Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.

The shop is closed today.

Breakdown of Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.

• είμαι: to be
• σήμερα: today
• το μαγαζί: the shop
• κλειστός: blocked

Questions & Answers about Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.

What does each word in Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα mean literally?

Word by word:

• Το – the (neuter singular definite article)
• μαγαζί – shop / store
• είναι – is (3rd person singular of είμαι = to be)
• κλειστό – closed (neuter singular form of the adjective κλειστός)
• σήμερα – today

So literally: “The shop is closed today.”

Why is the article Το and not Ο or Η?

In Greek, nouns have grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

• Ο = the (masculine singular)
• Η = the (feminine singular)
• Το = the (neuter singular)

The noun μαγαζί is neuter, so it takes the neuter article Το:

• Το μαγαζί = the shop

If it were masculine, you would see Ο …, and if feminine, Η ….

What is the difference between μαγαζί and κατάστημα?

Both can mean “shop” or “store”, but:

• μαγαζί is more everyday / informal and very common in spoken Greek.
  • Example: Πάω στο μαγαζί. – I’m going to the shop.
• κατάστημα is more formal / business-like, used in writing, signs, or official contexts.
  • Example: Το κατάστημά μας θα παραμείνει κλειστό. – Our store will remain closed.

In your sentence, you could also say:

• Το κατάστημα είναι κλειστό σήμερα. – slightly more formal.

Why is κλειστό in that particular form? What is it agreeing with?

κλειστό is an adjective meaning “closed”. Greek adjectives agree with the noun in:

• Gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
• Number (singular / plural)
• Case (here: nominative)

The noun μαγαζί is neuter, singular, nominative, so the adjective must also be neuter, singular, nominative:

• το μαγαζί (neuter, singular, nominative)
• κλειστό (neuter, singular, nominative)

Other forms of the same adjective:

• κλειστός – masculine (e.g. ο δρόμος είναι κλειστός – the road is closed)
• κλειστή – feminine (e.g. η πόρτα είναι κλειστή – the door is closed)
• κλειστό – neuter (e.g. το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό – the shop is closed)

Is είναι (is) necessary here, or can I say Το μαγαζί κλειστό σήμερα?

In standard, careful Greek, you should include είναι:

• Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.

You might see or hear shortened versions without είναι in very casual speech or notes, e.g. on a sign:

• Το μαγαζί κλειστό σήμερα.

But grammatically complete, neutral Greek uses είναι, and that’s what you should learn and use, especially when speaking or writing sentences rather than labels/signs.

Can I change the word order? For example, Σήμερα το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, and word order often changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

All of these are correct, with slightly different focus:

• Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.
  Neutral; simple statement.
• Σήμερα το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό.
  Emphasis on today (as opposed to other days).
• Το μαγαζί σήμερα είναι κλειστό.
  Slight emphasis on σήμερα in the middle; still natural.

In all cases, the meaning is essentially: “The shop is closed today.”

How do you pronounce this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation, with stress marked in CAPS:

• Το – to (like “toh”)
• μαγαζί – ma-gha-ZEE
  
  • γ here is like a soft “gh” (similar to the French g in “garçon” or a voiced “h”).
• είναι – EE-neh
• κλειστό – klee-STO
  
  • ει here is pronounced like English “ee”.
• σήμερα – SEE-me-rah

Said smoothly: to ma-gha-ZEE EE-neh klee-STO SEE-me-rah.

What tense is είναι, and how would I say “was closed” or “will be closed”?

είναι is the present tense of είμαι = to be. It expresses a current state:

• Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα.
  The shop is closed today.

Other tenses:

• Past (was):
  Το μαγαζί ήταν κλειστό χτες. – The shop was closed yesterday.

• Future (will be):
  Το μαγαζί θα είναι κλειστό αύριο. – The shop will be closed tomorrow.

So:

• είναι – is
• ήταν – was
• θα είναι – will be

What is the difference between κλειστό and κλεισμένο?

Both are related to the verb κλείνω – to close, but they’re used differently:

• κλειστό is a simple adjective meaning closed (a state).

  • Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό. – The shop is closed.

• κλεισμένο is a passive participle (neuter) and can emphasize the result of an action (“closed up, shut”), or be used more literally/physically.

  • Η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένη. – The door is shut/has been shut.
  • Το παράθυρο είναι κλεισμένο με σανίδες. – The window is boarded up.

For shops and businesses, κλειστό is the normal, natural choice:

• Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό σήμερα. ✔

How would I say “The shops are closed today” (plural)?

You make both the noun and the adjective plural and keep them neuter:

• Τα μαγαζιά είναι κλειστά σήμερα.
  • Τα – the (neuter plural)
  • μαγαζιά – shops (plural of μαγαζί)
  • είναι – are (same form as “is” in Greek)
  • κλειστά – closed (neuter plural form of κλειστός)
  • σήμερα – today

So:

• Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό. – The shop is closed.
• Τα μαγαζιά είναι κλειστά. – The shops are closed.