Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

to have

Breakdown of Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

• το πρόβλημα: the problem
• η κοινωνία: society

Questions & Answers about Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

How do you pronounce Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα?

A natural pronunciation is:

ee kee-no-NEE-a E-chee pro-VLEE-ma-ta

A slightly more careful breakdown:

• Η = ee
• κοινωνία = kee-no-NEE-a
• έχει = E-chee
• προβλήματα = pro-VLEE-ma-ta

A few useful sound notes:

• η is pronounced like ee
• χ in έχει is not like English h. It is a Greek sound, like a soft, breathy sound. Before ι / ε it is often pronounced something like the h in human for many English speakers, though not exactly.
• οι in κοινωνία sounds like ee
• The accent marks show which syllable is stressed:
  • κοινωνία
  • έχει
  • προβλήματα

Why is there an article Η before κοινωνία?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• η κοινωνία = society / the society

In Greek, the definite article is used more often than in English. With general or abstract nouns, Greek often prefers the article where English may or may not use it depending on style.

Here, η κοινωνία is the normal way to say society as a general concept.

How do I know that κοινωνία is feminine?