Το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό.

• Το = the
• ύφασμα = fabric / cloth / material
• είναι = is
• μαλακό = soft

So the whole sentence means The fabric is soft.

Το is the neuter singular definite article in Greek. It means the.

It is used because ύφασμα is a neuter singular noun, so the article has to match it:

• το ύφασμα = the fabric

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, so you cannot use just one form of the for every noun.

It is neuter.

You can see that from:

• the article το
• the adjective ending -ό in μαλακό

In Greek, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, so a neuter noun normally takes a neuter adjective form.

Because μαλακό is the neuter singular form of the adjective soft.

The three basic singular forms are:

• μαλακός = masculine
• μαλακή = feminine
• μαλακό = neuter

Since ύφασμα is neuter, Greek uses:

• το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό

This is a very important pattern in Greek: adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number.

Είναι is the present-tense form of the verb είμαι = to be.

Here it means is:

• Το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό = The fabric is soft

A useful thing to know: in Greek, the present form είναι is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So context tells you whether it is singular or plural.

Normally, είναι is kept. Greek does not usually drop the present tense of to be in simple sentences like this.

So:

• Το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό = correct

Leaving out είναι would sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Greek.

It is pronounced roughly EEF-as-ma.

A few pronunciation notes:

• υ here sounds like ee
• φ sounds like f
• the stress is on the first syllable: Ύφασμα

So the word is stressed as Ýfasma.

Greek uses accent marks to show which syllable is stressed.

• μαλακό is stressed on the last syllable: ma-la-KO
• ύφασμα is stressed on the first syllable: YF-as-ma
• είναι is stressed on the first syllable: EI-ne

Stress matters in Greek, so the written accent is important for both pronunciation and correct spelling.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

• Το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Μαλακό είναι το ύφασμα. = The fabric is soft / It’s the fabric that is soft
• Είναι μαλακό το ύφασμα. = possible in speech, often with a particular tone or emphasis

For learners, the basic order subject + verb + adjective is the safest one to use.

Ύφασμα most commonly means fabric or cloth, especially textile material.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• fabric
• cloth
• material

So the Greek word is a little broader than just one English word. In this sentence, The fabric is soft is a natural translation.

Usually no, not in normal standard usage.

Greek normally wants the article here:

• Το ύφασμα είναι μαλακό.

Without the article, the sentence sounds odd or incomplete in most contexts.

If you want an indefinite meaning, you would usually use:

• Ένα ύφασμα είναι μαλακό. = A fabric / one fabric is soft

But for the fabric is soft, το is the correct choice.

You would say:

Τα υφάσματα είναι μαλακά.

Changes:

• το → τα for neuter plural
• ύφασμα → υφάσματα for plural
• μαλακό → μαλακά because the adjective must also become neuter plural

So this is another good example of agreement in Greek.

You add δεν before the verb:

Το ύφασμα δεν είναι μαλακό.
= The fabric is not soft.

This is the normal way to negate a sentence with είναι.

Yes. Μαλακό means soft, so it can describe many neuter nouns, for example things that are soft to the touch or not hard.

Examples:

• Το ψωμί είναι μαλακό. = The bread is soft.
• Το μαξιλάρι είναι μαλακό. = The pillow is soft.

So in this sentence, it is simply agreeing with the neuter noun ύφασμα.