Η πιατέλα είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι και η κανάτα είναι δίπλα στα ποτήρια.

to be

Breakdown of Η πιατέλα είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι και η κανάτα είναι δίπλα στα ποτήρια.

• και: and
• το τραπέζι: the table
• πάνω σε: on

Questions & Answers about Η πιατέλα είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι και η κανάτα είναι δίπλα στα ποτήρια.

Why does the sentence use η twice?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It appears twice because there are two separate feminine singular nouns:

• η πιατέλα
• η κανάτα

Greek usually uses the definite article more consistently than English, so repeating it here is completely normal.

Why are πιατέλα and κανάτα both introduced with η?

Because both nouns are feminine singular.

In Greek, every noun has grammatical gender, and the article must match it:

• η πιατέλα = feminine singular
• η κανάτα = feminine singular

This does not necessarily mean the objects are biologically feminine; it is just a grammatical category.

What form of the verb is είναι?

Είναι is the 3rd person singular and plural form of είμαι (to be) in the present tense.

Here it means is:

• η πιατέλα είναι ... = the platter is ...
• η κανάτα είναι ... = the jug is ...

A useful thing to know is that είναι does not change between he/she/it is and they are.

Why is είναι repeated instead of being used only once?