Breakdown of Το πουλί έχει σπασμένο φτερό.
Questions & Answers about Το πουλί έχει σπασμένο φτερό.
Why is it το πουλί and not ο πουλί or η πουλί?
Because πουλί is a neuter noun in Greek.
Greek definite articles change for gender:
- ο = masculine
- η = feminine
- το = neuter
So:
- το πουλί = the bird
A lot of Greek nouns ending in -ί are neuter, and πουλί is one of them.
What does έχει mean here?
Έχει means has.
It is the:
- 3rd person singular
- present tense
- of the verb έχω = to have
So:
- έχω = I have
- έχεις = you have
- έχει = he/she/it has
In this sentence, το πουλί έχει... means the bird has...
Why is σπασμένο in that form?
Because it agrees with the noun φτερό.
Greek adjectives change form to match the noun they describe in:
- gender
- number
- case
Here, φτερό is:
- neuter
- singular
So the adjective must also be neuter singular:
- masculine: σπασμένος
- feminine: σπασμένη
- neuter: σπασμένο
So:
- σπασμένο φτερό = broken wing/feather
Is σπασμένο an adjective or a participle?
It is originally a passive participle of the verb σπάζω = to break, but in sentences like this it functions very much like an adjective.
So σπασμένο literally means something like:
- broken
- having been broken
This is very common in Greek. Many participle forms are used as ordinary descriptive adjectives.
Why is there no word for a before σπασμένο φτερό?
Because Greek often leaves out the indefinite article where English uses a/an.
So:
- Το πουλί έχει σπασμένο φτερό is natural Greek.
- Το πουλί έχει ένα σπασμένο φτερό is also possible.
Using ένα makes the indefiniteness more explicit, but it is often unnecessary, especially after έχω with things like:
- possessions
- conditions
- body parts
- general descriptions
So the version without ένα sounds very normal.
What case is φτερό in?
It is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of έχει.
The bird has what?
- σπασμένο φτερό
That is the object.
A useful thing to know: for many neuter singular nouns in Greek, the nominative and accusative look the same. So φτερό has the same form in both of those cases.
Does φτερό mean feather or wing?
Literally, φτερό most basically means feather, but depending on context it may be translated more naturally in English in different ways.
If the meaning shown to the learner is wing, that is probably a context-based translation. Greek can be a little flexible here in simple sentences.
If someone wanted to be more specific, they might use:
- φτερούγα = wing
- πτέρυγα = wing (more formal/literary/scientific)
So the exact English choice depends on context.
Why is the adjective before the noun: σπασμένο φτερό?
Because in Greek, adjectives can often come before or after the noun, but putting the adjective before the noun is very common in everyday speech.
So:
- σπασμένο φτερό = normal, natural
- φτερό σπασμένο = possible, but less neutral and often more marked or stylistic
For a learner, the safest pattern is:
- article + noun
- or adjective + noun
In this sentence, σπασμένο φτερό is the most straightforward choice.
Could the sentence also be said in another way?
Yes. A very common alternative would be:
- Το φτερό του πουλιού είναι σπασμένο.
This means:
- The bird’s wing/feather is broken.
The difference is mainly in structure:
- Το πουλί έχει σπασμένο φτερό focuses on what the bird has.
- Το φτερό του πουλιού είναι σπασμένο focuses on the condition of the wing/feather itself.
Both are natural.
How is this sentence pronounced?
A rough pronunciation guide is:
to pou-LI E-hi spa-SME-no fte-RO
More carefully:
- Το = to
- πουλί = pou-LI
- έχει = E-hi
- σπασμένο = spa-SME-no
- φτερό = fte-RO
Stress falls on:
- πουλί
- έχει
- σπασμένο
- φτερό
A couple of sounds to notice:
- χ in έχει is not an English h exactly; it is a Greek fricative sound.
- φτ in φτερό is a real consonant cluster, pronounced together.
So the whole sentence is approximately: to pou-LI E-hi spa-SME-no fte-RO
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