Breakdown of Ένα εκατομμύριο είναι μεγάλος αριθμός.
είμαι
to be
μεγάλος
large
ο αριθμός
the number
ένα εκατομμύριο
one million
Questions & Answers about Ένα εκατομμύριο είναι μεγάλος αριθμός.
Why is it ένα and not ένας?
Because εκατομμύριο is a neuter singular noun in Greek. The word ένας/μία/ένα has to agree with the noun’s gender, so with εκατομμύριο you use ένα.
Does ένα here mean a or one?
Formally, it can be either, because Greek uses the same word form in many contexts. In this sentence, with εκατομμύριο, it is naturally understood as one: one million.
Is εκατομμύριο really a noun in Greek?
Yes. In Greek, εκατομμύριο is basically a neuter noun meaning million. That is why it can take words like ένα before it, and why it has a plural form: εκατομμύρια.
What form is είναι?
Είναι is the present-tense form of είμαι (to be). It can mean both is and are, and the context tells you which one it is. Here it means is.
Why is it μεγάλος αριθμός and not μεγάλο αριθμός?
Because μεγάλος describes αριθμός, and αριθμός is masculine singular. Greek adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case, so you get μεγάλος αριθμός.
Why is there no ένας before μεγάλος αριθμός?
After είναι, Greek often leaves out the indefinite article in predicate phrases. So είναι μεγάλος αριθμός is a natural way to say is a large number. You can also hear είναι ένας μεγάλος αριθμός, but the version without ένας is very common and neutral.
What case are the nouns in?
They are in the nominative. Ένα εκατομμύριο is the subject, and μεγάλος αριθμός is the predicate noun phrase after είναι. With είμαι, Greek normally uses the nominative for both.
Why is μεγάλος masculine if the subject ένα εκατομμύριο is neuter?
Because μεγάλος does not describe εκατομμύριο. It describes αριθμός inside the phrase μεγάλος αριθμός. So the adjective agrees with αριθμός, not with the subject.
Is the word order fixed?
This order is the most neutral one: subject + verb + complement. Greek word order is more flexible than English, but changing it usually changes the emphasis. For a simple general statement, Ένα εκατομμύριο είναι μεγάλος αριθμός is the natural choice.
Could I leave out αριθμός and just say Ένα εκατομμύριο είναι μεγάλο?
Only if the context already makes it obvious what you mean. By itself, μεγάλο just means big, so the sentence would sound less precise. Adding αριθμός makes it clear that you are talking about a number.
Can I say νούμερο instead of αριθμός?
You can, but αριθμός is the more standard and neutral word for a mathematical or abstract number. Νούμερο is more colloquial and can also mean other things in Greek, so αριθμός is the safer choice here.
Is ένα εκατομμύριο singular or plural in Greek?
It is singular. Even though it refers to a very large quantity, grammatically it is still one million, so Greek treats εκατομμύριο as singular here. The plural is εκατομμύρια.
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