Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.

The bathroom is small but clean.

Breakdown of Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.

• είμαι: to be
• αλλά: but
• μικρός: small
• καθαρός: clean
• το μπάνιο: the bath

Questions & Answers about Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.

What does Το mean, and why is it Το μπάνιο and not something else?

Το is the neuter singular definite article, meaning “the.”

Greek has three genders:

• ο = masculine singular (e.g. ο σκύλος – the dog)
• η = feminine singular (e.g. η πόρτα – the door)
• το = neuter singular (e.g. το μπάνιο – the bathroom)

The noun μπάνιο is grammatically neuter, so it takes το. You don’t choose the gender logically; you just learn each noun with its article (e.g. το μπάνιο, η κουζίνα, ο διάδρομος).

How do you pronounce Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό?

Roughly in English sounds:

• Το μπάνιο → to BÁ-nyo
  
  • μπ at the start sounds like a “b”.
  • νιο is like “nyo” (similar to Spanish ño in baño).
• είναι → Í-ne (stress on the first syllable).
• μικρό → mi-KRÓ (stress on -kró).
• αλλά → a-LÁ.
• καθαρό → ka-tha-RÓ (the θ is like English “th” in think).

So the whole sentence: to BÁ-nyo Í-ne mi-KRÓ a-LÁ ka-tha-RÓ.

What is the difference between μπάνιο and τουαλέτα?

Both can be translated as bathroom, but they’re used slightly differently:

• το μπάνιο

  • Literally: bath / bathroom.
  • Often refers to the room where you bathe or shower, i.e., the full bathroom (shower/bath, sink, toilet).

• η τουαλέτα

  • Literally: toilet.
  • Commonly used to mean the place you go to use the toilet, especially in public places (restaurants, cafés, etc.).

In a hotel room or house, το μπάνιο is very natural. In a café, you’ll usually ask:
Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; – Where is the toilet/bathroom?

Why is there no word for “it” in the sentence? In English we say “It is small but clean.”

Greek usually drops subject pronouns like I, you, he, she, it because the verb form already tells you who is doing the action.

Here, instead of saying It is small but clean, Greek repeats the noun:

• Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.
  → Literally: “The bathroom is small but clean.”

You don’t say a separate “it” (like αυτό here) unless you want to emphasize or contrast something in a special way.

Why do both adjectives end in -ό (μικρό, καθαρό)?

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

• το μπάνιο is neuter, singular, nominative.

• The adjectives μικρός – μικρή – μικρό and καθαρός – καθαρή – καθαρό take the neuter singular form to match:

  • μικρό (neuter singular)
  • καθαρό (neuter singular)

So you get: Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.
If the noun were feminine, they would change:

• Η κουζίνα είναι μικρή αλλά καθαρή. – The kitchen is small but clean.

Can I change the word order to Το μπάνιο είναι καθαρό αλλά μικρό?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct:

• Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.
• Το μπάνιο είναι καθαρό αλλά μικρό.

Both mean “The bathroom is small but clean.”
However, the last adjective is slightly more emphasized, so:

• μικρό αλλά καθαρό subtly emphasizes clean (despite being small).
• καθαρό αλλά μικρό subtly emphasizes small (despite being clean).

What exactly does αλλά mean, and are there other ways to say “but”?

αλλά means “but” and is the standard word for “but” in Greek.

Other options:

• μα – also “but”, more informal and often more emotional:
  
  • Είναι μικρό, μα είναι καθαρό.
• όμως – “but / however”, usually not directly between two adjectives like here, but in other positions:
  
  • Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό. Όμως είναι καθαρό. – The bathroom is small. However, it is clean.

In this particular sentence, αλλά is the most natural choice.

Could I leave out the article and just say Μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό?

In normal, everyday Greek, no. You should say:

• Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό αλλά καθαρό.

Leaving out the article like Μπάνιο είναι… sounds unnatural here, except in very specific stylistic, poetic, or telegraphic contexts (e.g., titles, notes).

When you talk about a specific bathroom (in a house, hotel room, etc.), you almost always use the definite article: το μπάνιο.

How would I say “The bathrooms are small but clean” in Greek?

You need the plural of the noun and the adjectives:

• Τα μπάνια είναι μικρά αλλά καθαρά.

Changes:

• Το μπάνιο → Τα μπάνια (neuter plural)
• μικρό → μικρά (neuter plural)
• καθαρό → καθαρά (neuter plural)

The verb είναι stays the same; it’s used for both he/she/it is and they are in Modern Greek.

What is the verb είναι exactly? Does it change form?

είναι is the verb “to be” in Greek, in the 3rd person (he/she/it is, they are).

Present tense forms:

• είμαι – I am
• είσαι – you are (singular)
• είναι – he / she / it is
• είμαστε – we are
• είστε / είσαστε – you are (plural / polite)
• είναι – they are

So in Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό, είναι = “is.”

Is μπάνιο more like “bath” or “bathroom”?

μπάνιο can mean both, depending on context:

1. The room:

   • Το μπάνιο είναι μικρό. – The bathroom is small.

2. The act of bathing / the bath itself:

   • Κάνω μπάνιο. – I take a bath / I have a shower.
   • Θέλω να κάνω ένα μπάνιο. – I want to take a bath.

In your sentence, Το μπάνιο clearly means the bathroom (the room).

What is the function of the accent marks (μπάνιο, μικρό, αλλά, καθαρό)?

The accent mark (΄) shows which syllable is stressed:

• μπΆνιο – stress on the first syllable.
• μικΡΌ – stress on the last.
• αλΛΆ – stress on the last.
• καθαΡΌ – stress on the last.

Stress is phonemic in Greek: changing the stress can change the word or make it sound incorrect. So the accents are essential for correct pronunciation and sometimes meaning.