Η κουμπότρυπα είναι μεγάλη.

The buttonhole is large.

Breakdown of Η κουμπότρυπα είναι μεγάλη.

• είμαι: to be
• μεγάλος: large
• η κουμπότρυπα: buttonhole

Questions & Answers about Η κουμπότρυπα είναι μεγάλη.

What does Η mean here, and why is it written with a capital letter?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• η κουμπότρυπα = the buttonhole

It is capitalized here simply because it is the first word of the sentence. In the middle of a sentence, it would normally be written η.

Why is the article η and not ο or το?

Greek nouns have grammatical gender, and κουμπότρυπα is a feminine noun.

Greek definite articles change according to gender:

• ο = masculine the
• η = feminine the
• το = neuter the

Because κουμπότρυπα is feminine, it takes η in the nominative singular:

• η κουμπότρυπα

What part of speech is είναι?