Learn Hardcore Greek: Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα. - Mathematics seems difficult to me, whereas biology seems more interesting.

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

Mathematics seems difficult to me, whereas biology seems more interesting.

Breakdown of Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

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Questions & Answers about Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

What exactly does μου mean here? Is it “my mathematics” or “to me”?

Μου here does not mean “my” in the possessive sense; it means “to me”.

Greek uses the weak genitive pronoun μου to express the experiencer of a feeling or impression, something English often does with “to me”:
- Μου φαίνονται δύσκολα. = “They seem difficult to me.”
If it meant “my mathematics”, you would normally expect a noun that can actually be possessed, like:
- το βιβλίο μου = “my book”
- η τσάντα μου = “my bag”

With school subjects, μου in this pattern is read as “to me”, not as “my [subject]” in a literal possessive sense.

Why is it φαίνονται with μαθηματικά but φαίνεται with βιολογία?

The verb φαίνομαι (“to seem/appear”) agrees with the subject in number (singular/plural):

τα μαθηματικά → neuter plural → verb in 3rd person plural
- Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα.
η βιολογία → feminine singular → verb in 3rd person singular
- η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

So:

φαίνονται = “they seem” (plural)
φαίνεται = “it seems” (singular)

This is pure subject–verb agreement.

What is the difference between φαίνονται / φαίνεται and just using είναι (“are / is”)?

είναι (“are / is”) states something more directly / objectively:
- Τα μαθηματικά είναι δύσκολα. = “Mathematics are difficult.”
φαίνονται / φαίνεται introduces the idea of how something appears to someone, often like “seem” or “seem to me”:
- Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα. = “Mathematics seem difficult to me.”
- Η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα. = “Biology seems more interesting to me.”

In conversation, using φαίνομαι + μου makes it clear you are expressing a personal impression, not an absolute fact.

Why is it δύσκολα and not δύσκολο or δύσκολη?

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

τα μαθηματικά are:
- gender: neuter
- number: plural
The adjective δύσκολος (difficult) has these main forms:
- masculine: δύσκολος
- feminine: δύσκολη
- neuter singular: δύσκολο
- neuter plural: δύσκολα

So with τα μαθηματικά, you must use the neuter plural form:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα.

That is why δύσκολα is used.

Why is it πιο ενδιαφέρουσα and not some other form like πιο ενδιαφέρον?

Again, agreement with the noun:

η βιολογία is:
- gender: feminine
- number: singular
The adjective ενδιαφέρων (interesting) has:
- masculine: ενδιαφέρων
- feminine: ενδιαφέρουσα
- neuter: ενδιαφέρον

With η βιολογία, you need the feminine singular form:

η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

πιο means “more” and forms the comparative:

πιο ενδιαφέρουσα = “more interesting”

πιο ενδιαφέρον would agree with a neuter subject, e.g.:

Το μάθημα της βιολογίας είναι πιο ενδιαφέρον.
“The biology class is more interesting.”

Why is μαθηματικά plural in Greek, when “mathematics” or “math” feels singular in English?

In Greek, many school subjects are grammatically neuter plural:

τα μαθηματικά = mathematics
τα οικονομικά = economics
τα αγγλικά = English (language)

So μαθηματικά is always used in the plural with a plural article and plural verb:

Τα μαθηματικά είναι…
Τα μαθηματικά φαίνονται…

This is just a difference in how the two languages treat these abstract subject names grammatically.

Why do we need the articles τα and η here? Could we say just μαθηματικά and βιολογία?

Greek normally uses the definite article with:

school subjects:
- Τα μαθηματικά, η βιολογία, η ιστορία, τα γαλλικά
general concepts, when talking about them in a generic way.

So:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα…
…ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

Dropping the article (μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται…) is possible in some casual or telegraphic contexts, but the most natural, standard form in full sentences is with the article.

What does ενώ mean here, and how is it different from just και (“and”) or αλλά (“but”)?

ενώ is a conjunction that means:

“while” (in a contrasting sense)
“whereas”

In the sentence:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.
= “Mathematics seem difficult to me, whereas biology seems more interesting to me.”

It sets up a contrast between two clauses.

και = “and” (just adds)
αλλά = “but” (simple contrast)
ενώ especially highlights two simultaneous but contrasting facts.

Can I change the word order, like Μου φαίνονται δύσκολα τα μαθηματικά?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, and clitics like μου often come before the verb.

Possible variants (all grammatical, slightly different emphasis):

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα… (neutral, subject-first)
Μου φαίνονται δύσκολα τα μαθηματικά… (emphasis a bit more on “to me they seem difficult”)

Similarly for the second part:

…ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.
…ενώ πιο ενδιαφέρουσα μου φαίνεται η βιολογία. (more stylistic / emphatic)

The original sentence has a very natural, neutral order.

Can I omit μου and say just Τα μαθηματικά φαίνονται δύσκολα? How does that change the meaning?

You can omit μου, and the sentence is still grammatical:

Τα μαθηματικά φαίνονται δύσκολα.
= “Mathematics seem difficult.”

Without μου, it sounds more general or observational, not clearly tied to your personal point of view.

With μου:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα.
This clearly means “They seem difficult to me,” expressing a personal impression or difficulty you have with the subject.

Do I have to repeat μου in the second clause, or could I say Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα?

Repeating μου is normal and clear:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα, ενώ η βιολογία μου φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

You can omit it in the second clause in casual speech:

…ενώ η βιολογία φαίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.

Listeners will usually understand that “to me” still applies.
However, including μου in both places makes the parallel structure and the personal viewpoint very explicit and is stylistically good.

Could I say Τα μαθηματικά μου είναι δύσκολα instead?

You can say:

Τα μαθηματικά είναι δύσκολα. (without μου)
= “Mathematics are difficult.”

But Τα μαθηματικά μου είναι δύσκολα tends to be read more literally as “my mathematics are difficult” (e.g. my math exercises, my math grade), which is a bit odd unless the context supports that.

If you want to say “I find math difficult”, the natural options are:

Τα μαθηματικά μου φαίνονται δύσκολα.
Τα μαθηματικά τα βρίσκω δύσκολα. (“I find math difficult.”)

So μου φαίνονται is usually better than μου είναι here.

Is there such a form as ενδιαφερέστερη for “more interesting”, or is πιο ενδιαφέρουσα the only option?

For “more interesting”, the normal modern Greek form is:

πιο ενδιαφέρουσα (fem.)
πιο ενδιαφέρον (neut.)
πιο ενδιαφέρων (masc., more formal/literary)

Forms like ενδιαφερέστερη are not standard.
So in the sentence, πιο ενδιαφέρουσα is exactly the right choice.

Are μαθηματικά and βιολογία different genders in Greek, and how can I tell?

Yes:

τα μαθηματικά → neuter plural
- The article τα is neuter plural.
- Many subject names ending in -ικά are neuter plural (τα μαθηματικά, τα οικονομικά, τα γαλλικά).
η βιολογία → feminine singular
- The article η is feminine singular.
- Many abstract nouns in -ία are feminine (η ιστορία, η γεωγραφία, η χημεία).

The article (η, ο, το, οι, τα) is your best quick clue to the noun’s gender and number.