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Questions & Answers about Το σπίτι είναι εδώ.
What does each word do in the sentence?
- Το: definite article, neuter, nominative singular, agreeing with the noun.
- σπίτι: noun meaning house/home, neuter, nominative singular; it is the subject.
- είναι: 3rd person singular present of είμαι (to be). Note: the same form is also used for 3rd person plural.
- εδώ: adverb meaning here.
Why do we use the article Το before σπίτι?
Greek normally uses the definite article with definite singular nouns, especially in subject position. Here, we’re talking about a specific house, so Το is required: Το σπίτι. If you wanted an indefinite subject, you’d use Ένα: Ένα σπίτι είναι εδώ (though more natural would be Υπάρχει ένα σπίτι εδώ, “There is a house here.”).
What gender is σπίτι, and how do I know?
σπίτι is neuter. Many neuter nouns end in -ι (e.g., παιδί, child; κλειδί, key). You generally have to learn each noun’s gender, but the ending often gives a strong clue.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence?
Approximate: to SPEE-tee EE-neh e-THO.
IPA: [to ˈspiti ˈine eˈðo]
Tips:
- σπίτι: stress on the first syllable [ˈspi], then [ti].
- είναι: [ˈine]; the letters ει sound like English “ee.”
- εδώ: [eˈðo]; Greek δ is the voiced “th” in “this.”
Where does the stress fall, and what do the accent marks mean?
Greek marks the stressed syllable with an accent:
- Το has no accent (it’s a short, unstressed word).
- σπίτι is stressed on σπί-.
- είναι is stressed on εί-.
- εδώ is stressed on -δώ. The accent mark (τόνος) shows which syllable is stressed; it’s written on words of two or more syllables (with a few exceptions for certain monosyllables).
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Common options:
- Το σπίτι είναι εδώ (neutral: “The house is here.”)
- Εδώ είναι το σπίτι (fronts the location; often “Here is the house.”)
- Είναι εδώ το σπίτι (also acceptable; slight focus on “here”). All are grammatical; word order in Greek is flexible and often signals emphasis/focus rather than grammatical relations.
Can I drop είναι like in some languages?
No, not in standard modern Greek. The present-tense copula είναι is normally required: Το σπίτι είναι εδώ. In casual speech you may hear a reduced form ’ναι: Το σπίτι ’ναι εδώ, but the verb is still there, just contracted.
Does σπίτι mean “house” or “home”?
Both, depending on context:
- With the article, it’s usually “house”: Το σπίτι είναι εδώ (the house).
- Without the article, it can mean “home” in set phrases: Πάω σπίτι (I’m going home), Είμαι σπίτι (I’m at home).
- With a preposition, στο σπίτι = “at/to the house” (more concrete location).
What case is σπίτι here, and what happens if it’s an object?
Here it’s nominative (subject): το σπίτι.
As a direct object, neuter nouns look the same as nominative: Βλέπω το σπίτι (I see the house). Neuter nominative and accusative are identical in form.
How do I make it plural?
- Noun and article: το σπίτι → τα σπίτια (neuter plural -ια).
- Verb (3rd person) stays είναι for plural too.
So: Τα σπίτια είναι εδώ (The houses are here).
Can είναι mean “are” too? How do I know if it’s singular or plural?
Yes. είναι is both “is” (3rd singular) and “are” (3rd plural). You tell by the subject:
- Singular: Το σπίτι είναι εδώ.
- Plural: Τα σπίτια είναι εδώ.
How do I make it negative or ask a question?
- Negative: put δεν before the verb: Το σπίτι δεν είναι εδώ (The house is not here).
- Yes/no question: same words, rising intonation or a question mark: Το σπίτι είναι εδώ;
- Wh-question: Πού είναι το σπίτι; (Where is the house?)
What’s the difference between εδώ and εκεί (and εδώ πέρα)?
- εδώ: here (near the speaker).
- εκεί: there (farther away).
- εδώ πέρα: colloquial/emphatic “right here/around here,” adding emphasis or a sense of vicinity.
How do demonstratives work with this noun?
Greek demonstratives pair with the definite article:
- “This house is here”: Αυτό το σπίτι είναι εδώ.
- “That house is there”: Εκείνο το σπίτι είναι εκεί. The demonstrative (Αυτό/Εκείνο) and the article το agree with σπίτι in gender, number, and case (neuter singular).
How do I say “My house is here”?
Το σπίτι μου είναι εδώ.
Possessive clitics like μου (my) follow the noun, and the noun keeps the definite article.
Why is είναι spelled with both ει and αι if it sounds like “EE-neh”?
Modern Greek spelling preserves historical letters:
- ει is pronounced /i/ (EE).
- αι is pronounced /e/ (EH).
In είναι the pronunciation is → [i], -ναι → [ne]. Despite the letters, you don’t say “ai.” It’s simply [ˈi-ne].