Learn Hardcore Greek: Το πράσινο τραπεζάκι ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ και μου αρέσει πολύ. - The green coffee table matches the blue sofa and I like it a lot.

τραπεζάκι is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter article το.
The whole phrase το πράσινο τραπεζάκι is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
That’s why we get:
- το (neuter nominative singular article)
- πράσινο (neuter nominative singular adjective)
- τραπεζάκι (neuter nominative singular noun)

What is the difference between τραπέζι and τραπεζάκι?

Both refer to a table, but τραπεζάκι is a diminutive.

τραπέζι = table (neutral term)
τραπεζάκι = small table / little table, often a coffee table or side table
The suffix -άκι is a very common diminutive ending in Greek, often:
- indicating smaller size
- or adding an affectionate / less formal tone

Why is it πράσινο and not πράσινος or πράσινη?

The adjective must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

The base forms of the adjective are:
- πράσινος (masculine)
- πράσινη (feminine)
- πράσινο (neuter)
Because τραπεζάκι is neuter, the adjective also takes the neuter form:
- πράσινο τραπεζάκι (neuter)
- Compare:
  - πράσινος καναπές (masculine)
  - πράσινη καρέκλα (feminine)

What does ταιριάζει με mean, and how is this verb used?

Ταιριάζω means “to match”, “to go with”, “to suit”.

The pattern here is ταιριάζω με + accusative:
- Το πράσινο τραπεζάκι ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ.
- “The green table goes with the blue sofa.”
Other examples:
- Αυτό το χρώμα ταιριάζει με τα μάτια σου. – This color matches your eyes.
- Η φούστα δεν ταιριάζει με την μπλούζα. – The skirt doesn’t go with the blouse.
In this sentence, ταιριάζει is 3rd person singular present: “it matches”.

Why do we say τον μπλε καναπέ and not ο μπλε καναπές?

Because καναπέ is the object of the preposition με, and in Greek that means it must be in the accusative case.

Nominative (subject): ο καναπές – “the sofa”
Accusative (object): τον καναπέ – “the sofa” (as object or after many prepositions)
The preposition με (“with”) is followed by the accusative:
- με + τον καναπέ
- με + την καρέκλα
- με + το τραπέζι
So we get με τον μπλε καναπέ, not με ο μπλε καναπές.

Why doesn’t the color adjective μπλε change its ending?

Μπλε is an invariable adjective in modern Greek.

It usually stays μπλε for:
- masculine, feminine, neuter
- singular and plural
So we say:
- ο μπλε καναπές (masc. sg.)
- η μπλε καρέκλα (fem. sg.)
- το μπλε τραπεζάκι (neut. sg.)
- οι μπλε καναπέδες (masc. pl.), etc.
This happens with several color words of foreign origin (e.g. γκρι, μπορντό, μοβ), which don’t decline like native adjectives.

How does μου αρέσει mean “I like it”?

Greek uses a different structure from English for “to like”.

αρέσει literally means “is pleasing”.
The thing that is liked is the subject of αρέσει.
The person who likes it is in the genitive case, usually as a weak pronoun:
- μου = “to me”
So μου αρέσει literally is “it is pleasing to me”.
In natural English we flip it to “I like it.”

What is the subject of αρέσει here, and why is αρέσει singular?

The subject is the same thing we were already talking about: το πράσινο τραπεζάκι (the green little table).

Greek often omits the subject if it’s clear from context.
We could make it explicit:
- Το πράσινο τραπεζάκι … και (αυτό) μου αρέσει πολύ.
- “The green table … and it I like very much.”
Since το πράσινο τραπεζάκι is singular, the verb is also singular: αρέσει, not αρέσουν.

What is the role of πολύ in μου αρέσει πολύ, and can it appear elsewhere?

Πολύ is an adverb here, meaning “very much / a lot”.

μου αρέσει πολύ = “I like it very much / I like it a lot.”
As an adverb it usually comes:
- after the verb: μου αρέσει πολύ
- or sometimes before, for emphasis: πολύ μου αρέσει (more literary or emphatic)
When πολύ is used as an adjective (with endings), it changes form:
- πολύς κόσμος – many people
- πολλή δουλειά – a lot of work
- πολλά λεφτά – much money / many money (uncountable in English)

Can the word order change, for example with μου αρέσει earlier in the sentence?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for emphasis.

All of these are possible, with small differences in emphasis:

Το πράσινο τραπεζάκι ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ και μου αρέσει πολύ.
(Neutral: “The green table goes with the blue sofa, and I like it a lot.”)
Το πράσινο τραπεζάκι μού αρέσει πολύ και ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ.
(Slight emphasis on I liking the table.)
Μου αρέσει πολύ το πράσινο τραπεζάκι που ταιριάζει με τον μπλε καναπέ.
(More natural English-like order: “I really like the green table that goes with the blue sofa.”)

The basic meaning stays the same; what changes is which part is highlighted.

Why is the article repeated in τον μπλε καναπέ? Could we just say ταιριάζει με μπλε καναπέ?

In Greek, you normally use the article with a specific, definite noun, and you repeat it for each separate noun phrase.

τον μπλε καναπέ = “the blue sofa” (a particular one we have in mind)
Omitting the article (με μπλε καναπέ) is possible but sounds more like:
- “with a blue sofa / with blue sofa (in general)” – less specific, more generic or stylistic.
In everyday speech, with concrete objects in your home, you almost always include the article:
- το τραπεζάκι, τον καναπέ, την καρέκλα, etc.

How do you pronounce some of the tricky parts, like μπλε and τραπεζάκι?

You can think of them like this (approximate English sounds):

το πράσινο τραπεζάκι → to PRÁ-si-no tra-pe-ZÁ-ki
- πράσινο: PRA-see-no (stress on πρά)
- τραπεζάκι: tra-pe-ZA-ki (stress on ζά; ζ like z in “zoo”)
ταιριάζει → teer-YA-zi
- αι sounds like e in “get”
- The ια gives a “ya” sound here.
μπλε → ble
- μπ at the beginning of a word is pronounced like English b.
- So μπλε sounds like English “bleh”.
καναπέ → ka-na-PE
- Stress on the last syllable: ka-na-PEH.

Stress marks in Greek (´) show you exactly where the main stress falls in each word.