Learn Hardcore Greek: Το άλλο παντελόνι είναι σωστό σε μήκος, αλλά είναι πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση. - The other pair of pants is the right length, but it is too wide at the waist.

So Το άλλο παντελόνι means The other pair of trousers, even though English uses a plural word (trousers) for one garment. Greek just treats it as a normal singular noun.

Why is it το άλλο παντελόνι and not ο άλλος παντελόνι?

Both the article and the adjective have to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

παντελόνι is neuter, singular, nominative.
The definite article for neuter nominative singular is το.
The adjective άλλος (“other”) must also be neuter nominative singular → άλλο.

So you get:

το άλλο παντελόνι = the other pair of trousers

ο άλλος would be masculine and would have to go with a masculine noun (e.g. ο άλλος άντρας, “the other man”), so it cannot be used with παντελόνι.

Why are the adjectives σωστό and φαρδύ in the neuter form?

They agree with παντελόνι, which is a neuter noun.

Subject: το (άλλο) παντελόνι → neuter, singular
Predicate adjectives must match that:
- είναι σωστό (not σωστός or σωστή)
- είναι πολύ φαρδύ (neuter form ending in -ύ)

So the pattern is:

Το παντελόνι είναι σωστό.
Το παντελόνι είναι φαρδύ.

Both adjectives take the neuter singular form because they describe a neuter singular subject.

What does σωστό σε μήκος literally mean, and is σε necessary?

Literally, σωστό σε μήκος means “correct in length” or “right as far as length is concerned”.

σωστό = correct / right
σε = in / with respect to
μήκος = length

The preposition σε is commonly used in Greek to specify a dimension or aspect:

σωστό σε μήκος = right in length
σωστό σε πλάτος = right in width
σωστό σε βάρος = right in weight
καλός σε μαθηματικά = good at maths

So σε is not optional here; it is what links σωστό to the specific aspect μήκος.

You could express the idea differently (e.g. έχει το σωστό μήκος = “it has the right length”), but then the structure changes.

Could you say σωστό σε ύψος instead of σωστό σε μήκος for trousers?

No, σωστό σε ύψος would sound odd for trousers.

μήκος = length (used for horizontal/overall length, or the length of garments)
ύψος = height (vertical measure, usually people, buildings, etc.)

For trousers, Greek naturally talks about their length, not their height. So:

σωστό σε μήκος = the right length (for trousers)
σωστό ύψος is used for a person’s height:
- Έχει καλό ύψος. = He/She has a good height.

What exactly does φαρδύ mean here? Is it just “wide”?

φαρδύ means wide, but with clothing it very often carries the sense too loose / baggy rather than just “broad” in a neutral way.

In this sentence:

είναι πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση
→ “it’s very wide/loose at the waist”

Common uses of φαρδύς / φαρδιά / φαρδύ:

φαρδύ παντελόνι = wide/loose trousers
φαρδιά μπλούζα = loose top
φαρδύς δρόμος = wide road

Synonyms in some contexts:

πλατύς and ευρύς also mean “wide, broad”, but φαρδύς is especially common with clothes and everyday objects.

What is στη in πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση? Why not just σε μέση?

στη is the contraction of σε + τη(ν):

σε = in / at / on
τη(ν) = feminine accusative singular article (“the”)

The noun μέση (waist/middle) is feminine, so:

σε + τη μέση → στη μέση

So στη μέση means “at the waist” or “at the middle”, depending on context. Here it’s clearly “at the waist” (as in clothing fit).

You cannot say σε μέση without an article in this particular phrase; στη μέση is the natural, fixed expression.

Why is it πολύ φαρδύ and not φαρδύ πολύ?

πολύ is an adverb here meaning “very”, and the normal order in Greek (as in English) is:

adverb before the adjective it modifies.

So:

πολύ φαρδύ = very wide/very loose

φαρδύ πολύ is possible only in certain emphatic or poetic contexts, and even then it sounds unusual in everyday speech. The neutral, standard way is:

είναι πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση.

Could the second είναι be omitted:
Το άλλο παντελόνι είναι σωστό σε μήκος, αλλά πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση?

Yes, that is perfectly natural and very common in Greek.

Greek often omits a repeated verb when the subject and verb would be the same in both clauses. So you can have either:

Το άλλο παντελόνι είναι σωστό σε μήκος, αλλά είναι πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση.
Το άλλο παντελόνι είναι σωστό σε μήκος, αλλά πολύ φαρδύ στη μέση.

Both are correct. The version without the second είναι is actually more typical in casual speech and writing.

Why is there no word for pair (like “pair of trousers”) in Greek?

For trousers, Greek normally doesn’t add a separate word for pair. The noun itself (παντελόνι) already refers to the “pair” as a single item of clothing.

ένα παντελόνι = one pair of trousers / one pair of pants
δύο παντελόνια = two pairs of trousers

If you really need to stress the idea of a pair (for socks, shoes, etc.), you use ζευγάρι:

ένα ζευγάρι κάλτσες = a pair of socks
ένα ζευγάρι παπούτσια = a pair of shoes

But with παντελόνι, it’s understood as a single garment, so το άλλο παντελόνι is enough to mean the other pair of trousers.

Why is the adjective άλλο placed between the article and the noun (το άλλο παντελόνι)?

The normal position for most adjectives in Greek is:

article + adjective + noun

So:

το άλλο παντελόνι = the other trousers
το κόκκινο φόρεμα = the red dress
η μεγάλη πόλη = the big city

You can sometimes place the adjective after the noun with the article repeated (το παντελόνι το άλλο), but that has a slightly different emphasis, more like:

το παντελόνι το άλλο = that other pair of trousers (as opposed to this one), or with some contrastive nuance.

In this neutral sentence, the standard order το άλλο παντελόνι is what you want.