Questions & Answers about Η μέρα είναι ήσυχη σήμερα.
Η is the definite article in Greek, meaning “the” for feminine, singular, nominative nouns.
- η μέρα = the day
- It’s capitalized here only because it’s the first word of the sentence.
- In lowercase, it would be η μέρα.
Don’t confuse η (article the) with ή (with an accent), which normally means “or” in Greek.
μέρα (day) is a feminine noun in Greek, so it always takes the feminine article η in the nominative singular:
- η μέρα = the day
- της μέρας = of the day (genitive)
- τη μέρα = the day (accusative, object)
So you always learn η μέρα as a unit, just like you learn “la noche” in Spanish as feminine.
Both mean “day”:
- μέρα is the everyday, colloquial word.
- ημέρα is a more formal or literary version.
In spoken modern Greek, you’ll hear μέρα far more often:
- Καλή μέρα. = Have a good day.
- In official or written contexts (e.g. announcements, formal texts), you might see ημέρα.
είναι is “is / am / are” depending on context. It’s the 3rd person singular (and also 3rd person plural) form of the verb είμαι (to be).
Present tense of είμαι:
- (εγώ) είμαι = I am
- (εσύ) είσαι = you are (singular)
- (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) είναι = he / she / it is
- (εμείς) είμαστε = we are
- (εσείς) είστε = you are (plural / polite)
- (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) είναι = they are
In Η μέρα είναι ήσυχη σήμερα, είναι = “is”: The day is quiet today.
The base adjective is ήσυχος = quiet, calm.
Adjectives in Greek change form to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. For ήσυχος:
- Masculine: ήσυχος (e.g. ήσυχος άνθρωπος – quiet man)
- Feminine: ήσυχη (e.g. ήσυχη μέρα – quiet day)
- Neuter: ήσυχο (e.g. ήσυχο μέρος – quiet place)
Since η μέρα is feminine, singular, nominative, the adjective must also be feminine, singular, nominative → ήσυχη.
So: η μέρα είναι ήσυχη = the day is quiet (and feminine).
Approximate pronunciation (stress in bold syllables):
- Η μέρα → EE ME-ra
- είναι → EE-ne
- ήσυχη → EE-si-hee (IPA: [ˈisixi])
- σήμερα → SEE-me-ra
Full sentence (smoothly):
EE ME-ra EE-ne EE-si-hee SEE-me-ra
Key points:
- η, ι, υ, ει, οι, υι often sound like i (English “ee”).
- χ is a rough kh sound (like German Bach).
- The accent mark (´) shows which syllable is stressed.
σήμερα means “today” and is an adverb of time. Greek word order is relatively flexible, so all of these are natural:
- Η μέρα είναι ήσυχη σήμερα.
- Σήμερα η μέρα είναι ήσυχη. (more emphasis on today)
- Η μέρα σήμερα είναι ήσυχη. (emphasis that the day today is quiet)
All mean roughly “The day is quiet today.”
The differences are mostly about emphasis / focus, not grammar correctness.
In standard modern Greek, you normally keep the verb είναι in such sentences:
- Η μέρα είναι ήσυχη σήμερα. ✅ (normal)
- Η μέρα ήσυχη σήμερα. ❌ (feels incomplete / non‑standard)
Unlike Russian or Arabic, Greek does not usually drop “to be” in the present tense in simple statements like this.
Both can be translated as “quiet” or “calm”, but there is a nuance:
ήσυχη μέρα:
- A day that is quiet, not noisy, peaceful.
- Emphasis on lack of disturbance / noise.
ήρεμη μέρα:
- A day that is calm, not tense or stressful.
- Emphasis more on emotional calmness / lack of agitation.
They often overlap, and in many contexts you could use either, but:
- ήσυχη γειτονιά = a quiet neighborhood (noise level)
- ήρεμος άνθρωπος = a calm (even-tempered) person
Greek often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who or what the subject is.
Here, the subject is explicitly η μέρα (“the day”), so Greek doesn’t need an extra “it”:
- English: It is quiet today.
- Greek: Η μέρα είναι ήσυχη σήμερα. (literally: The day is quiet today.)
You would not add an extra pronoun like “αυτή” here. That would sound unnatural unless you were contrasting:
Αυτή είναι ήσυχη σήμερα, όχι η νύχτα. – It’s the day that is quiet today, not the night.