Το καρούλι είναι δίπλα στη ραπτομηχανή.

The spool is next to the sewing machine.

Breakdown of Το καρούλι είναι δίπλα στη ραπτομηχανή.

• είμαι: to be
• δίπλα σε: next to
• η ραπτομηχανή: sewing machine
• το καρούλι: spool

Questions & Answers about Το καρούλι είναι δίπλα στη ραπτομηχανή.

Why does the sentence start with Το?

Το is the definite article meaning the for a neuter singular noun.

• το καρούλι = the spool
• The noun καρούλι is neuter, so it takes το

In Greek, nouns have gender and the article must match the noun:

• ο for many masculine nouns
• η for many feminine nouns
• το for many neuter nouns

So το καρούλι means the spool.

What gender is καρούλι, and how can I tell?

Καρούλι is neuter.

A common clue is the ending -ι, which is very often neuter in Greek, though not always in every case. Since it is neuter singular, it takes the article το:

• το καρούλι

So if you learn the noun together with its article, that helps a lot:

• το καρούλι = the spool

Why is there είναι here?