Breakdown of La arĝenta broĉo ne plaĉas al la komercisto.
la
the
al
to
ne
not
komercisto
the merchant; trader
Questions & Answers about La arĝenta broĉo ne plaĉas al la komercisto.
Why does plaĉas mean likes here? Doesn't plaĉi literally mean to please?
Yes. Plaĉi literally means to please or to be pleasing to.
So this sentence is structured like:
The silver brooch does not please the merchant.
That is why la arĝenta broĉo is the grammatical subject, not la komercisto.
A very useful comparison:
- La arĝenta broĉo ne plaĉas al la komercisto. = The merchant does not like the silver brooch.
- La komercisto ne ŝatas la arĝentan broĉon. = The merchant does not like the silver brooch.
Both can translate similarly, but the grammar is different.
Why is it al la komercisto and not just la komercisto?
Because plaĉi normally takes the person who experiences the liking with al.
So:
- plaĉi al iu = to please someone / to be pleasing to someone
Here:
- al la komercisto = to the merchant
This is one of the most important patterns to learn with plaĉi.
Why is there no -n on broĉo?