Τα υποδήματα είναι καθαρά.

to be

Breakdown of Τα υποδήματα είναι καθαρά.

• καθαρός: clean
• τα υποδήματα: the footwear

Questions & Answers about Τα υποδήματα είναι καθαρά.

What does τα mean here, and why is it used?

Τα is the definite article meaning the.

In this sentence, τα goes with υποδήματα because υποδήματα is:

• neuter
• plural
• here in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence

So:

• το υπόδημα = the shoe / the item of footwear (singular)
• τα υποδήματα = the shoes / the footwear (plural)

Greek usually requires the article in places where English may or may not use the.

Is υποδήματα singular or plural?

Υποδήματα is plural.

Its singular form is υπόδημα.

So:

• το υπόδημα = singular
• τα υποδήματα = plural

The ending -ματα is a very common neuter plural ending in Greek.

Why is είναι used for are? Shouldn’t there be a special plural form?