Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.

This road is right.

Breakdown of Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.

• είμαι: to be
• αυτός: this
• ο δρόμος: the road
• σωστός: right

Questions & Answers about Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.

What does each word in Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός literally mean?

Word by word:

• Αυτός = this (masculine, singular)
• ο = the (masculine, singular article)
• δρόμος = road / street / way (masculine noun)
• είναι = is (3rd person singular of είμαι = to be)
• σωστός = right / correct (masculine adjective)

So literally: This the road is right/correct.
Natural English: This road is right / This is the right road.

Why do we have both Αυτός and ο? In English we just say “this road”.

In Greek, demonstratives (this/that) and articles (the) are usually both used:

• Αυτός ο δρόμος = this road (literally: this the road)

Structure:

• Αυτός = demonstrative (points at something)
• ο = definite article (marks the noun as definite)
• δρόμος = noun

It’s very common and perfectly normal to have both:

• Αυτός ο άνθρωπος = this person
• Αυτή η πόρτα = this door
• Αυτό το παιδί = this child

You can sometimes drop the article in very specific contexts, but the normal, natural form is Αυτός ο δρόμος with both words.

Why is it Αυτός and σωστός and not something else? What are they agreeing with?

Greek has grammatical gender. Δρόμος is:

• δρόμος = masculine, singular, nominative

So any word that directly refers to it must match:

• Αυτός (this) – masculine, singular, nominative
• ο (the) – masculine, singular, nominative
• σωστός (right/correct) – masculine, singular, nominative

If the noun changed gender, these would change too:

• Feminine: Αυτή η οδός είναι σωστή.
  
  • Αυτή (this, fem.), η (the, fem.), οδός (road, fem.), σωστή (right, fem.)
• Neuter: Αυτό το μονοπάτι είναι σωστό.
  
  • Αυτό (this, neut.), το (the, neut.), μονοπάτι (path, neut.), σωστό (right, neut.)

Everything “agrees” in gender, number, and case with the noun δρόμος.

What exactly does σωστός mean here? Is it “correct” or “right (direction)”?

Σωστός can mean several related things, depending on context:

• correct / accurate
  
  • Η απάντηση είναι σωστή. = The answer is correct.
• right (choice, option, road, direction)
  
  • Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός. = This is the right road.
• proper / appropriate
  
  • Κάν’ το με τον σωστό τρόπο. = Do it the proper way.
• morally right / just (in some contexts)
  
  • Δεν είναι σωστό. = It’s not right / It’s not fair.

In your sentence, it means the correct / right road (the one we should take).

Can I change the word order? For example: Ο δρόμος αυτός είναι σωστός or Αυτός είναι σωστός δρόμος?

Yes, Greek allows flexible word order, but the nuance changes a bit:

1. Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.
   Neutral, common: This road is right / This is the right road.

2. Ο δρόμος αυτός είναι σωστός.
   Also correct. Slight emphasis on this road (as opposed to another one). Still natural.

3. Αυτός είναι σωστός δρόμος.

   • Grammatically fine.
   • Now σωστός is before the noun and without article: σωστός δρόμος = a right/proper road (like “a good road”, vs a bad one).
   • Translation: This is a right/proper road (not “the right road (to take)”).

Your original sentence is about which road is the correct one to choose.
Αυτός είναι σωστός δρόμος describes the quality of the road.

What case is δρόμος in here, and why?

Δρόμος is in the nominative singular:

• Nominative is used for the subject of the sentence and for predicative nouns/adjectives with “to be”.

In Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός:

• Subject: Αυτός ο δρόμος (this road) → nominative
• Linking verb: είναι (is)
• Predicative adjective: σωστός → also nominative, agreeing with the subject

So:

• ο δρόμος (nominative, subject)
• σωστός (nominative, describing the subject)

Can I drop Αυτός and just say Ο δρόμος είναι σωστός?

Yes:

• Ο δρόμος είναι σωστός. = The road is right / The road is correct.

Difference:

• Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.
  
  • Specifically points: this road (the one I’m gesturing at, or clearly indicated).
• Ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.
  
  • Just says “the road is right” – it could mean “the road (we’re talking about)” without the extra focus of “this one here”.

Both are grammatical; Αυτός just adds the demonstrative “this” nuance.

How would I say “this is the right road” versus “this road is right” in Greek? Or are they the same?

In practice, they’re expressed with the same Greek sentence:

• Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.

It can be understood as:

• This road is right.
• This is the right road.

If you really want to emphasize “this” as a stand‑alone pronoun:

• Αυτός είναι ο σωστός δρόμος. = This is the right road.

Here:

• Αυτός = this (pronoun)
• είναι = is
• ο σωστός δρόμος = the right road (with article before the adjective: ο σωστός, then noun δρόμος)

What’s the difference between σωστός δρόμος and ο δρόμος είναι σωστός?

It’s the difference between attributive and predicative use of the adjective:

1. σωστός δρόμος (attributive)

   • No article with σωστός: “a right/proper road” (type/quality of road).
   • Example: Αυτός είναι σωστός δρόμος. = This is a proper/right kind of road.

2. ο δρόμος είναι σωστός (predicative)

   • Adjective after “to be”, with the noun in front and with article.
   • Means: “the road (we’re talking about) is right/correct (the correct choice)”.

So:

• σωστός δρόμος = a road that has the quality “right/good/proper”.
• ο δρόμος είναι σωστός = the specific road is right/correct in this situation (e.g., the right route).

How do I say “these roads are right” in Greek? What are the plural forms?

You need the plural of the demonstrative, article, noun, and adjective:

• Αυτοί οι δρόμοι είναι σωστοί.
  = These roads are right.

Breakdown:

• Αυτοί = these (masc. plural nominative)
• οι = the (masc. plural nominative article)
• δρόμοι = roads (plural of δρόμος)
• είναι = are
• σωστοί = right/correct (masc. plural nominative of σωστός)

All four words agree: masculine, plural, nominative.

How do I pronounce Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with CAPS):

• Αυτός → af-TOS
• ο → o (like “o” in “off”)
• δρόμος → THRO-mos
  
  • δρ = like th-r together (δ = “th” as in “this”)
• είναι → EE-ne (two syllables, stress on the first: ΕΙ-νε)
• σωστός → so-STOS

Spoken together, you might hear something like:

• af‑TOS o THRO‑mos EE‑ne so‑STOS

Is there any difference between δρόμος and οδός for “road”?

Yes, mainly in style and usage:

• δρόμος

  • Most common everyday word for road / street / way.
  • Used in normal speech: Αυτός ο δρόμος είναι σωστός.

• οδός (feminine)

  • More formal / older / often used in street names and signs.
  • Example: Οδός Ελευθερίας = Freedom Street.

You could say formally:

• Αυτή η οδός είναι σωστή.
  but in modern everyday speech you normally use δρόμος.