Η δασκάλα εξηγεί το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη.

The teacher explains how this word is used.

Breakdown of Η δασκάλα εξηγεί το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη.

• αυτός: this
• η λέξη: the word
• χρησιμοποιούμαι: to be used
• η δασκάλα: the female teacher
• εξηγώ: to explain
• το πώς: how

Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα εξηγεί το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη.

What does Η mean in Η δασκάλα, and why is it written with a capital letter?

Η is the feminine singular definite article in the nominative case; it means the.
So η δασκάλα = the (female) teacher.
It is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence; normally it’s written η.

Why is the verb εξηγεί used here, and what tense and person is it?

εξηγεί is the 3rd person singular, present tense, active voice of the verb εξηγώ (to explain).
So it literally means she/he explains or she/he is explaining.
Greek has just one present tense for both English simple present and present continuous, so εξηγεί can cover both explains and is explaining, depending on context.

Why is there a το before πώς (το πώς χρησιμοποιείται…)?

The το here turns the whole πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη clause into a noun phrase.
So το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη is like saying the way (in which) this word is used.
Without το, πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη is just a subordinate clause (how this word is used); with το, it behaves more like a thing that is being explained: She explains the how-this-word-is-used → idiomatically, She explains how this word is used.

Could we leave out το and just say Η δασκάλα εξηγεί πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη?

Yes, that is also correct and very natural.
Η δασκάλα εξηγεί πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη simply means The teacher explains how this word is used.
Using το πώς can sound a bit more formal or slightly more emphatic, as if you’re focusing on the way in which something happens.

What exactly does πώς mean here, and is it the same πώς as in questions like Πώς είσαι;?

Yes, it is the same word. πώς means how.
In direct questions, it introduces a question: Πώς είσαι; = How are you?
In this sentence, it introduces an indirect/question clause: εξηγεί πώς χρησιμοποιείται… = explains how it is used…

What does χρησιμοποιείται mean, and why is it in the passive voice?

χρησιμοποιείται is the 3rd person singular present tense, passive voice, of χρησιμοποιώ (to use).
So χρησιμοποιείται literally means is used.
Greek often uses the passive form in exactly the same way English does: “how this word *is used” rather than “how someone uses this word”*, especially when the user (the person doing the using) is general or not specified.

How is χρησιμοποιείται formed from χρησιμοποιώ?

The active verb is χρησιμοποιώ (I use).
Its present passive stem is χρησιμοποιούμαι (I am used).
For the 3rd person singular present passive, the ending is -είται, so:

• χρησιμοποιούμαι – I am used
• χρησιμοποιείται – he/she/it is used

So χρησιμοποι + είται → χρησιμοποιείται.

Why is it αυτή η λέξη and not αυτή τη λέξη?

Inside the clause πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη, the word αυτή η λέξη is the subject of the passive verb χρησιμοποιείται.
Subjects in Greek take the nominative case, so we use η λέξη, not τη λέξη (accusative).
If λέξη were a direct object, you would see αυτή τη λέξη instead, for example: Χρησιμοποιώ αυτή τη λέξη = I use this word.

Can we also say η λέξη αυτή instead of αυτή η λέξη? Is there any difference?

Yes, both αυτή η λέξη and η λέξη αυτή are correct and common.
The meaning is the same: this word.
αυτή η λέξη is slightly more neutral/basic; η λέξη αυτή sometimes feels a little more contrastive or stylistic (like this word / this particular word), but in many contexts they are interchangeable.

Why is the article with λέξη also η? What gender is λέξη?

λέξη (word) is a feminine noun in Greek.
That is why it takes the feminine singular article η in the nominative: η λέξη.
In the accusative (object) form you’d get τη λέξη (or την λέξη in more careful spelling).

What does αυτή mean exactly, and how does it agree with λέξη?

αυτή is the feminine singular demonstrative pronoun/adjective meaning this.
It agrees with λέξη in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative): αυτή η λέξη = this word.
For a masculine noun you’d use αυτός (αυτός ο δάσκαλος – this (male) teacher), and for a neuter noun αυτό (αυτό το βιβλίο – this book).

How would the sentence change if the teacher were male?

You would change Η δασκάλα to the masculine form: Ο δάσκαλος.
Everything else stays the same:

Ο δάσκαλος εξηγεί το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη.
= The (male) teacher explains how this word is used.

What is the basic word order of the sentence, and is it flexible?

The basic order here is:

• Η δασκάλα – subject
• εξηγεί – verb
• το πώς χρησιμοποιείται αυτή η λέξη – object (a clause acting like a noun)

Greek word order is more flexible than English because of its case endings.
For example, you could hear Η δασκάλα εξηγεί πώς αυτή η λέξη χρησιμοποιείται, which is a bit more marked but still grammatical. The original version is the most natural neutral order.