Like, miss, interest: μου αρέσει
A whole row of Greek verbs of feeling is built inside out: the one who feels stands aside, and the thing causing the feeling becomes the subject. English knows this shape first-hand — "it pleases me" is the ancestor of "I like it". For example: “Μου αρέσουν οι γαρίδες με σκόρδο” — I like the shrimp with garlic. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A whole row of Greek verbs of feeling is built inside out: the one who feels stands aside, and the thing causing the feeling becomes the subject. English knows this shape first-hand — "it pleases me" is the ancestor of "I like it".
Μου αρέσει το παγωτό (mu arési to pagotó) — I like the ice cream, literally "the ice cream pleases me". From this the main consequence everyone trips on: the verb agrees with the thing, not with the person. One thing — αρέσει (arési), several — αρέσουν (arésun): Μου αρέσουν οι γαρίδες (mu arésun i garídes).
The same behavior in μου λείπει (I miss it), με ενδιαφέρει (it interests me), μου φαίνεται (it seems to me), μου αξίζει (I deserve it).
The split between μου (mu) and με (me) here is not random: some verbs ask for the "to me" pronoun (μου αρέσει (mu arési)), others for the "me" pronoun (με ενδιαφέρει). There is no rule — it is learned with the word, the way English says "it appeals to me" but "it interests me".
Special mention: μου λείπεις (mu lípis) — "I miss you", literally "you are missing to me". The subject here is the one being missed. Say σου λείπω and you have said "you miss me": swap the pronoun, and you have swapped who loves whom.
Table
| the construction | word for word | in English |
|---|---|---|
| μου αρέσει | it pleases me (one thing) | I like it |
| μου αρέσουν | they please me (several) | I like them |
| μου λείπεις | you are missing to me | I miss you |
| με ενδιαφέρει | it interests me | I find it interesting |
| μου φαίνεται | it seems to me | it seems to me |
By example
- Μου αρέσουν οι γαρίδες με σκόρδοmu arésun i garídes me skórdoI like the shrimp with garlic
- Μου λείπεις πολύmu lípis políI miss you very much
- Δεν με ενδιαφέρει το κουτσομπολιόden me endiaféri to kutsombolióGossip doesn't interest me
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Like, miss, interest: how does it work in Greek?
A whole row of Greek verbs of feeling is built inside out: the one who feels stands aside, and the thing causing the feeling becomes the subject. English knows this shape first-hand — "it pleases me" is the ancestor of "I like it".
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Μου αρέσουν οι γαρίδες με σκόρδο” (mu arésun i garídes me skórdo) — I like the shrimp with garlic. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.