

• small
• cute
• little
• sometimes more affectionate

So άγαλμα means statue, while αγαλματάκι means something like:

• little statue
• small figurine
• statuette

It is very common in everyday Greek to use diminutives like this.

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This does not always match natural gender, especially for objects.

Αγαλματάκι is neuter, which is why it takes:

• the article το
• the adjective form μικρό

A lot of Greek nouns ending in -ι are neuter, and diminutives in -άκι are also typically neuter.

Είναι is the verb to be.

In this sentence, it means is.

A useful thing to know is that είναι is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So:

• Το αγαλματάκι είναι μικρό. = The little statue is small.
• Τα αγαλματάκια είναι μικρά. = The little statues are small.

Greek does not always need a separate subject pronoun like English does, because the meaning is often clear from context.

Μικρό is the adjective small, and it is in the form that matches a neuter singular noun.

Since αγαλματάκι is neuter singular, the adjective also has to be neuter singular. This is called agreement.

Compare:

• μικρός = masculine singular
• μικρή = feminine singular
• μικρό = neuter singular

So Greek adjectives change form depending on the noun they describe.

In this sentence, μικρό comes after είναι because it is a predicate adjective, not an adjective placed directly before the noun.

The structure is:

• Το αγαλματάκι = the subject
• είναι = is
• μικρό = small

So this is like English:

• The figurine is small

If the adjective were used directly with the noun, you could have:

• το μικρό αγαλματάκι = the small little statue / the small figurine

So after to be, Greek uses the adjective in this predicate position just like English.

In standard modern Greek, you normally keep είναι in a sentence like this.

So:

• Το αγαλματάκι είναι μικρό. is normal and complete.

Leaving it out would usually sound unnatural in ordinary standard speech, except in special contexts such as:

• titles
• labels
• notes
• poetic or very informal styles

So for learners, it is best to include είναι.

The accent mark shows which syllable is stressed when the word is pronounced.

So the stress is:

• αγαλματάκι
• είναι
• μικρό

Stress matters in Greek because it is part of the correct pronunciation, and it is normally written in standard spelling.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

to agalma-TA-ki EE-ne mi-KRO

A few notes:

• το sounds like to in toll without the ll
• γ before certain sounds can be softer than English g, but here in αγαλματάκι it is usually heard as a regular Greek g/gh sound
• αι in είναι is pronounced like e
• the stress falls on the accented syllables: -τά-, εί-, -κρό

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Το αγαλματάκι είναι μικρό. = The little statue is small.
• Αγαλματάκι είναι μικρό. is less natural in isolation and sounds more like a little statue is small or as if the noun is being used in a more general or special context.

In ordinary Greek, when talking about a specific object, using the article is very common. Greek uses the definite article more often than English does.

The plural would be:

Τα αγαλματάκια είναι μικρά.

Here is what changed:

• το → τα because the noun is now neuter plural
• αγαλματάκι → αγαλματάκια for the plural
• μικρό → μικρά so the adjective agrees with the plural noun
• είναι stays the same

This is a good example of how Greek articles, nouns, and adjectives often change together.