Η μανέτα λειτουργεί.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, so it means the.

In this sentence:

• Η = the
• μανέτα = lever / handle / control lever (depending on context)
• λειτουργεί = works / functions / operates

A useful thing to remember is that Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, unlike English the, which always stays the same.

Because μανέτα is a feminine singular noun in the nominative case.

Greek has different forms of the:

• ο for masculine singular
• η for feminine singular
• το for neuter singular

So since μανέτα is feminine singular, the correct article is η.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Η → ee
• μανέτα → ma-NE-ta
• λειτουργεί → roughly lee-toor-GHEE

Putting it together:

ee ma-NE-ta lee-toor-GHEE

A few notes:

• η is pronounced ee
• ει is also pronounced ee
• γ before ε/ι often sounds like a soft, voiced sound, somewhat like the y in some pronunciations, but stronger; in learner-friendly transcription, ghee is often close enough

λειτουργεί comes from the verb λειτουργώ and means:

• works
• functions
• is operating

It is often used for machines, devices, systems, or parts of things.

So Η μανέτα λειτουργεί means that the lever/handle is functioning properly.

Because it is the 3rd person singular present tense form of λειτουργώ.

That means it corresponds to:

• he works
• she works
• it works

In this sentence, the subject is η μανέτα, so in English we translate it as it works or the lever works.

This is a very common Greek pattern: the verb changes form depending on the person and number.

Yes. Η μανέτα is the subject, and λειτουργεί is the verb.

So the structure is:

• Η μανέτα = the subject
• λειτουργεί = the action/state

This is very similar to English word order:

• The lever works

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

In dictionary form, Greek nouns are usually given in the nominative singular, and here μανέτα appears in that basic form.

The article η also matches the nominative feminine singular.

Yes, very important.

Greek uses an accent mark to show which syllable is stressed:

• μανέτα → stress on -νέ-
• λειτουργεί → stress on the final -εί

If you put the stress in the wrong place, you may sound unnatural, and sometimes stress can even help distinguish different forms.

So it is a good habit to learn Greek words together with their stress.

No. In Modern Greek, η is a vowel, not an h sound.

It is pronounced ee, like the vowel in see.

So Η here is not h; it is simply the word the in its feminine singular form, pronounced ee.

In Modern Greek, several different spellings are pronounced ee, including:

• ι
• η
• υ
• ει
• οι
• υι

So in λειτουργεί, the ει at the end is pronounced ee.

This is normal in Modern Greek spelling: different letter combinations can have the same pronunciation even though they are spelled differently.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

• Η μανέτα λειτουργεί.

But you may also hear:

• Λειτουργεί η μανέτα; = Does the lever work? / Is the lever working?
• Η μανέτα δεν λειτουργεί. = The lever does not work.

Even when the order changes, the endings and articles help show what each word is doing.

Yes, in many contexts you could.

δουλεύει often means works too, and in everyday Greek it is very common.

There is a slight nuance:

• λειτουργεί = functions / operates
• δουλεύει = works

For machines, devices, systems, and mechanisms, λειτουργεί can sound a bit more formal or technical, while δουλεύει is often more everyday and conversational.

So both may be possible, depending on context.

No. Greek often does not need an explicit subject pronoun.

The verb form λειτουργεί already tells you it is 3rd person singular:

• he/she/it works

Since the noun η μανέτα is already there, adding a pronoun would be unnecessary.

This is different from English, where you normally must say it works.

Not always. The exact translation depends on context.

μανέτα can refer to things like:

• a lever
• a handle
• a control lever
• sometimes a brake/clutch lever on a bicycle or motorcycle

So the sentence could be translated differently depending on what object is being discussed. The Greek sentence itself is simple, but the best English word depends on the situation.