Η πατρίδα είναι μακριά.

to be

Breakdown of Η πατρίδα είναι μακριά.

• μακριά: far
• η πατρίδα: homeland

Questions & Answers about Η πατρίδα είναι μακριά.

How do you pronounce Η πατρίδα είναι μακριά?

A natural pronunciation is roughly:

ee pa-THEE-tha EE-ne ma-kree-A

A few notes:

• Η sounds like ee.
• τρί in πατρίδα has the stress: pa-TRI-da, but in Modern Greek the δ sounds like the th in this, so pa-THEE-tha is a better English-style approximation.
• είναι is pronounced EE-ne.
• μακριά is stressed on the last syllable: ma-kree-A.

What does Η mean here?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• η πατρίδα = the homeland / the native land / the fatherland

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, unlike English the, which never changes.

Why is it η πατρίδα and not some other form of the?