Η πηλοπλαστική αρχίζει με πηλό.

A natural Modern Greek pronunciation is:

i piloplastikí arxízi me piló

More closely in IPA:

[i piloplastiˈci arˈçizi me piˈlo]

A few helpful notes:

• Η is pronounced i
• πηλοπλαστική is stressed on the last syllable: -κή
• αρχίζει is stressed on -χί-
• πηλό is stressed on the last syllable

The sound χ in αρχίζει is not like English ch. Before ι, it is a softer sound, a bit like the h-like sound in German ich.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• Η πηλοπλαστική = the pottery / the clay modeling / pottery as an art

It is capitalized simply because it is the first word of the sentence. In lowercase, it would be η.

πηλοπλαστική is a feminine singular noun.

It refers to:

• pottery
• clay modeling
• the art of shaping clay

It is built from parts related to:

• πηλός = clay
• πλαστική = molding / shaping / plastic art

So the word literally suggests something like clay-shaping.

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

With a subject like πηλοπλαστική, the article is very natural:

• Η πηλοπλαστική αρχίζει με πηλό

This is the normal way to talk about pottery as a general activity or art form.

If you removed the article, it would sound less neutral and more like a heading, label, or dictionary style.

αρχίζει is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb αρχίζω, which means to begin or to start.

So:

• αρχίζω = I begin
• αρχίζει = he/she/it begins

Here the subject is η πηλοπλαστική, which is singular, so Greek uses the singular verb form:

• Η πηλοπλαστική αρχίζει = Pottery begins

Because the preposition με normally takes the accusative case in Modern Greek.

The basic noun is:

• ο πηλός = clay

Its accusative singular form is:

• τον πηλό

After με, Greek uses that accusative form:

• με πηλό = with clay

So πηλό is not a different word; it is the case form required here.

Because με πηλό means with clay in a general, material sense.

Greek often omits the article with materials or substances when speaking generally:

• με πηλό = with clay
• με νερό = with water

If you said με τον πηλό, it would sound more specific, like with the clay — referring to some particular clay already known from the context.

Mostly yes.

The sentence breaks down as:

• Η πηλοπλαστική = subject
• αρχίζει = verb
• με πηλό = prepositional phrase

So the order is basically:

Subject + Verb + Prepositional phrase

That is very close to English:

Pottery begins with clay

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral order here is:

• Η πηλοπλαστική αρχίζει με πηλό

But you could change it for emphasis, for example:

• Με πηλό αρχίζει η πηλοπλαστική

That would still mean the same thing, but it puts extra focus on με πηλό.

So Greek allows reordering more easily, although not every order sounds equally natural in every context.

Because the sentence uses both:

• a compound noun related to clay: πηλοπλαστική
• the material itself: πηλό

This is not strange in Greek. In fact, it is quite natural.

It is similar to saying in English:

• Clay modeling begins with clay

So the repetition of the clay root is meaningful, not redundant.

In this sentence, αρχίζει is best understood as begins.

Greek present tense can sometimes correspond to either English simple present or present continuous, depending on context. But here it expresses a general truth or general statement, so the natural translation is:

• begins

not

• is beginning

The dictionary forms are:

• η = the for feminine singular nouns
• πηλοπλαστική = the noun itself, listed in nominative singular
• αρχίζω = to begin / to start
• με = with
• ο πηλός = clay

So if you are learning vocabulary, the key entries to remember are:

• πηλοπλαστική
• αρχίζω
• πηλός

It can mean more than just making pots.

Depending on context, πηλοπλαστική can refer to:

• pottery
• clay modeling
• clay sculpture
• the art of shaping clay

So the exact English word depends on the situation. If the meaning has already been given to the learner, that chosen translation is probably the one intended for that context.