Η μονάδα είναι μικρή.

A natural pronunciation is:

• Η = ee
• μονάδα = mo-NA-tha
  
  • δ here sounds like the th in this
• είναι = EE-ne
• μικρή = mee-KREE

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

ee mo-NA-tha EE-ne mee-KREE

A more careful learner-friendly transliteration is:

i monádha íne mikrí

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Η = the
• μονάδα = unit
• είναι = is
• μικρή = small

So grammatically it is:

• Η μονάδα = the subject, the unit
• είναι = the verb, is
• μικρή = the adjective describing the subject, small

Greek nouns have grammatical gender, and μονάδα is feminine.

Greek definite articles change by gender:

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

Since μονάδα is feminine, it takes η:

• η μονάδα = the unit

A very common clue is the ending. Many feminine nouns end in:

• -α
• -η

Since μονάδα ends in -α, that strongly suggests it is feminine.

This is not an absolute rule for every noun in Greek, but it is a very useful pattern for beginners.

Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Because μονάδα is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective also has to be feminine singular nominative:

• masculine: μικρός
• feminine: μικρή
• neuter: μικρό

So:

• η μονάδα είναι μικρή = correct
• η μονάδα είναι μικρός = incorrect
• η μονάδα είναι μικρό = incorrect

είναι is the third person singular form of είμαι, which means to be.

Here it means is.

A few forms of είμαι are:

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

So in Η μονάδα είναι μικρή, the subject is singular, so Greek uses είναι = is.

Yes. είμαι (to be) is one of the most important irregular verbs in Greek, just like to be in English is irregular.

That means you should memorize its forms rather than expecting them to follow a simple pattern.

For a beginner, the most useful forms are:

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

Yes, Greek word order is often more flexible than English word order.

The most neutral version is:

• Η μονάδα είναι μικρή.

But you may also hear:

• Μικρή είναι η μονάδα.

This kind of change usually affects emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For beginners, it is best to learn the normal pattern first:

subject + verb + adjective

In most normal contexts, η should stay there.

• Η μονάδα είναι μικρή. = the natural complete sentence for The unit is small.

If you remove the article, the sentence may sound unnatural or incomplete in ordinary usage, unless it appears in a special context such as a heading, label, note style, or very specific emphasis.

Greek often uses the definite article in places where English might not focus on it as much.

Accent marks in Greek show which syllable is stressed.

• μονάδα → stress on νά
• είναι → stress on εί
• μικρή → stress on the final ρή

This matters because stress is part of correct pronunciation in Greek.

If you put the stress in the wrong place, native speakers will often still understand you, but it may sound noticeably non-native or, in some cases, create confusion.

They are all forms of the same adjective: small.

They change depending on the noun:

• μικρός = masculine singular
• μικρή = feminine singular
• μικρό = neuter singular

Examples:

• ο άντρας είναι μικρός = the man is small
• η μονάδα είναι μικρή = the unit is small
• το σπίτι είναι μικρό = the house is small

So the meaning stays the same, but the form changes to match the noun.

In modern Greek, they are pronounced the same: ee.

The difference is grammatical and spelling-based:

• η = usually the feminine article the
• ή = usually or

So in your sentence:

• Η μονάδα = The unit

Even though η and ή sound the same, they mean different things and are written differently.

Not always. μονάδα can mean unit, but the exact meaning depends on context.

It can refer to things like:

• a unit in a textbook or course
• a unit of measurement
• a military unit
• a machine or technical unit
• a single item or single entity

So the word is quite flexible, just like unit in English. The sentence structure stays the same regardless of which specific kind of unit is meant.

It is neutral and standard. It works well in both spoken and written Greek.

Nothing in Η μονάδα είναι μικρή is especially formal, informal, literary, or slangy. It is a straightforward everyday Greek sentence.

That makes it a very good model sentence for learning basic grammar:

• article + noun
• to be
• agreeing adjective