Το υάλωμα καλύπτει τον πηλό.

The glaze covers the clay.

Breakdown of Το υάλωμα καλύπτει τον πηλό.

• καλύπτω: to cover
• ο πηλός: the clay
• το υάλωμα: the glaze

Questions & Answers about Το υάλωμα καλύπτει τον πηλό.

Why is it το υάλωμα but τον πηλό?

Because Greek articles change according to gender, number, and case.

• υάλωμα is neuter singular, so its article here is το
• πηλός is masculine singular, and in this sentence it is the direct object, so it takes the accusative article τον

So the difference is not random: it reflects the grammar of each noun.

Which word is the subject, and which word is the object?

The subject is το υάλωμα and the object is τον πηλό.

A learner may expect word order alone to show this, as in English, but Greek also uses case forms:

• το υάλωμα is the thing doing the action
• τον πηλό is the thing receiving the action

So the sentence structure is:

• το υάλωμα = subject
• καλύπτει = verb
• τον πηλό = direct object

Why is it πηλό and not πηλός?