Ο σκύλος είναι μαύρος, αλλά η γάτα είναι άσπρη.

to be

Breakdown of Ο σκύλος είναι μαύρος, αλλά η γάτα είναι άσπρη.

• αλλά: but
• ο σκύλος: the dog
• η γάτα: the cat

Questions & Answers about Ο σκύλος είναι μαύρος, αλλά η γάτα είναι άσπρη.

Why does the sentence use ο with σκύλος and η with γάτα?

Greek has grammatical gender. Every noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter, and the definite article changes accordingly:

• ο = the (masculine singular)
• η = the (feminine singular)
• το = the (neuter singular)

In this sentence:

• ο σκύλος – σκύλος is masculine → use ο
• η γάτα – γάτα is feminine → use η

The article must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it belongs to.

How can I know that σκύλος is masculine and γάτα is feminine?

Partly by meaning and partly by form:

• Meaning:

  • Animals often default to one gender: σκύλος (dog) is usually masculine, γάτα (cat) is usually feminine.
  • If you need to specify biological sex, you can say ο αρσενικός σκύλος (the male dog) / η θηλυκιά γάτα (the female cat), etc.

• Form (typical endings):

  • Many masculine nouns end in -ος → σκύλος
  • Many feminine nouns end in -α or -η → γάτα

These patterns have many exceptions, so you usually learn each noun together with its article:
ο σκύλος, η γάτα, το σπίτι (house), etc.

Why is it μαύρος but ? Why don’t the adjectives look the same?