Learn Hardcore Greek: Μου αρέσει να χορεύω όταν ακούω μουσική στο σαλόνι. - I like to dance when I listen to music in the living room.

Μου αρέσει = It is pleasing to me → I like it
We don’t say Εγώ αρέσω to mean I like; εγώ αρέσω would mean I am liked (by others), not I like (something).

What exactly is μου here? Is it the same as με?

μου and με are two different cases of the same pronoun “I / me”.

μου = “to me / my” → genitive case
Used for possession or as an indirect object:
- μου αρέσει = it pleases me
- το βιβλίο μου = my book
με = “me” → accusative case
Used as a direct object:
- με βλέπεις = you see me
- με αγαπά = he/she loves me

In Μου αρέσει, we need μου, because the meaning is “it is pleasing to me”, not “it sees me / hits me / etc.”

Why is it Μου αρέσει (singular) and not Μου αρέσουν here?

The form of αρέσει / αρέσουν depends on what is liked (the grammatical subject), not on the person who likes it.

Μου αρέσει ο χορός. → I like dance / dancing.
(ο χορός = singular → αρέσει)
Μου αρέσουν οι ταινίες. → I like movies.
(οι ταινίες = plural → αρέσουν)

In Μου αρέσει να χορεύω, the subject is the whole action το να χορεύω (“the dancing”), which is treated as singular, so we use αρέσει.

Why do we need να before χορεύω? Why not just Μου αρέσει χορεύω?

Modern Greek doesn’t have a true infinitive (“to dance”) like English.
Instead, it uses να + verb to express:

“to do something”
“that I do something”
or a general verbal idea

So:

να χορεύω ≈ “to dance” / “(that) I dance”

You cannot say Μου αρέσει χορεύω; it’s ungrammatical.
You must use να:

Μου αρέσει να χορεύω. = I like to dance.

What is the difference between να χορεύω and να χορέψω?

These two forms show aspect (kind of like “ongoing” vs “one-off”):

να χορεύω (imperfective) → ongoing, habitual, repeated
- Μου αρέσει να χορεύω. = I like dancing (in general / as an activity).
να χορέψω (perfective) → single, complete event
- Θέλω να χορέψω. = I want to dance (once, now / on this occasion).

In this sentence, we’re talking about what you like as a general habit, so να χορεύω is the natural choice.

Could we also say Μου αρέσει ο χορός instead of Μου αρέσει να χορεύω? Is there a difference?

Yes, both are correct but they feel slightly different:

Μου αρέσει ο χορός.
Literally: “Dance (as a thing) pleases me.”
→ Like saying “I like dance / dancing (as a concept, hobby, art form).”
Μου αρέσει να χορεύω.
Literally: “It pleases me to dance.”
→ Emphasizes the activity of me dancing, the action.

In most everyday contexts, they can both translate as “I like dancing,” but:

Use ο χορός if you mean dance in general, as a field or hobby.
Use να χορεύω if you focus more on you doing the activity.

Why is it όταν and not αν in όταν ακούω μουσική?

όταν = when / whenever (for real times / situations)
αν = if (for conditions or possibilities)

In this sentence, you’re talking about what you do when something actually happens:

όταν ακούω μουσική = when(ever) I listen to music

If you used αν:

αν ακούω μουσική would sound like “if I happen to be listening to music” – more hypothetical, and not the usual way to express a general habit here.

Why is ακούω in the present tense? Does it mean “while I am listening” or “whenever I listen”?

Greek present tense can express:

ongoing action right now
or a general, repeated habit

In όταν ακούω μουσική, with όταν, the present usually means:

“whenever I listen to music” / “when I listen to music (in general)”

So the whole sentence means something like:

I like to dance when(ever) I listen to music in the living room
(a general habit, not just this very moment).

Why is there no article before μουσική? Why not τη μουσική?

μουσική is a mass / abstract noun, like “music” in English.
Greek often omits the article in a general sense:

Ακούω μουσική. = I listen to music (music in general).
Μου αρέσει η μουσική. = I like music (more like “music as a whole”).

You would use the article τη μουσική when talking about specific music:

Ακούω τη μουσική που μου έστειλες.
I’m listening to the music you sent me.

In your sentence, it’s clearly “music in general”, so μουσική without an article is natural.

What does στο σαλόνι literally mean, and why is it not σε το σαλόνι?

σε = in / at / to
το σαλόνι = the living room

In spoken and written Greek, σε + το almost always contracts to στο:

σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι = in the living room

Similarly:

σε + τον κήπο → στον κήπο (in the garden)
σε + την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα (in the kitchen)

So στο σαλόνι literally = “in the living room”.

What exactly is σαλόνι? Is it always “living room”?

το σαλόνι usually means:

living room, sitting room, or lounge in a house

It can also mean:

the lounge / salon area in some public spaces (e.g. on a ship, in some venues)

In everyday home context, στο σαλόνι is just “in the living room”.

Can I change the word order, like Μου αρέσει όταν ακούω μουσική στο σαλόνι να χορεύω?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, but not all orders sound equally natural.

Μου αρέσει να χορεύω όταν ακούω μουσική στο σαλόνι.
→ very natural.
Μου αρέσει όταν ακούω μουσική στο σαλόνι να χορεύω.
→ grammatically possible, but sounds heavier / less natural in everyday speech.

The common pattern is:

Μου αρέσει + να-clause (what you like) + όταν-clause (when).

So it’s better to keep να χορεύω right after Μου αρέσει.

How do you pronounce this sentence and where is the stress?

Stress marks show which syllable is stressed:

Μου αρέσει → mou a-RE-si
να χορεύω → na cho-RE-vo
όταν → O-tan
ακούω → a-KOU-o (the “ου” is like “oo”)
μουσική → mou-si-KI
στο σαλόνι → sto sa-LO-ni

Spoken smoothly:

Mou a-RE-si na cho-RE-vo O-tan a-KOU-o mou-si-KI sto sa-LO-ni.

Could this also be Μου αρέσει να χορεύω όταν ακούω μουσική, without στο σαλόνι? And can στο σαλόνι go somewhere else?

Yes:

Μου αρέσει να χορεύω όταν ακούω μουσική.
is a perfectly good sentence: “I like to dance when I listen to music.”

You can also move στο σαλόνι a bit:

Μου αρέσει να χορεύω στο σαλόνι όταν ακούω μουσική.
Όταν ακούω μουσική στο σαλόνι, μου αρέσει να χορεύω.

All are grammatical. The original just happens to put στο σαλόνι at the end, which is very natural in Greek.