Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου είναι χαμηλή.

Word by word:

• Η = the (feminine singular article)
• ταχύτητα = speed
• κλείστρου = of the shutter / shutter
• είναι = is
• χαμηλή = low

So the structure is literally:

The speed of shutter is low,
which in natural English is The shutter speed is low.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It is used because ταχύτητα (speed) is a feminine singular noun. In Greek, the article has to match the noun in gender, number, and case.

So:

• η ταχύτητα = the speed

A learner should also notice that at the start of the sentence it is written with a capital letter: Η instead of η.

Because in Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This is a grammar feature, not necessarily something logical.

ταχύτητα happens to be a feminine noun, so words that go with it must match:

• η ταχύτητα
• χαμηλή (feminine form of low)

So the adjective is feminine because the noun it describes is feminine.

Because κλείστρου is in the genitive case.

Greek often expresses of X by putting the second noun in the genitive:

• ταχύτητα κλείστρου = speed of the shutter = shutter speed

The basic dictionary form is:

• το κλείστρο = the shutter

Its genitive singular is:

• του κλείστρου = of the shutter

In this sentence, Greek leaves out the article before κλείστρου, which is common in this kind of technical or compound-style expression.

Good question. You might expect:

• η ταχύτητα του κλείστρου

and that is also possible, meaning the speed of the shutter.

But Greek often omits the article in noun combinations that function almost like fixed terms, especially in technical language:

• ταχύτητα κλείστρου = shutter speed

So:

• η ταχύτητα κλείστρου sounds like the standard term
• η ταχύτητα του κλείστρου is also grammatical, but slightly more explicit

Both can be correct depending on style and context.

Because adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe.

Since ταχύτητα is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective must also be:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So we get:

• χαμηλός = masculine
• χαμηλή = feminine
• χαμηλό = neuter

Here the correct one is χαμηλή because it describes η ταχύτητα.

είναι means is and comes from the verb είμαι = to be.

In this sentence it links the subject and the description:

• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου = the shutter speed
• είναι χαμηλή = is low

So it works just like is in English.

A useful note: είναι can mean is or are, depending on context, because the same form is used for both he/she/it is and they are.

The structure is:

subject + verb + adjective

• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου = subject
• είναι = verb
• χαμηλή = predicate adjective

So Greek is following a very familiar pattern here, much like English:

• The shutter speed is low

Yes. Greek word order is often more flexible than English because endings carry a lot of grammatical information.

The most neutral order here is:

• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου είναι χαμηλή.

But you might also hear:

• Χαμηλή είναι η ταχύτητα κλείστρου.
• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου χαμηλή είναι. (less neutral, more marked)

These alternatives can change the emphasis, but the basic meaning stays the same.

For learners, the original order is the best one to use first.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Η = ee
• ταχύτητα = ta-KHEE-ti-ta
• κλείστρου = KLEE-stru
• είναι = EE-ne
• χαμηλή = kha-mi-LEE

Approximate full pronunciation:

ee ta-KHEE-ti-ta KLEE-stru EE-ne kha-mi-LEE

A few notes:

• χ is not like English h. It is a rough sound, like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch.
• The written accents show where the stress goes:
  • ταχύτητα
  • κλείστρου
  • χαμηλή

Yes, very much so. In photography, ταχύτητα κλείστρου is the normal Greek term for shutter speed.

This is useful because Greek often builds technical terms with:

• a main noun
• plus another noun in the genitive

So if you learn ταχύτητα κλείστρου as one unit, that is a good idea.

The opposite is υψηλή = high.

So:

• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου είναι χαμηλή. = The shutter speed is low.
• Η ταχύτητα κλείστρου είναι υψηλή. = The shutter speed is high.

Notice that υψηλή is also feminine singular, because it still agrees with ταχύτητα.

Often, yes. Greek may describe this kind of thing with low/high vocabulary where English sometimes prefers slow/fast.

So χαμηλή ταχύτητα κλείστρου is a natural Greek way to express low shutter speed, which corresponds to slow shutter speed in normal photographic English.

This is a good reminder not to translate word for word too rigidly. Greek wording and English wording do not always match perfectly, even when the meaning is the same.