Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It matches συνάντηση, which is a feminine singular noun:

• η συνάντηση = the meeting

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, so you cannot use just one form of the for every noun.

For example:

• ο = masculine singular
• η = feminine singular
• το = neuter singular

So Η συνάντηση is simply the meeting.

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This is a grammar feature, not necessarily something logical or natural.

συνάντηση happens to be a feminine noun, which is why it takes:

• the article η
• feminine adjective forms, if any are added later

A lot of Greek nouns ending in -η are feminine, and συνάντηση follows that pattern.

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

In this sentence, it means was:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση.
• The meeting was a coincidence.

More literally:

• είμαι = I am / I exist
• ήταν = was

A useful thing to know is that ήταν can be used for:

• he was
• she was
• it was
• and sometimes I was or you were in context, depending on the structure

Here the subject is Η συνάντηση, so ήταν means was.

Both ήταν and ήτανε are used in Modern Greek.

• ήταν is the more standard and neutral written form
• ήτανε is also common, especially in speech, and can sound a bit more conversational or rhythmic

So:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση.
• Η συνάντηση ήτανε σύμπτωση.

Both are acceptable, but ήταν is the safer form for learners to use in general.

Greek often leaves out the article in sentences like this, especially when the second noun describes what something was.

So:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση. means
• The meeting was a coincidence.

You may also hear:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν μια σύμπτωση. which means
• The meeting was a coincidence or more literally
• The meeting was one coincidence / a coincidence

Both are possible, but without μια, the statement can sound a little more direct or categorical.

Yes. That is perfectly natural.

Compare:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση.
• Η συνάντηση ήταν μια σύμπτωση.

The version with μια explicitly includes a. The version without it is also very normal in Greek, especially in statements where one noun identifies or classifies another.

In many contexts, the difference is small:

• without μια = slightly more direct, definitional, concise
• with μια = slightly more explicit and often closer to how English naturally phrases it

Both συνάντηση and σύμπτωση are in the nominative singular.

That may seem surprising if you are thinking in terms of English grammar, but in Greek, when a sentence uses to be to link one noun to another, the predicate noun is often also in the nominative.

So:

• Η συνάντηση = nominative subject
• σύμπτωση = nominative predicate noun

This is normal after είμαι and its past forms.

Because grammatical gender and article use are different things.

Yes, σύμπτωση is feminine:

• η σύμπτωση = the coincidence

But in this sentence, Greek does not need the article before it. So the noun can still be feminine without showing the feminine article.

In other words:

• σύμπτωση is still feminine
• it just appears here without an article

Greek does this often.

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

The neutral order here is:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν σύμπτωση.

But you could also hear:

• Σύμπτωση ήταν η συνάντηση.

That version gives more emphasis to σύμπτωση, almost like:

• It was a coincidence, the meeting or
• The meeting was, in fact, a coincidence

So the original order is the most straightforward, but alternative orders are possible for emphasis or style.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• συνάντηση ≈ see-NAHN-tee-see
• σύμπτωση ≈ SEEM-pto-see

A few helpful notes:

• The accent mark shows the stressed syllable:

  • συνάντηση
  • σύμπτωση

• In σύμπτωση, the μπ combination is often pronounced like b in many contexts, so learners may hear something close to SEEB-do-see or SEEM-pto-see, depending on speech and pronunciation style.

• Greek pronunciation is more consistent than English spelling, so once you learn the sound patterns, reading gets easier.

Σύμπτωση means coincidence.

It refers to something happening by chance, or two things lining up unexpectedly.

So in this sentence, it means the meeting was not planned or intended; it happened accidentally or by chance.

Related useful phrase:

• κατά σύμπτωση = by coincidence

Yes, it is natural and grammatical.

It is short and direct, and it sounds like a normal Greek sentence. Depending on context, a speaker might also say:

• Η συνάντηση ήταν μια σύμπτωση.
• Ήταν σύμπτωση η συνάντηση.

But the original sentence is completely fine and natural.

Greek usually does not need a separate subject pronoun when the subject is already stated or clear from context.

Here the subject is explicitly given:

• Η συνάντηση = the meeting

So Greek does not need an extra word corresponding to English it.

English often requires a subject in every clause, but Greek is much more comfortable leaving pronouns out when they are unnecessary.