Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός.

This way is correct.

Breakdown of Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός.

• είμαι: to be
• αυτός: this
• σωστός: right
• ο τρόπος: the way

Questions & Answers about Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός.

Why do we have both Αυτός and ο before τρόπος? Isn’t one of them enough?

In Modern Greek, when you use a demonstrative (like αυτός = this), you normally keep the definite article too:

• αυτός ο τρόπος = this way (literally this the way)

So the pattern is:

• αυτός ο άνθρωπος – this man
• αυτή η γυναίκα – this woman
• αυτό το παιδί – this child

If you drop αυτός, you get:

• ο τρόπος είναι σωστός = the way is correct (more general, not specifically “this” one)

So αυτός (this) + ο (the) together are normal and both needed for the usual “this X” structure.

What exactly does Αυτός mean? Is it “this” or “that”?

Αυτός is the masculine singular form of the demonstrative meaning this or that, depending on context and distance.

Forms in the singular:

• αυτός – this/that (masculine)
• αυτή – this/that (feminine)
• αυτό – this/that (neuter)

For physical distance, Greek more clearly distinguishes:

• αυτός – usually closer, “this”
• εκείνος – usually farther, “that”

But in everyday speech αυτός can sometimes be translated either as “this” or as a context-based “that,” depending on what sounds more natural in English.

Can I omit Αυτός and just say Ο τρόπος είναι σωστός?

Yes, you can.

• Ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. = The way is correct.

Difference in nuance:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. – You’re pointing to or clearly specifying this particular way, contrasting it with other ways.
• Ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. – You’re talking about “the way” that’s already known from context, or about a way in a more general sense, without the extra pointing/contrast.

Both are grammatically correct; αυτός adds specificity and emphasis on this one.

Why are Αυτός, ο, τρόπος, and σωστός all in masculine forms?

Because τρόπος is a masculine noun in Greek. Adjectives, articles, and demonstratives must agree with the noun in:

• gender (masculine/feminine/neuter)
• number (singular/plural)
• case (nominative/accusative/genitive/vocative)

Here:

• τρόπος – masculine, singular, nominative
• ο – masculine, singular, nominative article
• αυτός – masculine, singular, nominative demonstrative
• σωστός – masculine, singular, nominative adjective

So they all “match” τρόπος in gender, number, and case.

What are the basic forms of the adjective σωστός?

Σωστός means correct / right and is a regular adjective that changes with gender and number.

Singular:

• Masculine: σωστός
• Feminine: σωστή
• Neuter: σωστό

Plural:

• Masculine: σωστοί
• Feminine: σωστές
• Neuter: σωστά

So you’d say, for example:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. – This way is correct. (masc.)
• Αυτή η μέθοδος είναι σωστή. – This method is correct. (fem.)
• Αυτό το παράδειγμα είναι σωστό. – This example is correct. (neuter)

What is the word order rule with demonstratives and nouns? Why Αυτός ο τρόπος and not something else?

In Modern Greek, with a noun and a demonstrative, there are two common word orders:

1. αυτός ο τρόπος – more neutral, very common
2. ο τρόπος αυτός – also correct, often a bit more emphatic or stylistic

Both mean this way.

The pattern:

• αυτός ο άνθρωπος / ο άνθρωπος αυτός – this man
• αυτή η ιδέα / η ιδέα αυτή – this idea

In everyday speech, αυτός ο τρόπος is probably the most common and straightforward.

What case is used in Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός and why?

Everything is in the nominative case, because:

• It’s a simple “X is Y” sentence.
• In Greek, both the subject and the predicative adjective (the complement after “to be”) are in the nominative.

So:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος – nominative subject
• είναι – 3rd person singular of είμαι (to be)
• σωστός – nominative adjective describing the subject

That’s why σωστός, not σωστό or some other form, is used here.

What does είναι mean here, and how is it related to the verb “to be”?

Είναι is the 3rd person singular present tense 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 / είσαστε – you are (plural or polite)
• (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) είναι – they are

So in Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός, είναι = is.

How do you pronounce Αυτός and why does αυ sound like “af” here?

Αυτός is pronounced approximately [af-TÓS].

The key point:

• The digraph αυ is pronounced:
  • [av] before vowels and voiced consonants (β, γ, δ, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ρ)
  • [af] before voiceless consonants (π, τ, κ, φ, θ, χ, σ, ξ, ψ)

In Αυτός, αυ is followed by τ (a voiceless consonant), so it’s pronounced [af]:

• Αυτός → [af-TÓS]

Could I say Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι ο σωστός? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι ο σωστός.

This usually has a stronger, more exclusive meaning:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. – This way is (a) correct way.
• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι ο σωστός. – This way is the correct one (the right one among several options).

Adding the article ο before σωστός turns it into “the correct one”, not just “correct” in a general sense.

How would the sentence change if the noun were feminine or neuter instead of masculine?

Everything has to agree with the noun’s gender.

For a feminine noun, e.g. μέθοδος (method):

• Αυτή η μέθοδος είναι σωστή.
  
  • αυτή – feminine demonstrative
  • η – feminine article
  • μέθοδος – feminine noun
  • σωστή – feminine adjective

For a neuter noun, e.g. σύστημα (system):

• Αυτό το σύστημα είναι σωστό.
  
  • αυτό – neuter demonstrative
  • το – neuter article
  • σύστημα – neuter noun
  • σωστό – neuter adjective

The pattern is the same; only the gender endings change.

How do I make this sentence negative in Greek?

To negate a verb in the present tense, you normally use δεν before the verb.

So:

• Αυτός ο τρόπος είναι σωστός. – This way is correct.
• Αυτός ο τρόπος δεν είναι σωστός. – This way is not correct.

Structure:
[subject] + δεν + είναι + [adjective].