Το ψάρι χαλάει γρήγορα όταν δεν είναι στο ψυγείο.

Fish spoils quickly when it is not in the fridge.

Breakdown of Το ψάρι χαλάει γρήγορα όταν δεν είναι στο ψυγείο.

• είμαι: to be
• δεν: not
• σε: in
• όταν: when

Questions & Answers about Το ψάρι χαλάει γρήγορα όταν δεν είναι στο ψυγείο.

Why is it το ψάρι and not ο ψάρι or η ψάρι?

Because ψάρι is a neuter noun in Greek. Greek nouns have grammatical gender, so the article has to match:

• ο = masculine
• η = feminine
• το = neuter

So:

• το ψάρι = the fish

Here ψάρι is also in the singular.

What form is ψάρι? Is it nominative or accusative?

In this sentence, ψάρι is the subject of the verb, so it is in the nominative.

For this noun, the nominative singular and accusative singular look the same:

• nominative: το ψάρι
• accusative: το ψάρι

That is very common with neuter nouns in Greek.

What does χαλάει mean here exactly?

Here χαλάει means something like:

• goes bad
• spoils
• deteriorates

The verb χαλάω / χαλώ has several meanings depending on context, such as:

• to spoil / go bad for food
• to break / damage
• to ruin

In this sentence, since the subject is fish, the natural meaning is spoils or goes bad.