Questions & Answers about Η πόλη έχει χίλια σπίτια.
What is the word-for-word breakdown of Η πόλη έχει χίλια σπίτια?
- Η = the
- πόλη = city
- έχει = has
- χίλια = one thousand / a thousand
- σπίτια = houses
So the sentence is literally The city has a thousand houses.
Why is Η used at the beginning?
Η is the feminine singular form of the definite article, so it means the.
It is used because πόλη is a feminine noun, and Greek articles must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. So:
- η πόλη = the city
Greek also uses the definite article quite regularly with specific nouns, often more regularly than English does.
How do I know that πόλη is feminine?
In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
πόλη is a feminine noun, so it takes the article η. The ending -η often suggests a feminine noun, but the safest habit is to learn nouns together with their article:
- η πόλη = the city
The gender here is grammatical. It does not mean a city is literally female.