Τα παιδιά πιστεύουν στη μαγεία.

the child

Breakdown of Τα παιδιά πιστεύουν στη μαγεία.

• σε: in
• πιστεύω: to believe
• η μαγεία: magic

Questions & Answers about Τα παιδιά πιστεύουν στη μαγεία.

Why is it τα παιδιά and not οι παιδιά?

Because παιδί is a neuter noun in Greek.

Greek articles must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• το παιδί = the child
• τα παιδιά = the children

So οι would be used for masculine or feminine plural, not neuter plural.

What is the singular of παιδιά?

The singular is παιδί.

So:

• το παιδί = the child
• τα παιδιά = the children

This is a very common noun, and learners usually just memorize it as a pair:

• παιδί / παιδιά

Why is the verb πιστεύουν?

Πιστεύουν is the 3rd person plural form of πιστεύω in the present tense.

Since τα παιδιά is plural, the verb is plural too:

• το παιδί πιστεύει = the child believes
• τα παιδιά πιστεύουν = the children believe

You may also sometimes see πιστεύουνε, which is a longer colloquial variant of the same form.