Το σκίσιμο είναι μικρό.

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

Here it shows that σκίσιμο is being treated as a neuter singular noun, so the sentence is talking about the tear/rip, not just a tear/rip.

• το = the (neuter singular)
• σκίσιμο = tear / rip / slit
• το σκίσιμο = the tear / the rip

A big clue is the article το. In Greek, the article usually tells you the gender clearly.

Also, σκίσιμο ends in -ο, which is a very common ending for neuter singular nouns.

So in this sentence:

• το → neuter singular
• σκίσιμο → neuter singular noun

That is why the adjective later also appears in a neuter form.

Because Greek adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Since σκίσιμο is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular:

• μικρός = small (masculine)
• μικρή = small (feminine)
• μικρό = small (neuter)

So:

• το σκίσιμο → neuter singular
• είναι μικρό → the adjective matches it

The dictionary form is usually given as the masculine singular nominative, so the basic form is μικρός.

You will often see Greek adjectives listed like this:

• μικρός, μικρή, μικρό

That shows all three gender forms:

• masculine: μικρός
• feminine: μικρή
• neuter: μικρό

είναι is the verb to be.

In this sentence it means is:

• Το σκίσιμο είναι μικρό.
• The tear/rip is small.

More specifically, είναι is the 3rd person singular present form of είμαι (I am / to be).

It is also the same form for they are in Modern Greek, so context tells you whether it means is or are.

It can relate to both, but in a sentence like this it most naturally means the tear/rip/slit itself — the result, not the action.

So here, Το σκίσιμο είναι μικρό is most naturally understood as:

• The tear is small
• The rip is small
• The slit is small

A learner might confuse English tear meaning δάκρυ (from crying), but this Greek word is about ripping/cutting, not crying.

After είναι, Greek usually uses a predicate adjective, and that adjective agrees with the subject.

So:

• subject: το σκίσιμο
• predicate adjective: μικρό

Both are effectively in the nominative relationship here.

With neuter singular forms, nominative and accusative often look the same anyway, so μικρό is exactly what you expect.

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

The neutral, most straightforward version is:

• Το σκίσιμο είναι μικρό.

But you could also say:

• Μικρό είναι το σκίσιμο.

That version gives extra emphasis to μικρό — something like It’s the tear that is small or The tear is small with stress on small.

So the original sentence is the most neutral and standard order.

Normally, no — not in standard everyday Greek if you mean the tear is small.

If you want the tear, you usually keep the article:

• Το σκίσιμο είναι μικρό.

If you want a tear, you would normally say:

• Ένα σκίσιμο είναι μικρό.

Greek uses articles very regularly, often more regularly than English learners expect.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

toh SKEE-see-mo EE-ne mee-KRO

Stress falls on:

• σκίσιμο → SKEE
• είναι → EE
• μικρό → KRO

A slightly more natural breakdown:

• Το = toh
• σκίσιμο = SKEE-see-mo
• είναι = EE-ne
• μικρό = mee-KRO

Yes. It comes from the verb σκίζω, which means to tear, to rip, or to split.

The noun ending -σιμο often forms a noun connected to the action or its result. So σκίσιμο is the tear/rip/split produced by tearing.

This is useful because it helps you recognize related words:

• σκίζω = I tear / rip
• σκίσιμο = tear / rip / slit

Yes. It is a perfectly natural, simple sentence.

It sounds like something you might say when looking at:

• a ripped shirt
• a torn bag
• a small split in fabric or paper

It is a basic subject + be + adjective sentence, which makes it a very useful beginner pattern:

• Το ... είναι μικρό.
• The ... is small.