Questions & Answers about Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω όταν έχω διακοπές.
Why is it Μου αρέσει and not Εγώ αρέσω for I like?
In Greek, αρέσω works “backwards” compared to English to like.
- Literally, αρέσω means to be pleasing.
- So the person who likes something is expressed with a pronoun in the genitive (indirect object), and the thing that is liked is the subject.
Examples:
- Μου αρέσει ο καφές. = Coffee is pleasing to me.
- Της αρέσει να διαβάζει. = She likes reading (reading is pleasing to her).
So Μου αρέσει means It is pleasing to me → I like it, not I please.
That’s why Εγώ αρέσω would mean I am pleasing (to someone), not I like.
What does Μου mean here, and why is it in that form?