Ο σουγιάς κόβει το ψωμί.

They are the Greek definite articles, equivalent to the.

• ο = masculine singular nominative the
• το = neuter singular nominative/accusative the

So:

• ο σουγιάς = the pocketknife
• το ψωμί = the bread

Unlike English, Greek articles change form depending on gender, number, and case.

Because σουγιάς is a masculine noun. In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

The dictionary form is ο σουγιάς, so the article ο tells you it is masculine. The ending -άς is also very commonly masculine.

So you learn the noun together with its article:

• ο σουγιάς = the pocketknife

This is a very good habit in Greek, because the article helps you remember the noun’s gender.

Not exactly. σουγιάς usually means a pocketknife, clasp knife, or folding knife.

A more general word for knife is μαχαίρι.

So:

• ο σουγιάς = a pocketknife / folding knife
• το μαχαίρι = the knife / a knife in general

Because κόβει is the third person singular form of the verb κόβω (I cut).

Present tense forms include:

• κόβω = I cut
• κόβεις = you cut
• κόβει = he/she/it cuts

Since the subject is ο σουγιάς (the pocketknife), Greek uses the he/she/it form, which is κόβει.

So:

• Ο σουγιάς κόβει... = The pocketknife cuts...

It can mean either, depending on context.

Greek present tense often corresponds to both:

• cuts
• is cutting

So Ο σουγιάς κόβει το ψωμί could mean:

• The pocketknife cuts the bread
• The pocketknife is cutting the bread

Usually the situation tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, you mainly know from word order and meaning.

The most neutral Greek order here is:

• subject + verb + object
• Ο σουγιάς κόβει το ψωμί

So the natural reading is:

• the pocketknife = subject
• cuts = verb
• the bread = object

Also, semantically, a pocketknife cutting bread makes sense, while bread cutting a pocketknife does not.

One small complication: το ψωμί is neuter, and neuter nominative and accusative often look the same. So the form itself does not show the difference clearly here. Context and normal word order do the job.

Here ψωμί is in the accusative, because it is the direct object of the verb.

But in Greek, many neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and accusative singular.

So:

• nominative: το ψωμί
• accusative: το ψωμί

They look identical.

That is why you do not see a change in either the article or the noun here.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The sentence as written:

• Ο σουγιάς κόβει το ψωμί.

is the most neutral, straightforward order.

Other orders are possible, but they usually change the focus or emphasis. For example, you might move το ψωμί earlier if you want to emphasize the bread.

Still, for a beginner, it is best to understand this sentence as the normal pattern:

• subject + verb + object

Not always, but Greek uses the definite article more often than English.

In this sentence, the articles sound natural:

• ο σουγιάς
• το ψωμί

If you removed them, the sentence would sound different and less natural in many contexts.

Greek often uses the article:

• with specific things
• with nouns already known from context
• sometimes even where English would not use the

So article usage is something English speakers usually need to get used to in Greek.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

o soo-YAS KO-vee to pso-MEE

A few useful details:

• σουγιάς ≈ soo-YAS
• κόβει ≈ KO-vee
• ψωμί ≈ pso-MEE

Notes:

• ψ is pronounced ps, even at the beginning of a word.
• ει in κόβει sounds like ee.
• The accent mark shows which syllable is stressed:
  • σουγιάς
  • κόβει
  • ψωμί

Because Greek verb endings already tell you the person and number.

The form κόβει already means he/she/it cuts. So Greek usually does not need an extra subject pronoun like it.

And since the sentence already names the subject explicitly:

• Ο σουγιάς

there is even less reason to add a pronoun.

This is very normal in Greek.