Δεν μου αρέσουν οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Greek grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Greek now

Questions & Answers about Δεν μου αρέσουν οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή.

Why do we say Δεν μου αρέσουν and not something like Δεν αρέσω τις μεγάλες διαφημίσεις to mean I don’t like the big commercials?

In Greek, the verb αρέσω works the opposite way from English to like.

  • Literally, αρέσω means to be pleasing (to someone).
  • So the thing liked is the subject, and the person who likes is in the indirect object (genitive) with a pronoun like μου (to me), σου (to you), etc.

In this sentence:

  • οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις = the subject (the big commercials)
  • αρέσουν = 3rd person plural form of αρέσω
  • μου = to me

So Δεν μου αρέσουν οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις literally means The big commercials are not pleasing to me, which corresponds to I don’t like the big commercials.

A form like Δεν αρέσω τις μεγάλες διαφημίσεις is ungrammatical in Greek. αρέσω is not used with a direct object like English like.


What is the grammatical subject of the verb αρέσουν in this sentence?

The subject is οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις.

We can see this because:

  • The verb is αρέσουν (3rd person plural).
  • The noun phrase οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις is also plural.
  • The pronoun μου (to me) is not the subject; it is an indirect object.

So the structure is:

  • Δεν = not
  • μου = to me
  • αρέσουν = are pleasing
  • οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις = the big commercials (subject)

Why is it αρέσουν and not αρέσει?

The verb must agree in number with its subject.

  • Subject: οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις = plural (the big commercials)
  • Therefore, verb: αρέσουν (3rd person plural of αρέσω)

If the subject were singular, we would use αρέσει:

  • Δεν μου αρέσει η μεγάλη διαφήμιση.
    I don’t like the big commercial (singular).

What exactly does μου mean in Δεν μου αρέσουν? Is it a subject, like I?

μου here is not a subject; it is a weak (clitic) genitive pronoun that functions as an indirect object, meaning to me.

  • μου = to me (here: I am the experiencer of liking/disliking)
  • It corresponds to me in The commercials are not pleasing to me.

Greek uses the genitive case pronouns this way with αρέσω:

  • μου αρέσει = I like it (it is pleasing to me)
  • σου αρέσει = you like it (it is pleasing to you)
  • του αρέσει = he likes it (it is pleasing to him)
  • της αρέσει = she likes it (it is pleasing to her)
  • μας αρέσει = we like it
  • σας αρέσει = you (plural/formal) like it
  • τους αρέσει = they like it

Why is the negative Δεν and not Μην here?

Greek has two common negative particles: δεν and μη(ν), and they are used in different contexts.

  • δεν is used with indicative verb forms (normal statements and questions about facts):

    • Δεν μου αρέσουν οι διαφημίσεις.
      I don’t like the commercials.
  • μη(ν) is mainly used:

    • with imperatives: Μην μιλάς! (Don’t talk!)
    • with certain subjunctive forms: να μην πάω (that I not go).

Since αρέσουν here is just a normal (indicative) verb form, the correct negative is δεν:
Δεν μου αρέσουν...


What is στην in στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή? Why not σε την?

στην is a contraction of σε + την:

  • σε = in / at / on / to (general preposition)
  • την = the (feminine singular accusative article)
  • σε τηνστην

Greek almost always contracts σε + article:

  • σε τονστον
  • σε τηνστην
  • σε τοστο
  • σε τιςστις, etc.

So στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή literally is in the favourite show of minein my favourite show.


Why is it αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή and not η αγαπημένη εκπομπή μου? Are both correct?

Both orders are grammatically correct:

  1. στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή
  2. στην αγαπημένη εκπομπή μου

The usual pattern in modern Greek is:

  • article + adjective + noun + possessive pronoun

Example:

  • η αγαπημένη εκπομπή μου = my favourite show

But when the adjective and noun are in a prepositional phrase like στην ... εκπομπή, it is very common to put the possessive pronoun immediately after the adjective:

  • στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή
    (literally in the favorite of-mine show)

Nuance:

  • στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή sounds very natural and slightly more flowing in this specific phrase.
  • στην αγαπημένη εκπομπή μου is also fine, and in most contexts there is no real difference in meaning.

Why do αγαπημένη and εκπομπή both end in -ή / -ή? Is that agreement?

Yes. This is gender, number, and case agreement.

  • εκπομπή (show/program) is a feminine noun.
  • In στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή, the noun is:
    • feminine
    • singular
    • accusative (after σεστην)

The adjective αγαπημένη agrees with εκπομπή:

  • αγαπημένη: fem. singular accusative
  • εκπομπή: fem. singular accusative

So we get:

  • η αγαπημένη εκπομπή (nominative)
  • την αγαπημένη εκπομπή (accusative → after στην)

Why is μεγάλες used with διαφημίσεις? What does μεγάλες διαφημίσεις suggest here?

μεγάλες is the feminine plural form of μεγάλος (big / large / long).

  • διαφημίσεις (commercials/ads) is feminine plural.
  • So the adjective agrees: μεγάλες διαφημίσεις.

Meaning nuance:

  • Literally: big advertisements.
  • In the context of TV/radio, μεγάλες διαφημίσεις often implies:
    • long commercials (long in duration)
    • or sometimes big in the sense of flashy/large-scale campaigns.

Many speakers might also say:

  • πολλές διαφημίσεις = many commercials
  • μεγάλα διαφημιστικά διαλείμματα = long commercial breaks

But μεγάλες διαφημίσεις in this sentence is natural and will usually be understood as long / big commercials.


Could I say Δεν μου αρέσει οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις?

No, that is incorrect, because the verb does not agree with the subject.

  • οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις = plural subject
  • so the verb must be αρέσουν (plural), not αρέσει (singular).

Correct options:

  • Δεν μου αρέσουν οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις.
  • Δεν μου αρέσει η μεγάλη διαφήμιση.
    (I don’t like the big commercial – singular)

Why is μου placed after αγαπημένη and before εκπομπή in αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή?

Weak possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους usually come:

  • after the noun: η εκπομπή μου (my show)
  • or after the adjective in the pattern adjective + pronoun + noun when the noun phrase is already determined by an article or preposition:

Here:

  • στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή
    • στην already contains the article την
    • αγαπημένη = adjective
    • μου = possessive pronoun
    • εκπομπή = noun

So the position αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή is a very natural ordering of adjective + possessive + noun under a preposition + article.


Can I move Δεν μου αρέσουν to the end and say Οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή δεν μου αρέσουν?

Yes, that is grammatically correct.

Greek word order is relatively flexible. Both give the same meaning:

  • Δεν μου αρέσουν οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή.
  • Οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις στην αγαπημένη μου εκπομπή δεν μου αρέσουν.

The difference is mostly about emphasis:

  • Starting with Δεν μου αρέσουν emphasizes my dislike.
  • Starting with Οι μεγάλες διαφημίσεις... emphasizes the commercials themselves as the topic, and then you state that you don’t like them.