Το βούτυρο λιώνει στο τηγάνι.

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.

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.

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.

The ending -ει shows that the verb is in the present tense, third person singular.

That means it matches subjects like:

• he
• she
• it

Since the butter is treated as it, the verb is:

• λιώνω = I melt / I am melting
• λιώνει = it melts / it is melting

So το βούτυρο λιώνει literally works like the butter melts.

It can mean either one.

Greek often uses the same present tense form for both:

• simple present: the butter melts
• present progressive: the butter is melting

The exact meaning depends on context. If you are describing what is happening right now in the pan, English would usually say is melting, but Greek still uses λιώνει.

Because στο is the normal contracted form of:

• σε + το = στο

So:

• σε το τηγάνι → στο τηγάνι

This contraction is standard Greek.

Here:

• σε = in, at, on, to
• το τηγάνι = the pan
• στο τηγάνι = in the pan

Because τηγάνι is also a neuter singular noun.

So:

• το τηγάνι = the pan

After the preposition σε, Greek normally uses the accusative case, and for this noun the accusative singular form is still το τηγάνι.

So:

• στο τηγάνι = in the pan

Στο comes from σε + το, and σε is a very flexible preposition. Depending on context, it can mean:

• in
• at
• on
• sometimes even to

With τηγάνι, English normally says in the pan, so στο τηγάνι is best translated that way here.

Yes. Το βούτυρο is the subject, and λιώνει is the verb.

So the structure is:

• Το βούτυρο = the butter
• λιώνει = melts / is melting
• στο τηγάνι = in the pan

Even though Greek word endings matter more than word order, this sentence is in a very straightforward subject-verb-prepositional phrase pattern.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, most natural version here is:

• Το βούτυρο λιώνει στο τηγάνι

But you could also move things around for emphasis, for example:

• Στο τηγάνι λιώνει το βούτυρο

That might emphasize in the pan.

Greek often uses word order to shift focus or emphasis, while the articles and endings help show what each word is doing.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English does, including in many general or familiar statements.

So το βούτυρο can refer to:

• a specific butter already being discussed
• butter in a general, substance-like sense, depending on context

That is normal Greek usage. English often omits the article in generic statements, but Greek frequently keeps it.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Το = to
• βούτυρο = VOO-tee-ro
• λιώνει = LYO-nee
• στο = sto
• τηγάνι = tee-GHA-nee

So roughly:

• to VOO-tee-ro LYO-nee sto tee-GHA-nee

A couple of useful points:

• β is pronounced like v
• γ before α here sounds like a soft, throaty sound, not like English hard g
• the written accents show which syllable is stressed:
  • βούτυρο
  • λιώνει
  • τηγάνι

It is active in form: the butter melts.

In English, melt can work both ways:

• The butter melts
• The heat melts the butter

Greek works similarly. Here, the butter itself is the subject of the verb:

• Το βούτυρο λιώνει = The butter is melting

If you wanted to say something else melts the butter, you would structure the sentence differently.