Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά.

Τα is the definite article here, meaning the.

In Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά, it matches σπίρτα because:

• σπίρτα is neuter
• it is plural
• it is the subject of the sentence

So τα = the for a neuter plural noun.

Σπίρτα is plural.

The singular is:

• το σπίρτο = the match

The plural is:

• τα σπίρτα = the matches

This is a very common neuter noun pattern in Greek:

• singular: -ο
• plural: -α

So:

• σπίρτο → σπίρτα

In Modern Greek, είναι means is or are, depending on context.

It is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So:

• Το σπίρτο είναι στεγνό = The match is dry
• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά = The matches are dry

Even though English changes from is to are, Greek keeps είναι in both cases.

Because the adjective must agree with σπίρτα.

Since σπίρτα is:

• neuter
• plural

the adjective also has to be neuter plural.

Forms of στεγνός:

• masculine singular: στεγνός
• feminine singular: στεγνή
• neuter singular: στεγνό
• neuter plural: στεγνά

So:

• το σπίρτο είναι στεγνό
• τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά

Because it still describes the subject.

In Greek, an adjective after είναι is called a predicate adjective, and it still agrees with the noun it describes in gender and number.

So in:

• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά

στεγνά agrees with σπίρτα, even though it comes after the verb.

This works much like English The matches are dry, except Greek shows the agreement more clearly in the ending.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

So the structure is:

• Τα σπίρτα = subject, nominative neuter plural
• είναι = verb
• στεγνά = predicate adjective agreeing with the subject

For neuter plural nouns like this, the nominative and accusative forms are often the same, so you identify the case mainly from the sentence structure.

Usually, in normal Greek, that sounds unnatural.

Greek uses the article more often than English does. So if you mean the matches are dry, you normally say:

• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά.

Without τα, the sentence may sound incomplete, unnatural, or very context-dependent.

So for a learner, the safe default is:

• keep the article when Greek normally uses it

No, Greek word order is fairly flexible.

Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά is the neutral, straightforward order.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Στεγνά είναι τα σπίρτα. = It’s the matches that are dry / The matches are dry.
• Είναι στεγνά τα σπίρτα. = possible in context, often with a certain rhythm or emphasis

So the standard learner version is:

• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά.

But Greek can move words around more easily than English.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• σπίρτα ≈ SPEER-ta
• στεγνά ≈ stegh-NA

A few notes:

• σπ sounds like sp
• ρτ is pronounced clearly, roughly like rt
• γν in στεγνά is pronounced with a soft Greek g sound before n
• the accent mark shows the stressed syllable:
  • σπίρτα → stress on σπίρ-
  • στεγνά → stress on -νά

Yes, in this sentence στεγνά means dry in the literal sense: not wet.

So Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά means the matches are dry enough, for example, to light properly.

Greek στεγνός is commonly used for things that are physically dry:

• clothes
• wood
• ground
• matches

In a sentence like this, you normally do need είναι.

So:

• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά. = correct

Leaving out είναι would generally not be normal standard Greek here.

Unlike some languages that can say something like The matches dry, Greek normally keeps the verb είναι in this kind of sentence.

Because στεγνά is not a noun here; it is an adjective describing the subject.

The article goes with σπίρτα:

• τα σπίρτα = the matches

Then στεγνά tells you what they are like:

• είναι στεγνά = are dry

So the structure is:

• the matches
  • are
    • dry

not:

• the matches
  • are
    • the dry

The singular version is:

• Το σπίρτο είναι στεγνό.

Changes:

• τα → το because the noun is now singular
• σπίρτα → σπίρτο
• στεγνά → στεγνό to agree with singular neuter

So:

• Το σπίρτο είναι στεγνό. = The match is dry.
• Τα σπίρτα είναι στεγνά. = The matches are dry.