Η σαμπρέλα είναι καινούρια.

The inner tube is new.

Breakdown of Η σαμπρέλα είναι καινούρια.

• είμαι: to be
• καινούριος: new
• η σαμπρέλα: inner tube

Questions & Answers about Η σαμπρέλα είναι καινούρια.

What does Η do in this sentence?

Η is the feminine singular definite article. It works like the in English.

So η σαμπρέλα = the inner tube.

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, so you learn them as part of the noun phrase.

Why is σαμπρέλα feminine?

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

σαμπρέλα is a feminine noun, which is why it takes:

• the feminine article η
• the feminine adjective form καινούρια

A lot of Greek nouns ending in -α are feminine, so that ending is a useful clue, though not an absolute rule.

What form is είναι?

είναι is the present tense form of είμαι (to be).

Here it means is.

A useful thing to know: είναι is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So Greek does not have separate present-tense forms like English is and are in the 3rd person.