Breakdown of Το σπίτι κοστίζει ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ.
Questions & Answers about Το σπίτι κοστίζει ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ.
Why is it το σπίτι?
Σπίτι is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter definite article το.
- ο = masculine the
- η = feminine the
- το = neuter the
Many Greek nouns ending in -ι are neuter, and σπίτι is one of them.
What is the role of κοστίζει here?
Κοστίζει means costs.
It is the 3rd person singular present tense form of κοστίζω = to cost.
So:
- κοστίζω = I cost / to cost
- κοστίζει = it costs / he costs / she costs
In this sentence, it means it costs, referring to the house.
Why does κοστίζει end in -ει?
The ending -ει is a common ending for the 3rd person singular in the present tense in Modern Greek.
So if the subject is he, she, it, Greek often uses a form like this:
- κοστίζω = I cost
- κοστίζεις = you cost
- κοστίζει = he/she/it costs
Since το σπίτι is singular, κοστίζει is the correct form.
Why is it ένα εκατομμύριο and not ένας εκατομμύριο?
Because εκατομμύριο is also neuter.
The word ένα is the neuter form of one:
- ένας = one (masculine)
- μία / μια = one (feminine)
- ένα = one (neuter)
So Greek says ένα εκατομμύριο because εκατομμύριο is a neuter noun.
Is εκατομμύριο really a noun in Greek?
Yes. In Greek, εκατομμύριο behaves like a noun meaning million.
That is why it works a bit like this:
- ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ = one million euros
- δύο εκατομμύρια ευρώ = two million euros
So the number agrees with εκατομμύριο / εκατομμύρια, and ευρώ comes after it to show what is being counted.
Why is it ευρώ and not some different plural form?
Because ευρώ stays the same in modern usage for both singular and plural.
So you get:
- ένα ευρώ = one euro
- δύο ευρώ = two euros
- ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ = one million euros
Unlike English, where euro becomes euros, Greek normally keeps ευρώ unchanged.
Why is there no article before ευρώ?
After numbers, Greek normally does not use the definite article with the thing being counted.
So you say:
- δέκα ευρώ = ten euros
- χίλια ευρώ = a thousand euros
- ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ = one million euros
You would not normally say ένα εκατομμύριο τα ευρώ here.
What case are the nouns in this sentence?
Το σπίτι is the subject, so it is in the nominative.
The price expression ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ functions as the amount that the house costs, and this kind of expression is treated like an object/amount phrase, so it is effectively in the accusative.
In this particular sentence, the forms do not visibly change much because:
- σπίτι is neuter, and neuter nominative and accusative often look the same
- εκατομμύριο is also neuter, so nominative and accusative singular are the same
- ευρώ does not change here
So even though the grammar matters, the forms are easy to recognize because they look unchanged.
Can the word order change?
Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English, but the neutral, most natural order here is:
Το σπίτι κοστίζει ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ.
That is basically:
subject + verb + amount
You can change the order for emphasis, but then the sentence may sound more marked or dramatic. For example, putting the amount first would emphasize the price more strongly.
How do you pronounce this sentence?
A rough pronunciation is:
toh SPEE-tee ko-STEE-zee EH-na eh-ka-toh-MEE-ree-oh ev-ROH
A few helpful points:
- σπίτι = SPEE-tee
- κοστίζει = ko-STEE-zee
- ευρώ sounds like ev-ROH, because ευ is pronounced ev before a voiced sound like ρ
The stress marks in Greek show you where the emphasis goes:
- σπίτι
- κοστίζει
- ένα
- εκατομμύριο
- ευρώ
Could Greek also use another verb for cost here?
Yes. Another common verb is στοιχίζω.
So you may also hear:
Το σπίτι στοιχίζει ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ.
Both are possible. Κοστίζω is very straightforward and common, especially for stating a price plainly. Στοιχίζω is also common and natural.
If I wanted to say houses cost one million euros, how would this change?
You would make the subject plural and change the verb to plural too:
Τα σπίτια κοστίζουν ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ.
Changes:
- το σπίτι → τα σπίτια = the houses
- κοστίζει → κοστίζουν = cost
The amount ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ stays the same.
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