Το σύρμα κοπής κόβει τον πηλό.

The cutting wire cuts the clay.

Breakdown of Το σύρμα κοπής κόβει τον πηλό.

• κόβω: to cut
• ο πηλός: the clay
• το σύρμα κοπής: the cutting wire

Questions & Answers about Το σύρμα κοπής κόβει τον πηλό.

Why are there two different words for the here: το and τον?

Because Greek articles change for gender, number, and case.

• το goes with σύρμα, which is neuter singular
• τον goes with πηλό, which is masculine singular accusative

So unlike English, Greek does not use just one form of the for everything.

How do I know that το σύρμα κοπής is the subject and τον πηλό is the object?

Greek often shows this through case, not just word order.

• το σύρμα is in the nominative, so it is the subject
• τον πηλό is in the accusative, so it is the direct object

That means the wire is doing the action, and the clay is receiving it.

What exactly is κοπής?