Η δαχτυλήθρα και η μεζούρα είναι δίπλα στο καρούλι.

Greek definite articles change for gender, number, and case.

In this sentence:

• η δαχτυλήθρα = the thimble
• η μεζούρα = the tape measure
• στο καρούλι = to/on/at the spool, depending on context, but here part of δίπλα στο = next to the spool

What is happening:

• η is the feminine singular nominative article.
• το is the neuter singular accusative/nominative article.
• στο is a contraction of σε + το.

So:

• η δαχτυλήθρα: feminine singular subject
• η μεζούρα: feminine singular subject
• στο καρούλι: σε το καρούλι → στο καρούλι

Greek articles are much more variable than English the.

Because in Greek, when two definite nouns are joined by και (and), it is very common to repeat the article before each noun.

So Greek naturally says:

• η δαχτυλήθρα και η μεζούρα

rather than leaving the second article out.

You may sometimes see article omission in other structures or styles, but for ordinary everyday Greek, repeating it here is the normal and natural choice.

The two subject nouns are in the nominative:

• η δαχτυλήθρα
• η μεζούρα

They are the things being talked about, so they are the subject of the sentence.

After δίπλα στο, καρούλι is in the accusative, because σε normally takes the accusative in Modern Greek:

• σε το καρούλι → στο καρούλι

For this particular noun, καρούλι, the nominative and accusative look the same because it is neuter:

• nominative: το καρούλι
• accusative: το καρούλι

So the form does not visibly change, but grammatically it is accusative after σε.

στο is the contracted form of:

• σε + το = στο

This is extremely common in Greek.

Other common contractions include:

• σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν)
• σε + τα = στα
• από + το = απ’ το or sometimes από το, depending on style and speech

In your sentence, δίπλα στο καρούλι literally contains σε το καρούλι, but Greek normally contracts that to στο καρούλι.

δίπλα means next to / beside.

Very often it is used with σε:

• δίπλα σε κάτι = next to something

So:

• δίπλα στο καρούλι = next to the spool

You can think of it as:

• δίπλα = nearby / beside
• στο καρούλι = at the spool / next to the spool in this expression

This is a very common location pattern in Greek.

Good question. In Modern Greek, είναι is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So the form is the same in both singular and plural.

Examples:

• Η δαχτυλήθρα είναι... = The thimble is...
• Η δαχτυλήθρα και η μεζούρα είναι... = The thimble and the tape measure are...

Even though the subject here is plural because it has two items joined by και, the verb form is still είναι.

In this sentence:

• η δαχτυλήθρα is feminine
• η μεζούρα is feminine
• το καρούλι is neuter

You can tell from the article:

• η usually marks feminine singular nominative
• το usually marks neuter singular nominative/accusative

It is helpful to learn Greek nouns together with their article, for example:

• η δαχτυλήθρα
• η μεζούρα
• το καρούλι

That way you automatically learn the noun’s gender.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

ee dhaq-tee-LI-thra ke ee me-ZOO-ra EE-ne DEE-pla sto ka-ROO-lee

A slightly more careful breakdown:

• Η = ee
• δαχτυλήθρα = dhah-hthee-LEE-thra
  
  • δ sounds like th in this
  • χτ is a cluster that may feel tricky at first
• και = usually ke
• η = ee
• μεζούρα = meh-ZOO-ra
• είναι = usually EE-ne
• δίπλα = DEE-pla
• στο = sto
• καρούλι = ka-ROO-lee

The stressed syllables are:

• δαχτυλήθρα
• μεζούρα
• είναι
• δίπλα
• καρούλι

In Modern Greek, και is usually pronounced ke in normal speech.

So although it is spelled και, you will often hear it as:

• ke

This is completely normal and standard in Modern Greek pronunciation.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English, especially in simple descriptive sentences.

The neutral order here is:

• Η δαχτυλήθρα και η μεζούρα είναι δίπλα στο καρούλι.

But Greek could also rearrange parts for emphasis, for example:

• Δίπλα στο καρούλι είναι η δαχτυλήθρα και η μεζούρα.

That would sound more marked or context-driven, something like:

• Next to the spool are the thimble and the tape measure.

For a beginner, the original order is the best one to learn first.

Not visibly, but grammatically yes.

After σε (and therefore after στο), the noun is in the accusative. But καρούλι is a neuter noun, and many neuter nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular:

• nominative: το καρούλι
• accusative: το καρούλι

So the article and noun look the same, even though the grammatical role has changed.

Yes. Greek accent marks are important because they show which syllable is stressed.

In this sentence:

• δαχτυλήθρα
• μεζούρα
• είναι
• δίπλα
• καρούλι

Correct stress matters for sounding natural and for being understood easily. Greek spelling normally includes these accent marks, so you should learn the words with them.

No, but it is one of the most common and useful ways.

You will often see:

• δίπλα σε = next to
• κοντά σε = near / close to

They are similar, but δίπλα often gives a stronger sense of being right beside something, while κοντά can be a bit broader, meaning simply near.

So in this sentence, δίπλα στο καρούλι gives a clear sense of being right next to the spool.