Breakdown of Μου αρέσει πολύ να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
Questions & Answers about Μου αρέσει πολύ να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
In Greek, the verb αρέσει literally means is pleasing.
So Μου αρέσει is more like It is pleasing to me.
- μου = to me (indirect object)
- αρέσει = is pleasing (3rd person singular)
The thing you like is the grammatical subject:
- Μου αρέσει το πάρκο. = The park pleases me.
So you don’t say Εγώ αρέσω το πάρκο, because εγώ is not the subject here. The structure is reversed compared to English.
μου is a weak (clitic) personal pronoun:
- person: 1st
- number: singular
- case: genitive
It often corresponds to to me / my in English.
Modern Greek uses the genitive pronoun μου both for possession and for indirect objects:
- το βιβλίο μου = my book
- μου αρέσει = it pleases me / I like it
Greek doesn’t need a separate word like to here; the case ending (genitive) already expresses the to me meaning.
αρέσει and αρέσουν agree with the thing that is liked:
Μου αρέσει το πάρκο.
το πάρκο (singular) → αρέσει (3rd person singular)Μου αρέσουν τα πάρκα.
τα πάρκα (plural) → αρέσουν (3rd person plural)
The pronoun μου does not affect the verb ending; the subject (what you like) does.
πολύ is an adverb meaning very / very much / a lot.
In Μου αρέσει πολύ να περπατάω στο πάρκο, it modifies αρέσει and shows how much you like the action:
- Μου αρέσει πολύ… = I like it very much…
Typical positions:
- Μου αρέσει πολύ να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
- Πολύ μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο. (more emphatic on πολύ)
If you remove it:
- Μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο. = I like walking in the park. (without the very much)
Modern Greek does not really use infinitives (forms like to walk).
Instead, it uses a να + verb structure, often called the subjunctive.
Here να περπατάω functions like English to walk or walking after like:
- Μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
≈ I like walking / I like to walk in the park.
So να is a particle that introduces a verb in this special form, used after verbs like θέλω (I want), μπορώ (I can), πρέπει (must), μου αρέσει (I like), etc.
Functionally, it covers both:
- I like to walk in the park.
- I like walking in the park.
Greek does not distinguish these two ways the way English does.
The structure να + verb simply lets a verb act like a noun phrase after μου αρέσει, so either English version is usually a good translation.
Both are να + verb, but they differ in aspect:
να περπατάω – imperfective: the action as ongoing, repeated, or habitual
→ use this for general likes, habits, activities
Μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
= I like the activity of walking in the park.να περπατήσω – perfective: the action as a single, complete event
You would not normally say Μου αρέσει να περπατήσω στο πάρκο; it sounds odd, because μου αρέσει expresses a general preference, not a one-time completed event.
So with μου αρέσει, the natural choice is the imperfective να περπατάω (or να περπατώ).
They are two forms of the same verb:
- περπατάω – more colloquial and very common in spoken Greek
- περπατώ – slightly more formal / standard, but also correct and common
Both mean I walk. You can say:
- Μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
- Μου αρέσει να περπατώ στο πάρκο.
The meaning is the same; it’s mostly a matter of style and personal preference.
στο is the contraction of σε + το:
- σε = in / at / to
- το = definite article, neuter singular (the)
So:
- σε + το πάρκο → στο πάρκο = in the park / at the park
This contraction is obligatory in normal speech and writing.
Similarly:
- σε + τον δρόμο → στον δρόμο
- σε + τη(ν) θάλασσα → στη(ν) θάλασσα
Yes, but the meaning changes:
- στο πάρκο = in the park (a specific or generic park type, but definite)
- σε πάρκο = in a park (some park, not specified)
Your original sentence with στο πάρκο usually implies in the park in a general or specific sense, not just any park.
Place δεν before μου αρέσει:
- Δεν μου αρέσει να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
= I don’t like walking in the park.
If you want I don’t really like walking in the park, you might say:
- Δεν μου αρέσει και τόσο να περπατάω στο πάρκο.
- Δεν μου αρέσει πολύ να περπατάω στο πάρκο. (often understood as not very much)
Syllable division and stress (capital letters show the stressed syllable):
- Μου → /mu/
- αρέσει → a-RE-si (α-ΡΕ-σι)
- πολύ → po-LI (πο-ΛΥ)
- να → na
- περπατάω → per-pa-TA-o (περ-πα-ΤΑ-ω)
(often pronounced a bit like περ-πα-ΤΑω, almost 3 syllables) - στο → sto
- πάρκο → PAR-ko (ΠΑΡ-κο)
Altogether:
Μου αΡΕσι ποΛΙ να περπαΤΑω στο ΠΑΡκο.