Two near-translations hide a case contrast that must simply be learned: Με ενδιαφέρει η ιστορία but Μου αρέσει η ιστορία. With active ενδιαφέρει, the interested person is accusative; with αρέσει, the person is genitive. Meaning does not predict the choice—the verb governs it.
Με ενδιαφέρει πολύ η ιστορία της πόλης.
me endhiaféri polí i istoría tis pólis
I'm very interested in the history of the city.
Μου αρέσει η ιστορία, αλλά δεν τη σπούδασα.
mu arési i istoría, alá dhen ti spúdhasa
I like history, but I didn't study it.
Principal parts
| Slot | Mediopassive | Active |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ενδιαφέρομαι, ενδιαφέρεσαι, ενδιαφέρεται, ενδιαφερόμαστε, ενδιαφέρεστε, ενδιαφέρονται | ενδιαφέρω, usually encountered as ενδιαφέρει / ενδιαφέρουν |
| Imperfect | ενδιαφερόμουν | ενδιέφερα |
| Aorist | ενδιαφέρθηκα | ενδιέφερα |
| Dependent | ενδιαφερθώ | ενδιαφέρω |
| Perfect | έχω ενδιαφερθεί | έχω ενδιαφέρει |
| Participle | ενδιαφερόμενος, -η, -ο | ενδιαφέρων, -ουσα, -ον, an everyday adjective with learned morphology |
This is therefore not a true deponent: both voices are alive, although the “be interested” meaning uses the mediopassive. The larger distinction is explained under deponent verbs.
Ενδιαφέρθηκα για τη θέση μόλις διάβασα την αγγελία.
endhiaférthika ya ti thési mólis dhiávasa tin angelía
I became interested in the position as soon as I read the advert.
The aorist often has an inchoative reading: ενδιαφέρθηκα reports that somebody took an interest or responded to an opportunity. The imperfect ενδιαφερόμουν instead presents an interest already continuing in the background. This is an ordinary aspect contrast, but English “was interested” can translate either form, so context—not the English tense alone—must guide the choice.
Government
ενδιαφέρομαι για + accusative names the topic, person, or opportunity. The preposition is fixed; English “interested in” is no guide to the Greek choice. A να-clause instead names an action the subject wants to pursue. Active ενδιαφέρω + accusative person reverses the viewpoint: the subject causes the interest, while the person experiencing it becomes the object.
Ενδιαφέρομαι για το διαμέρισμα· είναι ακόμη διαθέσιμο;
endhiaférome ya to dhiamérizma; íne akómi dhiathésimo;
I'm interested in the flat; is it still available?
Ενδιαφέρομαι να παρακολουθήσω το σεμινάριο τον Οκτώβριο.
endhiaférome na parakoluthíso to seminário ton Októvrio
I'm interested in attending the seminar in October.
Η πρόταση δεν με ενδιαφέρει καθόλου αυτή τη στιγμή.
i prótasi dhen me endhiaféri kathólu aftí ti stighmí
The proposal doesn't interest me at all right now.
The negative twin αδιαφορώ also takes για: αδιαφορώ για τις συνέπειες, “I do not care about the consequences.” General verb-preposition patterns belong to verb government.
Three look-alikes in writing
| Form | Function | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| το ενδιαφέρον | noun | interest |
| ενδιαφέρων / ενδιαφέρουσα / ενδιαφέρον | active participle-adjective; everyday | interesting |
| ενδιαφερόμενος / -η / -ο | mediopassive participle; common in notices (formal/administrative) | interested; interested party |
The noun and neuter adjective are pronounced identically; spelling alone separates them. The adjective pattern is covered on -ων, -ουσα, -ον adjectives.
Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι μπορούν να στείλουν αίτηση μέχρι την Παρασκευή.
i endhiaferómeni borún na stílun étisi méchri tin Paraskeví
Interested applicants may submit an application by Friday. (formal)
Ήταν ενδιαφέρουσα πρόταση, αλλά κανείς δεν έδειξε ενδιαφέρον.
ítan endhiaférusa prótasi, alá kanís dhen édhikse endhiaféron
It was an interesting proposal, but nobody showed any interest.
Set phrases
- Ενδιαφέρεσαι; — Are you interested?
- προς το παρόν δεν ενδιαφέρομαι — for now, I am not interested
- δείχνω ενδιαφέρον — show interest
- με ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον — with particular interest (formal)
- χωρίς ενδιαφέρον — uninteresting; of no interest
Common Mistakes
❌ Ενδιαφέρομαι σε αυτή τη θέση.
Incorrect — ενδιαφέρομαι selects για, not σε.
✅ Ενδιαφέρομαι γι' αυτή τη θέση.
endhiaférome yaftí ti thési
I'm interested in this position.
Do not use active ενδιαφέρω for your own interest: it means that something interests somebody. And before a masculine noun, write ενδιαφέρων, not the homophonous neuter ενδιαφέρον.
Key Takeaways
- ενδιαφέρομαι · ενδιαφερόμουν · ενδιαφέρθηκα · ενδιαφερθώ · έχω ενδιαφερθεί.
- Middle ενδιαφέρομαι για means “be interested in”; active ενδιαφέρω + accusative means “interest somebody.”
- με ενδιαφέρει and μου αρέσει encode comparable experiencers in different cases.
Related Topics
- προσέχω (to be careful)A2 — The cleanest aspect pair in the reference set: Πρόσεχε! is a standing instruction and a warm goodbye, Πρόσεξε! is one moment's warning. Plus the aorist's own sense — πρόσεξα, I noticed — the μη(ν) warning clause, and the live adjective προσεγμένος.
- αρέσω (μου αρέσει — to like)A2 — The complete active paradigm behind μου αρέσει, including its overlapping past forms, subject agreement, genitive experiencer, and the separate formal verb αρέσκομαι.
- Verbs and Their PrepositionsB2 — Learn the lexical frames that pair common Greek verbs with από, για, σε, or με—and the important verbs that take no preposition at all.
- Participial Adjectives in -ων / -ουσα / -ονC1 — The learned present-active-participle class — ενδιαφέρων / ενδιαφέρουσα / ενδιαφέρον, μέλλων, παρών, ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος — with its -οντ- oblique stem (του ενδιαφέροντος), the everyday survivors like το μέλλον and το περιβάλλον, and an honest account of a register you should recognise but rarely build yourself.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.