Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική. - I don’t like to comment when the discussion is very personal.

You can say Σε μένα δεν αρέσει να σχολιάζω… for emphasis (literally “To me, it is not pleasing to comment…”), but you cannot freely move μου to the end; ✗ Δεν αρέσει να σχολιάζω μου is wrong.

What is the function of να in να σχολιάζω? Is it like “to comment”?

Yes, in this context να + verb works roughly like the English infinitive “to comment”.

Modern Greek doesn’t really use an infinitive the way English does. Instead, it uses:

να + verb (a subjunctive-like form) in many places where English uses to + verb.

So:

Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω ≈ I don’t like to comment / I don’t like commenting.

Why is it σχολιάζω (present) and not σχολιάσω (aorist)?

Greek distinguishes aspect:

σχολιάζω = to comment (in general, habitually, as an ongoing activity)
σχολιάσω = to comment (once, a single completed act)

With verbs of liking / preference (μου αρέσει, προτιμώ, συνηθίζω), Greek usually uses the imperfective aspect (here σχολιάζω) to talk about an action in general:

Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω…
→ I don’t like commenting (in general) when the discussion is very personal.

If you said Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάσω…, it would sound more like I don’t like the idea of making this one specific comment – a more situational, one‑off action.

What does όταν do here? Is it like “when” or “whenever”?

όταν introduces a time clause, and it can mean:

“when” (specific)
“whenever” / “(any time) when” (general)

In this sentence, it has a general meaning:

…όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική.
→ …when(ever) the conversation is very personal.

Context often decides whether when or whenever is the better English rendering.

Why is it η συζήτηση with the article η? Could you omit it?

In Greek, nouns very often take the definite article where English might use none or use a more general expression.

η συζήτηση = the discussion / the conversation

Here it refers to the conversation that is happening (or any conversation in that situation), so the article η is natural.

You could say όταν συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική, but that sounds wrong; the singular count noun here generally needs the article. Without it, it feels incomplete or ungrammatical in normal speech.

Why is συζήτηση feminine? How do I know its gender?

In Greek, all nouns have grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
συζήτηση is:

η συζήτηση (feminine)
plural: οι συζητήσεις

There’s no perfect rule, but many abstract nouns ending in ‑ση (from verbs in ‑ζω, ‑ώ, etc.) are feminine, e.g.:

η κίνηση (movement, traffic)
η ανάγνωση (reading)
η συζήτηση (discussion)

You usually learn the noun with its article: η συζήτηση.

What is the role of πολύ in πολύ προσωπική? Is it an adverb or adjective here?

Here πολύ functions as an adverb of degree meaning “very”.

προσωπική = personal (feminine singular)
πολύ προσωπική = very personal

So the structure is:

πολύ (adverb modifying the adjective)
προσωπική (adjective modifying η συζήτηση)

You’ll see πολύ used:

As an adverb: πολύ καλός (very good), πολύ γρήγορα (very quickly)
As an adjective (neuter plural): πολλά χρήματα (many/much money), πολλοί άνθρωποι (many people) – then it changes form: πολύς, πολλή, πολύ, πολλοί, πολλές, πολλά, etc.

Why is προσωπική in the feminine form? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Greek agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.

Noun: η συζήτηση (feminine, singular, nominative)
Adjective: προσωπική (feminine, singular, nominative)

So η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική
literally: the discussion is very personal.

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the adjective would change:

ο διάλογος είναι πολύ προσωπικός (masc.)
το θέμα είναι πολύ προσωπικό (neut.)

Why do we use δεν and not μη(ν) here?

Greek has two main negative particles:

δεν = used with finite verbs in indicative (normal statements, questions):
- Δεν μου αρέσει…
- Δεν πάω. (I’m not going.)
μη / μην = used with:
- imperatives (Μη μιλάς! = Don’t talk!)
- subjunctive-like forms in certain constructions without an indicative verb in front
- some fixed expressions

In Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω, the main verb is μου αρέσει (indicative), so we correctly use δεν in front of it. The να σχολιάζω part is dependent on that; you don’t negate it separately with μην here.

Could I say Δεν μου αρέσει όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική να σχολιάζω? Is the word order flexible?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but not all permutations sound natural.

The original:

Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική.
→ very natural and smooth.

Your version:

Δεν μου αρέσει όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική να σχολιάζω.

This is not wrong, but it sounds a bit heavier and less smooth. The να σχολιάζω clause is more tightly connected to δεν μου αρέσει, so placing it early feels more natural.

So:

Preferred: Δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω όταν…
Possible but less elegant: Δεν μου αρέσει όταν… να σχολιάζω.

How would I say “I don’t like commenting at all when the discussion is very personal”?

You can intensify the dislike with καθόλου or καθόλου να:

Δεν μου αρέσει καθόλου να σχολιάζω όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική.
= I don’t like at all to comment when the discussion is very personal.
Or, with a stronger emotional nuance, you could also say:
- Καθόλου δεν μου αρέσει να σχολιάζω όταν η συζήτηση είναι πολύ προσωπική.
  (fronted καθόλου for emphasis)

Both are correct; (1) is more common in everyday speech.

What’s the stress pattern and approximate pronunciation of the whole sentence?

Stress (marked with ´):

Δεν μου αρέ́σει να σχολιά́ζω ό́ταν η συζήτηση εί́ναι πολλή προσωπική́.

Approximate phonetic rendering (simplified):

[ðen mu aˈresi na sxoliˈazo ˈotan i siˈzitis(i) ˈine poˈli prosopiˈki]

Main points:

δεν = [ðen] (like “then” with a th sound, not “den”)
μου = [mu] (like “moo”)
αρέσει = [aˈresi] (stress on -ρέ-)
σχολιάζω = [sxoliˈazo] (initial σχ = [sx], like s
- German ch in Bach)
η συζήτηση = [i siˈzitis(i)] (stress on -ζή-)
πολύ = [poˈli] (stress on -λύ)
προσωπική = [prosopiˈki] (stress on final syllable)