Learn Hardcore Greek: Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Grammatically, γραβάτα is feminine. In Greek, every noun has a gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and the article must agree with that gender:

η γραβάτα (feminine) – the tie
ο καφές (masculine) – the coffee
το πουκάμισο (neuter) – the shirt

So we say:

Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει… not Ο γραβάτα or Το γραβάτα.

What does με mean in this sentence, and what case does it use?

Here, με means “with”.

ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο = (it) matches with the blue shirt

In modern Greek, με is followed by the accusative case.
That’s why we have:

το μπλε πουκάμισο (accusative) after με

You do not say με του μπλε πουκάμισου etc.
Just remember: με + accusative.

Why do we say το μπλε πουκάμισο? What does το show, and why is it not ο μπλε πουκάμισος?

Το is the neuter singular definite article = “the”.

The noun πουκάμισο (shirt) is grammatically neuter, so it takes το:

το πουκάμισο = the shirt

In the sentence, we add the color adjective μπλε:

το μπλε πουκάμισο = the blue shirt

The article το agrees with πουκάμισο (neuter), not with μπλε.
We do not say ο μπλε πουκάμισος, because πουκάμισος is not the correct form; the word is πουκάμισο (neuter), not masculine.

Why doesn’t μπλε change its form? Shouldn’t adjectives agree in gender and number?

Most Greek adjectives do change for gender, number, and case.
For example:

άσπρος (m.), άσπρη (f.), άσπρο (n.) – white

However, some color adjectives borrowed from other languages (like μπλε, ροζ, λιλά) are invariable: they do not change their form.

So we say:

η μπλε γραβάτα – the blue tie (feminine)
το μπλε πουκάμισο – the blue shirt (neuter)
οι μπλε γραβάτες – the blue ties (plural)

In all of these, μπλε stays μπλε. What changes is the article and the noun, not the adjective.

What is the typical word order with adjectives? Why is it το μπλε πουκάμισο and not something like το πουκάμισο μπλε?

The most common and neutral word order in Greek is:

article + adjective + noun

So:

το μπλε πουκάμισο – the blue shirt
η κόκκινη γραβάτα – the red tie

You can put the adjective after the noun, but then you usually repeat the article, and it often sounds more emphatic or slightly more literary:

το πουκάμισο το μπλε – literally “the shirt, the blue one”

In everyday speech, for a simple description, you normally say:

το μπλε πουκάμισο (most natural here)

Could I say Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει το μπλε πουκάμισο without με?

No. In Greek, with this meaning, ταιριάζω normally takes the preposition με:

ταιριάζω με κάτι – to match / go well with something

So you say:

Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Without με, Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει το μπλε πουκάμισο sounds wrong in modern Greek.
Think of ταιριάζω με almost as a fixed combination: “match with”.

Can I use ταιριάζω to say that something “suits” a person, not just another object?

Yes. Ταιριάζω can be used both:

Between objects
- Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το πουκάμισο. – The tie matches the shirt.
With people (it suits someone)
Typically with σε or an indirect object (often with a clitic pronoun):
- Αυτό το χρώμα σου ταιριάζει. – This color suits you.
- Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει σε σένα. – The tie suits you.

So ταιριάζω can mean “to go well with” (objects) and “to suit” (a person), depending on the structure.

Is there a more colloquial way to say “The tie goes well with the blue shirt”?

Yes. Very commonly, Greeks say πάει με in this context:

Η γραβάτα πάει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Here, πάει (from πηγαίνω, to go) is used idiomatically, meaning “goes (well) with”.

So for clothes and colors, both are natural:

Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.
Η γραβάτα πάει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Ταιριάζει με is a bit more formal/neutral; πάει με is very everyday and colloquial.

Could I drop the article and say Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με μπλε πουκάμισο?

You can say it, but the meaning changes slightly and it sounds less natural in this specific context.

με το μπλε πουκάμισο – with the blue shirt (a specific shirt both speakers know)
με μπλε πουκάμισο – with a blue shirt / with blue shirts in general (more indefinite or generic)

In most realistic situations where you are looking at a particular shirt, Greeks would use the article:

Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Without το, it tends to sound either stylistic, generic, or incomplete in everyday conversation.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence, and what do the letter combinations η, αι, and μπ sound like?

A reasonable phonetic approximation (Latin letters) is:

I graváta tairiázei me to mple pukámiso.

More precisely in IPA:

[i ɣraˈvata terˈʝazi me to mˈple puˈkamiso]

Key points:

η = /i/ (like ee in see): η γραβάτα → i graváta
αι = /e/ (like e in get): ται- in ταιριάζει sounds like te
μπ at the start of a word = /b/: μπλε → ble (like ble in bleh)
ου = /u/ (like oo in food): πουκάμισο → pukámiso

Stressed syllables here are: γρα-/βά-, -ρι-/-ά-, -κά-.

What tense is ταιριάζει? Can it refer to both “now” and general truth?

Ταιριάζει is present tense.

In Greek, like in English, the present tense can express:

Something happening now
- Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.
  = Right now, as we look at them, the tie matches the blue shirt.
A general fact / typical compatibility
- Αυτή η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.
  = This tie (whenever we use it) goes well with the blue shirt.

Context and intonation decide whether it feels more “right now” or “generally”.

What gender is πουκάμισο, and how does it decline with the article?

Πουκάμισο (shirt) is neuter. Its definite article is το in the singular.

Important forms:

Singular
- το πουκάμισο – the shirt (nom./acc.)
- του πουκάμισου – of the shirt (gen.) – often του πουκαμίσου in careful writing/spelling
Plural
- τα πουκάμισα – the shirts (nom./acc.)
- των πουκάμισων – of the shirts (gen.) – often των πουκαμίσων

In our sentence, after με, we need the accusative:

με το μπλε πουκάμισο (accusative, neuter singular)

Can I change the word order to Η γραβάτα με το μπλε πουκάμισο ταιριάζει?

Yes, that word order is possible and grammatically correct:

Η γραβάτα με το μπλε πουκάμισο ταιριάζει.

However, the most natural and neutral order in everyday speech is usually:

Η γραβάτα ταιριάζει με το μπλε πουκάμισο.

Moving ταιριάζει to the end can sound a bit more marked or emphatic, depending on context, but it’s not wrong. Greek word order is relatively flexible, but the original version is the default.