Learners mostly meet αρέσει and αρέσουν, then assume that Greek has an impersonal word meaning “likes.” The dictionary verb is actually active αρέσω, with six persons. Its unusual construction hides the paradigm: the thing liked is the grammatical subject, while the person who likes it is an experiencer.
Μου αρέσει ο καφές χωρίς ζάχαρη.
mu arési o kafés chorís záchari
I like coffee without sugar.
Μου αρέσουν πολύ αυτά τα παλιά σπίτια.
mu arésun polí aftá ta paliá spítia
I really like these old houses.
Principal parts
| Slot | Forms | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | αρέσω, αρέσεις, αρέσει, αρέσουμε, αρέσετε, αρέσουν | plain active Class Α |
| Imperfect | άρεσα; also άρεζα | άρεζα marks imperfective past unambiguously |
| Aorist | άρεσα | same surface form as the common imperfect |
| Dependent | αρέσω | να αρέσω |
| Future | θα αρέσω / αρέσει / αρέσουν | agreement remains personal |
| Perfect | έχω αρέσει | real but uncommon |
The two past aspects normally collapse into άρεσα; context supplies the reading. Dictionaries also record άρεζα as an imperfect-only alternative, so the paradigm is not quite as completely aspect-blind as a five-form summary suggests.
Μου άρεσε πολύ η ταινία που είδαμε χθες.
mu árese polí i tenía pu ídhame chthes
I really liked the film we saw yesterday.
Μου άρεζε να κάθομαι εδώ και να βλέπω τη θάλασσα.
mu áreze na káthome edhó ke na vlépo ti thálasa
I used to like sitting here and looking at the sea.
There is no imperative of αρέσω, no mediopassive ×αρέσομαι, and no -μένος participle. The adjective meaning “pleasing/acceptable” is αρεστός(formal), formed in -τός. Do not mistake separate αρέσκομαι σε / αρέσκομαι να… for this verb's passive: it is a present-stem-only lexical item meaning “take pleasure in,” restricted to formal or deliberately critical prose.
Ο αρθρογράφος αρέσκεται να προκαλεί τους αναγνώστες του.
o arthroghráfos aréskete na prokalí tus anaghnóstes tu
The columnist takes pleasure in provoking his readers. (formal)
Government
The liked person or thing is nominative and controls singular/plural agreement. The experiencer is normally a genitive clitic: μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους. English reverses those grammatical roles: “I” is the subject of like, but Greek “coffee” is the subject of αρέσει.
Σου αρέσει να δουλεύεις από το σπίτι;
su arési na dhulévis apó to spíti;
Do you like working from home?
The full personal paradigm appears when the liked entity is a person. Then σε + accusative can state the person whose approval matters. This is why αρέσω is a genuine citation form rather than an artificial dictionary reconstruction.
Θέλω να του αρέσω, αλλά δεν θα αλλάξω χαρακτήρα γι' αυτό.
thélo na tu aréso, alá dhen tha alákso charaktíra yaftó
I want him to like me, but I won't change my personality for that.
Αρέσεις σε πολλούς, απλώς δεν το καταλαβαίνεις.
arésis se polús, aplós dhen to katalavénis
A lot of people like you; you just don't realize it.
The full syntax—including clitic doubling and flexible word order—belongs to the genitive experiencer. The contrast with emotional αγαπάω is treated on αρέσει vs αγαπάω.
Set phrases
- Σου αρέσει; — Do you like it?
- ό,τι σου αρέσει — whatever you like
- δεν μου αρέσει καθόλου — I do not like it at all
- μου αρέσει να… — I like doing…
- Δεν του άρεσε η ιδέα. — He did not like the idea.
Διάλεξε ό,τι σου αρέσει, εγώ δεν βιάζομαι.
dhiálekse ó,ti su arési, eghó dhen viázome
Choose whatever you like; I'm in no hurry.
Common Mistakes
❌ Αρέσω τον καφέ.
Incorrect — the liked thing is the subject, not an accusative object.
✅ Μου αρέσει ο καφές.
mu arési o kafés
I like coffee.
❌ Μου αρέσει τα λουλούδια.
Incorrect — the plural subject requires αρέσουν.
✅ Μου αρέσουν τα λουλούδια.
mu arésun ta lulúdhia
I like flowers.
Key Takeaways
- αρέσω is an active personal verb; αρέσει / αρέσουν dominate because things, not experiencers, are usually its subjects.
- άρεσα can be imperfect or aorist; άρεζα is an additional specifically imperfect form.
- αρέσκομαι is a separate formal verb, not the mediopassive of αρέσω.
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