Ο καφές είναι λίγος.

to be

Breakdown of Ο καφές είναι λίγος.

• ο καφές: the coffee
• λίγος: some

Questions & Answers about Ο καφές είναι λίγος.

Why do we use Ο in Ο καφές είναι λίγος? In English the translation is something like There is little coffee, without the.

In Greek, a singular countable noun used as the subject almost always takes a definite article.

• Ο καφές = the coffee (in general / the coffee we’re talking about)
• Greek normally does not say just Καφές είναι λίγος. That sounds wrong or very odd.
• Even when English uses a more abstract or impersonal structure (There is little coffee), Greek often prefers a normal subject:
  Ο καφές είναι λίγος = literally The coffee is little (in quantity) → idiomatically There is little coffee / The coffee is not much.

So the article Ο is required here because καφές is the subject of the sentence.

What gender is καφές, and how can I tell?

Καφές is masculine.

• The definite article ο marks masculine singular: ο καφές.
• Many masculine nouns in Greek end in -ής or -ές in the nominative singular:
  ο καφές, ο μαθητής (the student), ο τουριστής (the tourist).
• You usually learn the gender together with the noun plus its article: ο καφές (m), η ζάχαρη (f), το γάλα (n).

So you should memorize ο καφές (masculine) as a whole phrase.