Learn Hardcore Greek: Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ.

Αυτό = this (neuter, used here as this referring to a neuter noun)
το = the (neuter singular nominative, agreeing with τραπέζι)
πράσινο = green (neuter singular nominative, agreeing with τραπέζι)
τραπέζι = table (neuter singular, subject of the verb)
ταιριάζει = matches / goes well / suits (3rd person singular present of ταιριάζω)
με = with
τον = the (masculine singular accusative, agreeing with καναπέ)
μπλε = blue (indeclinable adjective, same form in all genders)
καναπέ = sofa, couch (masculine singular accusative; nominative form is καναπές)

A very literal rendering would be: This the green table matches with the blue sofa.
In natural English: This green table matches the blue sofa.

Why do we have both Αυτό and το when English just says this?

In Greek, demonstratives like αυτός / αυτή / αυτό usually appear together with the definite article before a noun:

αυτό το τραπέζι = this table
αυτή η καρέκλα = this chair
αυτό το βιβλίο = this book

The pattern is:
[Demonstrative] + [Article] + [Noun] (and adjectives)

So Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι is the normal way to say this green table.

If you say only Αυτό without a noun, it usually means this one (standing alone as a pronoun):

Αυτό ταιριάζει. = This one matches.

With a noun, keep the article:

Αυτό το τραπέζι (not Αυτό τραπέζι)

Why is it πράσινο and not πράσινος or πράσινη?

Adjectives in Greek agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

The noun τραπέζι is:

gender: neuter
number: singular
case: nominative (it’s the subject)

The adjective πράσινος (green) has three basic singular forms:

masculine: πράσινος
feminine: πράσινη
neuter: πράσινο

Since τραπέζι is neuter, the adjective must also be neuter: πράσινο τραπέζι = green table.

If the noun were masculine or feminine, you’d get:

πράσινος καναπές (green sofa – masculine)
πράσινη καρέκλα (green chair – feminine)

How do I know that τραπέζι is neuter, and what are its basic forms?

Many neuter nouns in Greek end in -ι (like παιδί, σπίτι, τραπέζι). Their article in the singular is το.

For τραπέζι:

Nominative singular: το τραπέζι (subject)
Accusative singular: το τραπέζι (object – same form as nominative)
Genitive singular: του τραπεζιού

Plural:

Nominative/accusative plural: τα τραπέζια
Genitive plural: των τραπεζιών

So when you see το τραπέζι, the το is a strong clue that the noun is neuter.

What exactly does ταιριάζει mean, and where is the subject “it”?

Ταιριάζει is:

3rd person singular, present tense of ταιριάζω
It means matches / suits / goes well (with).

Greek typically drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the context and the verb ending. That’s why you don’t see a separate word for it.

The subject here is the whole phrase Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι:

Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι = subject
ταιριάζει = matches

Literally: This green table matches with the blue sofa.
The idea of it is already built into ταιριάζει and the noun phrase before it, so no extra word is needed.

Why do we use με after ταιριάζει? Could we say just ταιριάζει τον μπλε καναπέ?

The verb ταιριάζω normally appears with the preposition με when you say that one thing matches another:

ταιριάζει με κάτι = it matches with something

So:

Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ.

You cannot drop με and say ταιριάζει τον μπλε καναπέ — that sounds wrong in Greek.
The construction is verb + με + noun in the accusative.

Other similar patterns:

Συμφωνώ με εσένα. = I agree with you.
Μαλώνω με τον αδερφό μου. = I argue with my brother.

Why is it τον μπλε καναπέ and not ο μπλε καναπές?

Because after the preposition με, the noun must be in the accusative case.

Masculine nouns like καναπές decline like this (singular):

Nominative: ο καναπές (subject form)
Accusative: τον καναπέ (object / after prepositions)

And the masculine article:

Nominative: ο
Accusative: τον

So:

Subject: Ο μπλε καναπές είναι ωραίος. = The blue sofa is nice.
Object (after με): με τον μπλε καναπέ = with the blue sofa.

That’s why the sentence has τον μπλε καναπέ.

Why doesn’t μπλε change its ending to match καναπέ?

Μπλε (blue) is an indeclinable adjective in modern Greek. That means its form stays the same for:

masculine / feminine / neuter
singular / plural
all cases

So you get:

ο μπλε καναπές (masc.)
την μπλε καρέκλα (fem.)
το μπλε τραπέζι (neuter)
οι μπλε καναπέδες (plural)

Only the article and noun change; μπλε itself never does.
This is common with some color words borrowed from other languages (French, etc.), like μπλε, ροζ, μωβ, γκρι.

How do you pronounce μπλε and ταιριάζει?

Approximate pronunciation:

μπλε ≈ ble (like English ble in blend, but shorter).
- In Greek, μπ at the start of a word is pronounced as b, so μπλε = [ble].
ταιριάζει ≈ teh-ree-AH-zee (with a rolled or tapped r).
- αι is pronounced like e in bed.
- The stress mark on ά shows the stress: τε-ρι-ά-ζει → te-ri-Á-zi.

In IPA (approximate):

μπλε: [ble]
ταιριάζει: [teˈriazi]

Can the adjectives and demonstrative go in a different order? For example, could I say Το πράσινο αυτό τραπέζι?

Yes, Greek allows some flexibility, but there are preferred patterns.

The most common with a demonstrative is:

Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι
[Demonstrative] + [Article] + [Adjective] + [Noun]

You can also put the demonstrative after the noun in a more “pointing”/emphatic way (often in speech or when you physically point at it):

Το πράσινο αυτό τραπέζι = this green table (that one over there)

This is correct but slightly more marked or emphatic than the original sentence.

You can also move the adjective after the noun with a repeated article for emphasis on the adjective:

Αυτό το τραπέζι το πράσινο (this table, the green one – stressing the color)

So the original order is the neutral, most natural one. The others are possible and change emphasis slightly.

Can I omit the article and say Αυτό πράσινο τραπέζι ταιριάζει…?

No, that would sound wrong in standard modern Greek.

With demonstratives and regular nouns, you almost always need the article:

✅ Αυτό το πράσινο τραπέζι
❌ Αυτό πράσινο τραπέζι

The pattern is Demonstrative + Article + (Adjective) + Noun.
Omitting το breaks that pattern, unless you are in some very poetic or deliberately non-standard style. For everyday language, keep the article.

Why does καναπές lose the final -ς and become καναπέ here?

The final -ς is the usual marker of the nominative singular in masculine nouns:

Nominative: ο καναπές (used for subjects)
Accusative: τον καναπέ (used for direct objects and after prepositions)

In your sentence, με requires the accusative, so the noun must be in that form:

με τον καναπέ (not με τον καναπές)

The accent stays on the same syllable:

καναπές (nominative) → καναπέ (accusative).

Is ταιριάζει only for colors and furniture, or can it be used more generally?

Ταιριάζω is quite general. It can mean to match / to suit / to go well together in many contexts:

Clothes:
- Αυτά τα παπούτσια ταιριάζουν με το φόρεμά σου.
  These shoes match your dress.
Colors/objects:
- Το κόκκινο δεν ταιριάζει με το κίτρινο.
  Red does not go with yellow.
People/relationships:
- Νομίζω ότι ταιριάζετε πολύ.
  I think you suit each other / are a good match.
Tastes/character:
- Η μουσική αυτή δεν ταιριάζει με την προσωπικότητά του.
  This music doesn’t fit his personality.

So it’s useful well beyond just furniture and colors.

How would the sentence change in the plural, e.g. “These green tables match the blue sofa” or “…the blue sofas”?

You need to make the demonstrative, article, adjective, verb, and noun agree in number:

These green tables match the blue sofa.
- Αυτά τα πράσινα τραπέζια ταιριάζουν με τον μπλε καναπέ.
Changes:
- Αυτό → Αυτά (neuter plural demonstrative)
- το → τα (neuter plural article)
- πράσινο → πράσινα (neuter plural adjective)
- τραπέζι → τραπέζια (neuter plural noun)
- ταιριάζει → ταιριάζουν (3rd person plural verb)
- με τον μπλε καναπέ stays the same (still one sofa).
These green tables match the blue sofas.
- Αυτά τα πράσινα τραπέζια ταιριάζουν με τους μπλε καναπέδες.
Additional plural changes on the object side:
- τον → τους (masculine plural accusative article)
- καναπέ → καναπέδες (masculine plural accusative noun)
- μπλε remains μπλε (indeclinable).