Το βούτυρο λιώνει στο τηγάνι.

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Breakdown of Το βούτυρο λιώνει στο τηγάνι.

• το τηγάνι: the pan
• το βούτυρο: the butter
• λιώνω: to melt

Questions & Answers about Το βούτυρο λιώνει στο τηγάνι.

Why is there το before βούτυρο?

Το is the definite article, meaning the.
In this sentence, βούτυρο is a neuter singular noun, so the correct article is το.

So:

• το βούτυρο = the butter

Greek articles change according to gender, number, and case, much more than English articles do.

What gender is βούτυρο, and how can I tell?

Βούτυρο is neuter. A very common clue is its ending: many neuter nouns in Greek end in -ο or -ι.

Here, the article also helps:

• το βούτυρο

The article το tells you the noun is neuter singular.

What does λιώνει mean exactly?

Λιώνει means melts or is melting, depending on context.

It comes from the verb λιώνω, meaning to melt or to dissolve/soften down, depending on what is being talked about.

In this sentence:

• Το βούτυρο λιώνει = The butter melts / The butter is melting

Greek present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive in English.

Why does λιώνει end in -ει?