Learn Hardcore Greek: Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω όταν έχω διακοπές.

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?

Μου is the weak (clitic) form of εγώ in the genitive case, meaning to me or my depending on context.

In this sentence:

Μου αρέσει… = It is pleasing to me.
Μου is placed before the verb because Greek uses this clitic position for short unstressed pronouns.

It’s the same μου you see in:

Το βιβλίο μου = my book
Δώσε μου το βιβλίο. = Give me the book.

Here, μου is an indirect object: the one who experiences the liking.

Could I say Αρέσει μου να ταξιδεύω instead of Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω?

No, that word order is not natural in modern Greek.

With weak/clitic pronouns like μου, σου, του, etc., the normal position in a simple statement is:

[clitic pronoun] + [verb]

So:

✅ Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω.
❌ Αρέσει μου να ταξιδεύω. (sounds wrong or archaic at best)

The clitic goes right before the verb (or sometimes after it in certain tenses/structures, but not after in this particular present-tense pattern).

Why is there να in να ταξιδεύω? Can we just say Μου αρέσει ταξιδεύω?

You must have να here; you cannot drop it.

Modern Greek does not have an infinitive like to travel. Instead, it uses να + verb to express many things that English uses an infinitive for.

να ταξιδεύω ≈ to travel / traveling (in a general sense).

So:

✅ Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω. = I like to travel.
❌ Μου αρέσει ταξιδεύω. (ungrammatical)

Whenever you want to say I like to do X in Greek, you’ll normally say:

Μου αρέσει να + [verb].

Why is it ταξιδεύω and not ταξιδέψω after να? What’s the difference?

Both να ταξιδεύω and να ταξιδέψω are possible forms after να, but they express different aspects:

να ταξιδεύω (present stem) → ongoing / repeated / habitual action
- Like: to be traveling in general, to travel as a habit.
να ταξιδέψω (aorist stem) → one complete action
- Like: to travel (once), to make a trip / to go on a trip (as a single event).

In your sentence:

Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω όταν έχω διακοπές.
- This is about what you generally enjoy doing during holidays: traveling in general, not one specific trip.
- So the present form ταξιδεύω (continuous/habitual) fits best.

If you said:

Θέλω να ταξιδέψω. = I want to make a trip (a specific action).

So the choice of ταξιδεύω here matches the general, habitual meaning.

Where is the I in να ταξιδεύω? Why isn’t there a separate pronoun like εγώ?

In Greek, the subject pronoun is usually built into the verb ending and is often not stated separately.

ταξιδεύω = I travel
ταξιδεύεις = you travel
ταξιδεύει = he/she/it travels

So να ταξιδεύω literally means that I travel / for me to travel.
You only add εγώ when you want to emphasize I (as opposed to someone else):

Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω εγώ. = I like to be the one traveling. (unusual here unless you’re stressing contrast)

In normal speech, the εγώ is omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

Why is όταν έχω διακοπές in the present tense, not όταν θα έχω διακοπές?

In Greek, with όταν + a general or future time reference, the present tense is usually used, even when English uses a future or present:

Όταν έχω διακοπές, ταξιδεύω.
= When I have holidays / When I’m on vacation, I travel.
Όταν πάω σπίτι, θα ξεκουραστώ.
= When I go home, I will rest.

So:

✅ όταν έχω διακοπές (general / habitual)
❌ όταν θα έχω διακοπές (normally wrong in this type of sentence)

The present here expresses whenever / every time I have holidays.

Why is διακοπές in the plural, even though English often says vacation in the singular?

In Greek, διακοπές (holidays, vacation) is almost always used in the plural:

Έχω διακοπές. = I’m on vacation / I have holidays.
Πότε είναι οι διακοπές σου; = When are your holidays/vacation?

There’s a singular διακοπή, but it usually means interruption or power cut, not vacation:

Διακοπή ρεύματος = power cut.

So for holidays from work or school, you say:

Οι διακοπές (plural)

It’s actually close to British English holidays rather than American vacation.

Does έχω διακοπές literally mean I have vacations? Is that the usual way to say I’m on vacation?

Yes, έχω διακοπές literally is I have holidays, and it’s a very common way to say I’m on vacation.

Common options include:

Έχω διακοπές. = I’m on vacation.
Είμαι σε διακοπές. = I’m on vacation.
Είμαι διακοπές. (colloquial) = I’m on vacation.

Your sentence uses the most neutral and common structure:

όταν έχω διακοπές = when I’m on vacation / when I have time off.

Is Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω όταν έχω διακοπές a natural-sounding sentence in Greek?

Yes, it’s completely natural and idiomatic.

You might also hear small variations like:

Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω στις διακοπές μου.
- I like to travel during my holidays.
Μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω όταν παίρνω άδεια από τη δουλειά.
- I like to travel when I take leave from work.

But your original sentence is perfectly good, everyday Greek.

How is διακοπές pronounced, and where is the stress?

διακοπές is pronounced: δ-ια-κο-ΠΕΣ

IPA: [ðiakɔˈpes]
Stress is on the last syllable: -πές → διακοπές

Syllables: δια – κο – πές

What is the basic word order here, and can it be changed?

The basic structure of your sentence is:

Μου αρέσει (to me is pleasing)
να ταξιδεύω (to travel)
όταν έχω διακοπές (when I have holidays)

So the order is roughly:
[pronoun clitic] + [verb αρέσει] + [να-clause] + [όταν-clause]

You can move the όταν-clause to the beginning without changing the meaning:

Όταν έχω διακοπές, μου αρέσει να ταξιδεύω.

Both versions are natural. Greek word order is somewhat flexible, as long as you keep the clitic μου in its proper position with respect to the verb (Μου αρέσει, not Αρέσει μου).