Questions & Answers about Η κοινωνία αλλάζει.
Η is the feminine singular definite article, so here it means the.
A very common beginner confusion is:
- η = the for feminine singular nouns
- ή = or
They sound the same in Modern Greek, but the accent mark distinguishes them in writing.
Also, in your sentence it appears as Η because it is capitalized at the beginning of the sentence. In the middle of a sentence, it would normally be η.
Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, especially with:
- abstract nouns
- general concepts
- nouns used in a broad, generic sense
So η κοινωνία is very natural Greek for talking about society in general. English often drops the article in this kind of sentence, but Greek usually keeps it.
Because κοινωνία is a grammatically feminine noun.
In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender:
- masculine
- feminine
- neuter
This is a grammar category, not necessarily a statement about biological sex. Since κοινωνία is feminine, it takes the feminine article η.
A lot of nouns ending in -ία are feminine, so the ending gives you a useful clue.