Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό.

Το is the definite article meaning the.

In this sentence, το goes with τατουάζ to mean the tattoo.

Greek articles change depending on gender, number, and case, so you cannot use just one form for every noun the way you often do in English. Here, το is the neuter singular nominative/accusative form.

It is a loanword—a word borrowed from another language. Τατουάζ comes from the international word tattoo.

In Modern Greek, it is treated as a neuter noun, which is why it takes το and matches with μικρό in the neuter form.

A useful thing to notice is that some borrowed words in Greek do not change much in form across cases, especially in everyday speech.

Because μικρό must agree with τατουάζ.

Greek adjectives change form to match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since τατουάζ is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular, so you get μικρό.

Compare:

• ο σκύλος είναι μικρός = the dog is small
• η γάτα είναι μικρή = the cat is small
• το τατουάζ είναι μικρό = the tattoo is small

Είναι means is in this sentence.

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, είναι links the subject το τατουάζ with the adjective μικρό, just like is in English.

In a normal sentence like this, you usually keep είναι.

Greek often drops subject pronouns like I, you, he, because the verb ending already shows the person. But the verb to be itself is normally not omitted in standard sentences of this type.

So:

• Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό. = natural and correct
• Leaving out είναι would usually sound incomplete in standard Modern Greek.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English, although Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό is the most neutral order.

You may also hear:

• Μικρό είναι το τατουάζ.
• Το τατουάζ μικρό είναι. (less neutral, more marked)

Changing the order often changes the emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For a learner, the safest default is:

• subject + verb + adjective
• Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

to tatooAZ EEne mikro

A slightly more careful breakdown:

• Το = to
• τατουάζ = ta-too-AZ
• είναι = EE-ne
• μικρό = mee-KRO

The strongest stress falls on:

• τατουάζ → last syllable
• μικρό → last syllable

Greek accent marks help show where the stress goes.

Greek accent marks show which syllable is stressed.

In είναι, the stress falls on the first part: EI-ne. That is why you see the accent mark on εί.

This is important because stress in Greek is part of the correct pronunciation and can sometimes help distinguish words.

Here it is singular: the tattoo.

You can tell from:

• the article το = the for a singular neuter noun
• the verb είναι, which can be singular or plural in form, so the article helps more here
• the adjective μικρό, which is neuter singular

So all the parts match as singular.

Yes. Like small in English, μικρό can describe:

• physical size
• amount
• degree
• age, depending on context

In Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό, the most natural meaning is small in size.

That depends on the context.

• το τατουάζ = the tattoo
• ένα τατουάζ = a tattoo

So if you are talking about a specific tattoo already known in the conversation, το τατουάζ is right.

If you mean any tattoo or are introducing it for the first time, you might say:

• Ένα τατουάζ είναι μικρό.

But that sentence is less natural by itself unless there is a reason to contrast it with something else. In many situations, Greek would phrase the idea differently depending on context.

Yes. Το τατουάζ είναι μικρό. is a perfectly normal, complete sentence.

It has:

• a subject: το τατουάζ
• a verb: είναι
• a predicate adjective: μικρό

It is a very useful model for building similar sentences, such as:

• Το σπίτι είναι μεγάλο. = the house is big
• Το παιδί είναι ήσυχο. = the child is quiet
• Το βιβλίο είναι καινούριο. = the book is new