Το τζάκι ζεσταίνει το δωμάτιο.

The fireplace warms the room.

Breakdown of Το τζάκι ζεσταίνει το δωμάτιο.

• το δωμάτιο: the room
• ζεσταίνω: to heat
• το τζάκι: fireplace

Questions & Answers about Το τζάκι ζεσταίνει το δωμάτιο.

Why is το used twice?

Because both τζάκι and δωμάτιο are neuter singular nouns, and το is the definite article for neuter singular.

So:

• το τζάκι = the fireplace
• το δωμάτιο = the room

In this sentence, the first το goes with the subject, and the second το goes with the direct object.

Also, in Greek, the nominative and accusative forms of many neuter nouns are the same, so both noun phrases look very similar.

How can I tell which noun is the subject and which is the object?

In this sentence, το τζάκι is the subject and το δωμάτιο is the object.

A Greek learner might wonder how to tell, since both are neuter and both have το. Here, you mainly rely on:

• word order
• meaning/context

The normal order is:

• subject + verb + object

So:

• Το τζάκι = subject
• ζεσταίνει = verb
• το δωμάτιο = object

Because both nouns are neuter singular, their forms do not visibly change here, so Greek does not give you an extra ending to distinguish them in this sentence.