Η στείρωση έγινε πέρσι.

Η is the definite article here, meaning the.

It is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

It matches στείρωση, which is a feminine singular noun. Since στείρωση is the subject of the sentence, the nominative article is used.

So:

• η στείρωση = the sterilization

In this sentence, you can tell from the article η, which is the feminine singular form of the.

Also, many Greek nouns ending in -η or -ση are feminine, and στείρωση is one of them.

So the pattern is:

• η στείρωση
• feminine singular noun

You should not rely only on the ending in every case, but here both the article and the ending point clearly to a feminine noun.

Έγινε is the 3rd person singular aorist form of γίνομαι.

So grammatically it means something like:

• it happened
• it took place
• it became
• in some contexts, it was done

In this sentence, the natural idea is that the procedure was done or took place last year.

So even though γίνομαι often gets introduced as become, it has a wider meaning in real Greek.

Greek often uses γίνομαι in medical, practical, and event-type contexts to mean that something happened, was carried out, or was done.

So:

• Η στείρωση έγινε πέρσι. = The sterilization was done last year.

A more directly passive-looking alternative can also exist in some contexts, but έγινε is very natural because it presents the sterilization as an event that took place.

This is a very common Greek pattern:

• Η εγχείρηση έγινε χθες. = The operation took place / was done yesterday.
• Η συνάντηση έγινε το πρωί. = The meeting took place in the morning.

Not really in English, even though γίνομαι often has the core idea of becoming.

In actual usage, γίνομαι can mean:

• become
• happen
• take place
• be done

In this sentence, translating it as became would sound wrong in English. The correct sense is closer to:

• happened
• took place
• was done

So this is a good example of why you should learn verb meanings by usage, not just by one dictionary gloss.

Έγινε is in the aorist, which is the basic Greek past tense for a completed event.

It is used because the sentence refers to the sterilization as a single finished event in the past:

• it happened
• it was completed
• it took place

The time word πέρσι also fits that perfectly, because last year refers to a finished time period.

Because πέρσι is an adverb, not a noun phrase.

It already means last year, so Greek does not need a word like in before it.

Compare:

• πέρσι = last year
• φέτος = this year
• χθες = yesterday

These time adverbs often stand on their own:

• Έγινε πέρσι.
• Ήρθε χθες.

That is similar to English, where we also say last year, not in last year.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Η στείρωση έγινε πέρσι.

But you could also say:

• Πέρσι έγινε η στείρωση.
• Έγινε πέρσι η στείρωση.

These alternatives change the focus or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• Πέρσι έγινε η στείρωση puts more emphasis on when
• Η στείρωση έγινε πέρσι is a straightforward neutral statement

Usually yes, if you mean a specific sterilization.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English in many situations, and with a specific subject like this, η στείρωση sounds natural.

Without the article, στείρωση έγινε πέρσι, the sentence would sound less standard or would need a special context, such as a headline or very compressed style.

So for ordinary speech and writing:

• Η στείρωση έγινε πέρσι. is the normal form.

A helpful pronunciation guide is:

• στείρωση ≈ STEE-ro-see

More carefully, syllable by syllable:

• στεί-ρω-ση

Notes:

• The stress is on στεί
• ει here sounds like ee
• σ is like English s
• ρ is a rolled or tapped r in Greek pronunciation
• the final ση sounds like see, not like English shun

A simple guide is:

• έγινε ≈ EH-yee-ne

Syllables:

• έ-γι-νε

Notes:

• Stress is on the first syllable: έ
• γ before ι sounds like a soft Greek sound that English does not match perfectly; many learners approximate it as y
• So γι is often roughly heard by beginners as yee

That approximation is good enough at an early stage.

Greek uses accent marks to show which syllable is stressed.

So:

• στείρωση → stress on στεί
• έγινε → stress on έ
• πέρσι → stress on πέρ

Stress matters in Greek pronunciation, and it is part of the correct written form of most words.

If you ignore the accents, people may still understand you, but learning the stress early is very important.

Yes. Both are close in meaning.

Because έγινε can mean happened or took place, the sentence can be understood as:

• The sterilization happened last year
• The sterilization took place last year
• The sterilization was done last year

In natural English, was done last year is often the most idiomatic if you are talking about a medical or veterinary procedure, but the Greek itself is built around the idea of the event taking place.

It is basically neutral standard Greek.

Nothing in it is slangy or especially formal. It would fit well in:

• conversation
• medical discussion
• everyday explanation
• written information

So it is a very useful everyday pattern:

• Η [procedure/event] έγινε [time expression].

For example:

• Η επέμβαση έγινε τον Μάιο.
• Η εξέταση έγινε χθες.