Learn Hardcore Greek: Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο είναι πολύ ακριβό.

In standard Greek, a demonstrative normally comes with the definite article: [demonstrative] [article] [noun]. So Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο is the regular way to say “this car.” The version without the article (Αυτό αυτοκίνητο) sounds ungrammatical or very non‑standard. You can also place the demonstrative after the noun: Το αυτοκίνητο αυτό (same meaning).

Can I say Το αυτοκίνητο αυτό είναι πολύ ακριβό instead? Any difference in meaning?

Yes, it’s correct and means the same thing. Pre‑nominal (Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο) is the most common, neutral choice. Post‑nominal (Το αυτοκίνητο αυτό) can feel a bit more formal or contrastive (“the car, this one”), but both are natural.

Why are Αυτό, το, αυτοκίνητο, and ακριβό all neuter?

Because αυτοκίνητο is a neuter noun. In Greek, determiners and adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

Neuter noun: αυτοκίνητο
Matching forms: αυτό (this, neuter), το (the, neuter), ακριβό (expensive, neuter)

How would the sentence change with a masculine or a feminine noun?

Masculine: Αυτός ο υπολογιστής είναι πολύ ακριβός. (“This computer is very expensive.”)
Feminine: Αυτή η τσάντα είναι πολύ ακριβή. (“This bag is very expensive.”) Articles: masculine ο, feminine η, neuter το. Adjectives change too: ακριβός (m), ακριβή (f), ακριβό (n).

How do I pronounce the sentence? What sound does αυ make in Αυτό and αυτοκίνητο?

Αυτό: [afˈto] (af-TO). Here αυ is [af] because it’s before a voiceless consonant (τ).
αυτοκίνητο: [aftoˈkíni.to] (af-to-KÍ-nee-to); stress on -κί-.
είναι: [ˈíne] (EE-neh).
πολύ: [poˈlí] (po-LEE).
ακριβό: [akriˈvó] (a-kri-VO). Rule of thumb: αυ is pronounced [af] before voiceless consonants (π, τ, κ, φ, θ, σ, χ, ξ, ψ) and [av] before vowels or voiced consonants (β, γ, δ, μ, ν, ρ, λ, ζ). Example: αυγό = [avˈɣo].

Is πολύ the same word as “much/many”? Why πολύ ακριβό and not something else?

Here πολύ is an adverb meaning “very,” modifying the adjective: πολύ ακριβό = “very expensive.”
As an adjective meaning “much/many,” it inflects: πολύς (m), πολλή (f), πολύ (n), plural πολλοί/πολλές/πολλά.
Examples:

Adverb: πολύ ακριβό = very expensive
Adjective: πολλή βροχή = much rain; πολλά αυτοκίνητα = many cars Note the spelling: adverb πολύ has one λ; adjective forms like πολλή/πολλοί have double λ.

Can I say πάρα πολύ ακριβό to mean “really/very expensive”?

Yes. πάρα πολύ intensifies the degree: Είναι πάρα πολύ ακριβό = “It’s extremely/very expensive.” Depending on context, it can imply “too expensive,” but often it just means “very, very.”

Does είναι mean both “is” and “are”?

Yes. είναι is the 3rd person singular and plural of είμαι (to be). Present tense:

είμαι (I am), είσαι (you are), είναι (he/she/it is), είμαστε (we are), είστε (you are), είναι (they are). Here it’s singular because the subject is Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο (this car).

Can I drop είναι, like “This car very expensive”?

No in standard Greek; you need the verb: Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο είναι πολύ ακριβό. Omitting είναι happens only in headlines, notes, or very informal speech.

If I turn the noun phrase into an object, do any forms change?

With neuter nouns, nominative and accusative look the same. So:

Subject: Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο είναι πολύ ακριβό.
Object: Βλέπω αυτό το αυτοκίνητο. For non‑neuters you’ll see changes (e.g., masculine object: Βλέπω αυτόν τον σκύλο).

What are the basic forms of “this” in Greek?

Singular:

Nominative: αυτός (m), αυτή (f), αυτό (n)
Accusative: αυτόν (m), αυτή(ν) (f), αυτό (n) Plural:
Nominative: αυτοί (m), αυτές (f), αυτά (n)
Accusative: αυτούς (m), αυτές (f), αυτά (n) Note: Feminine often keeps a final -ν (αυτήν) before vowels and some consonants.

Which definite articles go with which genders?

Singular: ο (m), η (f), το (n)
Plural: οι (m/f), τα (n) Accusative singular: τον (m), τη(ν) (f), το (n). In the sentence we use το because αυτοκίνητο is neuter.

Where are the stresses, and do the accent marks matter?

Yes—stress is phonemic in Greek. Stressed syllables:

Αυτό: af-ΤΟ
αυτοκίνητο: αφ-το-ΚΙ-νι-το
είναι: ΕΙ-νε
πολύ: πο-ΛΥ
ακριβό: α-κρι-ΒΟ The written accent shows stress and must be placed correctly.

Is the αυτό in Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο related to the αυτο- in αυτοκίνητο?

Etymologically, yes—they both go back to Ancient Greek αὐτός (“self/that”). In Modern Greek:

αυτό = “this” (demonstrative pronoun/adjective).
αυτο- is a bound prefix meaning “self‑,” as in αυτοκίνητο (“self‑moving” → automobile). In the sentence, they’re unrelated grammatically; it’s just a coincidence you see both.

Is το here the article “the” or the pronoun “it”?

It’s the definite article. The clitic pronoun το = “it” exists too (e.g., Το βλέπω = “I see it”), but in Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο it’s clearly the article before a noun.

How do I say “This car is not very expensive”?

Neutral: Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο δεν είναι πολύ ακριβό.
Softer (“not that expensive”): Αυτό το αυτοκίνητο δεν είναι και πολύ ακριβό.