Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα, προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής, ακόμα κι αν η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη. - I don’t like it when someone tells lies; I prefer them to be honest, even if the truth is difficult.

In Greek, with the verb αρέσει, the person who likes something is expressed with an unstressed pronoun (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) placed before the verb:

Μου αρέσει = it is pleasing to me → I like it
Σου αρέσει = it is pleasing to you → you like it

The natural order is: (Δεν) + pronoun + αρέσει
So:

Δεν μου αρέσει = I don’t like (it)

Δεν αρέσει μου is ungrammatical in standard Greek.

Where is the subject of αρέσει? What is it that “doesn’t please” me?

The subject of αρέσει can be:

Explicit, often later in the sentence:
- Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα
  Here, the whole clause όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα functions as the thing that doesn’t please you.
Or it can be implied/understood from context:
- Δεν μου αρέσει (on its own) = I don’t like it (whatever “it” is, from context)

So grammatically, μου is an indirect object (to me), and the subject is “the fact that someone lies when they speak.”

Why is there no εγώ (I) in Δεν μου αρέσει?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός…) are often omitted because the verb form or construction already tells you who is involved.

With μου αρέσει, the pronoun μου (to me) already shows that the feeling belongs to “me,” so:

(Εγώ) δεν μου αρέσει…
The εγώ is normally dropped unless you want to emphasize I, as in:
- Εγώ δεν μου αρέσει όταν… = I don’t like it when… (contrast or emphasis).

Why is όταν used here and not αν? In English we might say “if someone lies.”

όταν = when, referring to time, either:
- every time it happens (habit/general rule), or
- a particular time.
αν = if, introducing a condition.

In this sentence:

Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα
= You are talking about your general attitude whenever that situation occurs.

You could say αν in some contexts, but it would focus more on the condition (“if someone happens to lie”) rather than the repeated or typical event. Όταν is more natural here for a general, habitual dislike.

Why is it κάποιος (masculine) if we mean “someone” in general, possibly any gender?

Κάποιος is an indefinite pronoun meaning someone. It has gendered forms:

κάποιος (masculine)
κάποια (feminine)
κάποιο (neuter, less common as a pronoun for people)

For “someone (in general)” Greek often uses the masculine by default, unless:

you are clearly speaking about a woman → κάποια
or you deliberately want to stress the feminine form.

So κάποιος here is grammatically masculine but semantically “someone, anybody.”

Why is it λέει ψέματα and not λέει ένα ψέμα?

ψέμα = a lie (singular)
ψέματα = lies (plural) but also often used as an uncountable idea: “lying”.

So:

λέει ψέματα
literally “says lies,” but functionally more like “tells lies / lies (as a habit or generally)”.
λέει ένα ψέμα = “tells a lie” (one specific lie).

In this sentence we’re talking about lying as a general behavior, so λέει ψέματα fits better than focusing on one single lie.

Why is it προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής and not προτιμώ είναι ειλικρινής?

Greek normally uses να + verb (the subjunctive construction) after προτιμώ when you mean I prefer that X (should) do/be Y.

προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής
= I prefer (that he/she) be honest.

You can’t say προτιμώ είναι ειλικρινής; without να, it’s ungrammatical.
So the pattern is:

προτιμώ να + [subjunctive]
- προτιμώ να πάμε = I prefer that we go
- προτιμώ να είναι ήσυχος = I prefer that he be quiet

Who is the subject of να είναι ειλικρινής? How do we know who “is honest”?

Grammatically, the subject is understood from context and refers back to the earlier κάποιος (“someone”).

The structure is:

όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα
προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής

So the same “someone” (κάποιος) is:

the one who λέει ψέματα (tells lies) in the first clause, and
the one who είναι ειλικρινής (is honest) in the second.

Greek often doesn’t repeat the pronoun or noun when it’s clear from context.

Why is the adjective ειλικρινής in that form? Does it agree with something?

Ειλικρινής is an adjective of the type:

ειλικρινής (masc./fem. nominative singular)
ειλικρίνης (alternative masc.) – less common in modern usage
ειλικρινές (neuter)
plural: ειλικρινείς (masc./fem.), ειλικρινή (neuter)

Here, it describes κάποιος (someone), which is masculine singular nominative, so we use:

κάποιος ειλικρινής (someone honest)

The -ής ending here matches the masculine/feminine singular nominative. The word ειλικρινής itself doesn’t change between masculine and feminine in this case form.

What does ακόμα κι αν mean exactly, and why is it spelled κι and not και?

Ακόμα κι αν is a fixed expression meaning:

even if / even though / even when

It’s composed of:

ακόμα (ή ακόμη) = still / even
και = and / even
αν = if

In fast, natural speech, και often becomes κι before a vowel sound for ease of pronunciation:

και αν → κι αν
και εγώ → κι εγώ

So:

ακόμα και αν
and
ακόμα κι αν

are functionally the same; κι is just the elided form of και.

Why is it η αλήθεια with the article? In English we often say just “truth” without “the.”

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, including with abstract nouns like “truth,” “freedom,” “love.”

So:

η αλήθεια = (the) truth
but in many contexts it corresponds to English bare “truth”.

In this sentence, η αλήθεια refers to “the truth in general” as a concept, but Greek still normally uses the article. Leaving the article out (αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη) would sound incomplete or ungrammatical here.

Why is it η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη and not η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολο?

The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes.

η αλήθεια is feminine singular nominative.
The adjective δύσκολος has forms:
- masc.: δύσκολος
- fem.: δύσκολη
- neut.: δύσκολο

So to match η αλήθεια, we use the feminine form:

η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη

Είναι δύσκολο (neuter) would normally need an implied neuter subject, e.g.:

Είναι δύσκολο να πεις την αλήθεια = It is difficult to tell the truth.

That’s a different structure.

Is the comma use here normal? Could this be split into two sentences?

Yes, the commas are normal in Greek. The sentence has three main parts:

Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα,
προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής,
ακόμα κι αν η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη.

Greek often uses commas to link related clauses into one longer sentence. You could split it, but it would change the rhythm:

Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα. Προτιμώ να είναι ειλικρινής, ακόμα κι αν η αλήθεια είναι δύσκολη.

Both are acceptable; the original is very natural as one complex sentence.

Can I change the word order, for example Όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα, δεν μου αρέσει?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible, especially with adverbial clauses like όταν…. Both are correct:

Δεν μου αρέσει όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα…
Όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα, δεν μου αρέσει…

The meaning is the same. Putting Όταν κάποιος λέει ψέματα first slightly highlights the situation before giving your reaction, but it’s a stylistic choice, not a grammatical one.