Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη.

Η is the definite article the.

It is capitalized simply because it is the first word of the sentence. In lowercase, it would be η.

In this sentence, η is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

It matches the noun επίσκεψη, which is also feminine singular nominative.

Yes, επίσκεψη is a feminine noun.

A learner often notices that many feminine nouns in Greek end in:

• -η
• -α
• some consonant-based endings in older or learned forms

Here, επίσκεψη ends in -η (spelled as -ψη), and it takes the feminine article η, so that confirms its gender.

You will typically see:

• η επίσκεψη = the visit
• της επίσκεψης = of the visit

Because Greek adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Since επίσκεψη is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective also has to be:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So:

• σύντομος = masculine
• σύντομη = feminine
• σύντομο = neuter

Here the correct form is σύντομη because it describes η επίσκεψη.

Because here the adjective is being used predicatively, not attributively.

Compare:

• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη.
  = The visit was short.
  The adjective comes after was and describes the subject.

• Η σύντομη επίσκεψη...
  = The short visit...
  Here the adjective comes directly before the noun.

So Greek works much like English in this kind of sentence:

• The visit was short
• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη

Ήταν is the past tense form of είμαι (to be).

More specifically, it is the imperfect form, but in many beginner contexts you can think of it simply as was / were.

So:

• είναι = is
• ήταν = was

A useful thing to know: ήταν can mean both was and were, depending on the subject.

Examples:

• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη. = The visit was short.
• Οι επισκέψεις ήταν σύντομες. = The visits were short.

You look at the subject.

In this sentence, the subject is Η επίσκεψη:

• η = singular article
• επίσκεψη = singular noun

So ήταν must mean was here.

If the subject were plural, then ήταν would mean were:

• Οι επισκέψεις ήταν σύντομες. = The visits were short.

Because this is a sentence with the verb to be.

The subject is in the nominative:

• Η επίσκεψη

And the adjective linked to it by ήταν also appears in the nominative:

• σύντομη

This is normal in Greek. After forms of είμαι, a predicate adjective agrees with the subject in:

• gender
• number
• case

So both are nominative feminine singular.

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

The most neutral order here is:

• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Σύντομη ήταν η επίσκεψη.
• Ήταν σύντομη η επίσκεψη.

These alternatives can sound more marked or more literary depending on context. For a learner, the original order is the safest and most neutral one.

A rough pronunciation is:

ee eh-PEE-skeh-psee EE-tan SEEN-toh-mee

A more word-by-word guide:

• Η = ee
• επίσκεψη = eh-PEE-skeh-psee
• ήταν = EE-tan
• σύντομη = SEEN-toh-mee

A few helpful notes:

• η / ή / ι / υ / ει / οι often sound like ee in Modern Greek.
• The stress marks matter: επίσκεψη, ήταν, σύντομη.

This is a very common beginner question.

• Η (without accent) = the when it is the feminine singular article
• Ή (with accent) = or

So in your sentence:

• Η επίσκεψη... = The visit...

But:

• ή as a separate word would mean or

The accent makes the difference in writing.

Normally, no, not in the same neutral meaning.

• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη. = The visit was short.

If you remove the article:

• Επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη

that sounds unnatural or incomplete in ordinary Greek.

Greek often uses the definite article more regularly than English does, especially with clear, specific nouns. In this sentence, η is the normal choice.

You would change ήταν to είναι:

• Η επίσκεψη είναι σύντομη.
  = The visit is short.

So the pattern is:

• Η επίσκεψη ήταν σύντομη. = The visit was short.
• Η επίσκεψη είναι σύντομη. = The visit is short.

This is a useful model for many simple Greek sentences:

• article + noun + form of είμαι + adjective