Το αποτύπωμα είναι καθαρό.

to be

Breakdown of Το αποτύπωμα είναι καθαρό.

• καθαρός: clear
• το αποτύπωμα: print; fingerprint

Questions & Answers about Το αποτύπωμα είναι καθαρό.

Why does the sentence start with Το?

Το is the definite article in Greek, meaning the.

In this sentence, το goes with αποτύπωμα because αποτύπωμα is a neuter singular noun. Greek articles change depending on gender, number, and case, unlike English the, which never changes.

So:

• το = the for a neuter singular noun in the nominative/accusative

Here, Το αποτύπωμα means the imprint / the print / the fingerprint, depending on context.

Why is αποτύπωμα neuter?

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This gender is part of the word and does not always match biological sex or any logical category.

Αποτύπωμα happens to be a neuter noun. That is why it takes:

• the article το
• the adjective form καθαρό

A useful pattern is that many Greek nouns ending in -μα are neuter, for example:

• το γράμμα = the letter
• το όνομα = the name
• το πράγμα = the thing
• το αποτύπωμα = the imprint / print

So the ending -μα is often a clue that the noun is neuter.