Αυτό είναι το επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι.

to be

Breakdown of Αυτό είναι το επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι.

• αυτός: this
• το επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι: board game

Questions & Answers about Αυτό είναι το επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι.

Why is αυτό used here, and not αυτή or αυτός?

Αυτό is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative this.

Greek demonstratives change for gender:

• αυτός = masculine
• αυτή = feminine
• αυτό = neuter

Here, the thing being identified is το επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι, and παιχνίδι is a neuter noun, so Greek uses αυτό.

A useful pattern is:

• Αυτό είναι το βιβλίο. = This is the book.
• Αυτή είναι η καρέκλα. = This is the chair.
• Αυτός είναι ο φίλος μου. = This is my friend.

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Why is είναι used here? Does it change for different persons?

Είναι is the present-tense form of είμαι (to be) used for he/she/it and also for this/that.

In this sentence, αυτό takes the same verb form as it, so you say:

• Αυτό είναι ... = This is ...

A few forms of είμαι are:

• είμαι = I am
• είσαι = you are
• είναι = he/she/it is

Greek often omits subject pronouns, but here αυτό is kept because it means this, not just it.

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Why is there το before επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι?