Η ίδια συμμετοχή καλύπτει την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη.

Because Greek articles change form depending on case.

• η = feminine singular nominative → used for the subject
• την = feminine singular accusative → used for the direct object

So in this sentence:

• Η ίδια συμμετοχή is the subject, the thing doing the action
• την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη is the object, the thing being covered

This is one of the main ways Greek shows grammatical roles.

ίδια agrees with συμμετοχή in gender, number, and case.

• συμμετοχή is feminine, singular, nominative
• so the adjective must also be feminine, singular, nominative: ίδια

This is a basic Greek rule: adjectives match the noun they describe.

Here:

• η ίδια συμμετοχή = article + adjective + noun, all feminine singular nominative

Grammatically, ίδια can mean same, own, or sometimes itself, depending on context.

In formal financial or administrative Greek, ίδια συμμετοχή is often a set phrase meaning something like:

• own contribution
• self-financing contribution
• the beneficiary’s own share

So even though ίδια often means same, in this expression it is usually understood more idiomatically.

καλύπτει is the 3rd person singular present tense of καλύπτω.

So it means:

• he/she/it covers

Since the subject is η ίδια συμμετοχή, which is singular, the verb is also singular:

• η ίδια συμμετοχή καλύπτει = the own contribution covers

Greek often does not use a separate subject pronoun like it, because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

For the same reason as ίδια: it agrees with the noun it describes.

• δαπάνη is feminine singular accusative
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular accusative: επιλέξιμη

So:

• την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη = the eligible expense/expenditure

A useful thing to notice is that for many feminine adjectives, the nominative singular and accusative singular forms are the same, so the case is shown mainly by the article here:

• nominative: η επιλέξιμη δαπάνη
• accusative: την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη

The clearest clue is the article and case, not just the word order.

• Η ίδια συμμετοχή → nominative → subject
• την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη → accusative → direct object

So even if you are unsure from meaning alone, the grammar tells you:

• the contribution is doing the covering
• the expense is what gets covered

This is very important in Greek, because word order can be more flexible than in English.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English because case marking helps show the function of each noun phrase.

The neutral word order here is:

• Η ίδια συμμετοχή καλύπτει την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη.

But Greek could also move things around for emphasis, for example:

• Την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη καλύπτει η ίδια συμμετοχή.

That would still mean the same thing, but it would put more focus on την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη.

So Greek relies less on rigid word order and more on forms like η vs την.

In a normal full sentence, the articles are expected here.

Greek uses the definite article much more regularly than English, especially with:

• specific nouns
• formal writing
• administrative or legal language

So:

• Η ίδια συμμετοχή καλύπτει την επιλέξιμη δαπάνη sounds complete and natural
• dropping the articles would sound unnatural in this kind of sentence

A rough pronunciation guide is:

ee Í-thya sym-me-to-HÍ ka-LÝP-tee teen e-pee-LÉK-see-mee tha-PÁ-nee

A few helpful notes:

• η / ι / υ / ει / οι are all pronounced like ee
• δ sounds like the th in this
• θ sounds like the th in think
• the stress marks matter:
  • ίδια
  • συμμετοχή
  • καλύπτει
  • επιλέξιμη
  • δαπάνη

If you stress the wrong syllable, the word may sound unnatural even if everything else is correct.

Because Greek is a pro-drop language. That means subject pronouns are often omitted when they are not needed.

In English, you need:

• It covers the eligible expense

In Greek, the verb ending already tells you it is 3rd person singular, so a separate it is usually unnecessary:

• καλύπτει already means it covers / he covers / she covers, depending on context

The subject is then made clear by the noun phrase:

• Η ίδια συμμετοχή καλύπτει...

So Greek usually sounds more natural without an extra subject pronoun here.