Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο.

Νύχι means nail in the sense of a fingernail or toenail.

It does not usually mean a metal nail used in construction. For that, Greek normally uses καρφί.

So in this sentence, Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο refers to a broken fingernail or toenail.

Το is the definite article, meaning the.

Greek uses definite articles more regularly than English, and the article has to match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Here:

• το = the for a neuter singular noun
• νύχι = a neuter singular noun

So το νύχι means the nail.

You usually learn the gender together with the noun, so it is best to memorize it as:

• το νύχι = the nail

That said, the ending -ι is very often found in neuter nouns in Greek, so that gives you a clue.

Because νύχι is neuter, words that go with it must also be in the neuter form, such as:

• το νύχι
• σπασμένο

Because σπασμένο has to agree with νύχι.

In Greek, adjectives change form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

Since νύχι is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular:

• masculine: σπασμένος
• feminine: σπασμένη
• neuter: σπασμένο

So:

• το νύχι είναι σπασμένο = correct

It is originally a participle from the verb σπάζω (to break), but in this sentence it functions like an adjective.

So σπασμένο means broken in the sense of a resulting state.

This is very common in Greek. A participle can behave like a normal adjective:

• σπασμένο ποτήρι = a broken glass
• σπασμένο νύχι = a broken nail

Because this sentence describes a state: the nail is broken.

Greek often uses:

• είναι + participle/adjective

to describe the condition something is in.

So:

• Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο = The nail is broken.

If you wanted to focus more on the action or event, Greek could use different wording, such as a form related to σπάζω. But here the emphasis is simply on the current condition.

Yes. By itself, νύχι can refer to either a fingernail or a toenail.

If Greek wants to be more specific, it can say:

• το νύχι του χεριού = fingernail
• το νύχι του ποδιού = toenail

But in everyday speech, context usually makes it clear.

This word order is the most neutral and natural:

• Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο.

Greek word order is more flexible than English, though, because endings carry a lot of grammatical information.

You may see different orders for emphasis, for example:

• Σπασμένο είναι το νύχι.

That might sound more emphatic, like It’s the nail that is broken or The nail is broken with extra focus.

For a learner, the original order is the safest one to use.

Normally, no. In a full standard sentence like this, you would usually keep the article:

• Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο.

Leaving out the article would sound unnatural in most ordinary contexts.

Greek often uses articles where English sometimes does not, so it is a good habit to learn nouns together with their article.

A rough pronunciation is:

• to NEE-khee EE-ne spa-SME-no

A more careful breakdown:

• Το = to
• νύχι = NEE-khee
• είναι = EE-ne
• σπασμένο = spa-SME-no

A few notes:

• χ in νύχι is the Greek sound heard in words like the German ich or a soft breathy sound after ee
• the stress falls on:
  • νύ in νύχι
  • εί in είναι
  • μέ in σπασμένο

No. Είναι is the verb is / are from είμαι (to be), and it does not change for gender.

Gender agreement affects things like:

• articles
• adjectives
• participles used adjectivally

But the verb είναι does not become masculine, feminine, or neuter.

So:

• Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο
• Το πόδι είναι σπασμένο
• Η πόρτα είναι σπασμένη
• Ο καθρέφτης είναι σπασμένος

In all of these, είναι stays the same, while the adjective changes.

Yes, but it means something a little different.

• Το νύχι είναι σπασμένο = The nail is broken.
  This describes the current condition.

• Το νύχι έσπασε = The nail broke.
  This describes the event of breaking.

So the first is about the result or state, while the second is about what happened.

The basic form is usually given as the masculine singular:

• σπασμένος, σπασμένη, σπασμένο = broken

Or you may connect it to the verb:

• σπάζω = to break

As a learner, it helps to recognize both:

• the verb: σπάζω
• the adjective/participle forms: σπασμένος, σπασμένη, σπασμένο

That way, you can understand why σπασμένο appears with a neuter noun like νύχι.