Δεν τρώω συχνά χοιρινό, αλλά μου αρέσει το ψητό μοσχάρι της γιαγιάς μου.

Greek often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person. Τρώω by itself means I eat.

If you want extra emphasis, you can add εγώ: Εγώ δεν τρώω συχνά χοιρινό... That sounds more like I don't often eat pork...

Δεν is the normal negation word used before verbs in Greek. Here, δεν τρώω means I do not eat or I don't eat.

A few useful points:

• δεν goes before the verb
• before some sounds, you may also see the shorter form δε
• it is extremely common in everyday Greek

So Δεν τρώω συχνά χοιρινό = I don’t often eat pork.

Τρώω is the present tense, first person singular form of the verb τρώω, meaning to eat.

So:

• τρώω = I eat
• τρως = you eat
• τρώει = he/she/it eats

Greek verbs usually show the subject through their endings, which is why I does not need to be stated separately.

Συχνά means often and is an adverb. Greek adverbs are fairly flexible in position, but verb + adverb is a very natural order.

So Δεν τρώω συχνά χοιρινό is a normal, neutral way to say it.

You may also hear other placements for emphasis, but this version sounds very standard.

Here χοιρινό is being used in a general sense, meaning pork as a type of food, not a specific piece or dish of pork.

Greek often leaves out the article with foods or substances when speaking generally:

• τρώω χοιρινό = I eat pork
• πίνω νερό = I drink water

If you were talking about a specific pork dish, the article could appear:

• το χοιρινό = the pork

Originally, it is the neuter form of the adjective χοιρινός / χοιρινή / χοιρινό, meaning pork or porcine.

In food contexts, Greek very often uses the neuter adjective by itself as a noun:

• χοιρινό = pork
• compare English expressions like the rich, where an adjective can behave like a noun

So in this sentence, χοιρινό functions like a noun meaning the meat.

Greek expresses this idea differently from English. Μου αρέσει literally means something like it is pleasing to me.

The structure is:

• μου = to me
• αρέσει = pleases / is pleasing

So instead of saying I like X, Greek says X is pleasing to me.

That is why:

• Μου αρέσει το ψητό μοσχάρι = I like the roast beef / roast veal

Because the grammatical subject is not I. The subject is το ψητό μοσχάρι της γιαγιάς μου.

In other words, Greek is saying:

• The roast beef of my grandmother pleases me

Since το ψητό μοσχάρι is singular, the verb is also singular:

• αρέσει = it pleases

If the thing liked were plural, you would usually get αρέσουν:

• Μου αρέσουν τα φρούτα = I like fruit / fruits

Because the two noun phrases are being used differently.

• χοιρινό is generic: pork in general
• το ψητό μοσχάρι της γιαγιάς μου is specific: a particular roast dish, namely your grandmother’s

Greek commonly uses the article with specific nouns, and especially with a fully defined phrase like:

• το ψητό μοσχάρι της γιαγιάς μου = my grandmother’s roast beef / roast veal

So the contrast is very natural:

• general food category: no article
• specific identifiable dish: article

Ψητό comes from the verb ψήνω, meaning to roast, to grill, or more generally to cook by dry heat, depending on context.

Here ψητό μοσχάρι means something like:

• roast beef
• roast veal
• sometimes more loosely roasted beef/veal

Grammatically, ψητό is an adjective and matches μοσχάρι:

• both are neuter singular

It can mean either, depending on context. Literally, it refers to calf meat, so veal is often the more literal translation. But in everyday use, it is also very commonly translated as beef in menu or household contexts.

So ψητό μοσχάρι could be understood as:

• roast veal
• roast beef

The best translation depends on the actual dish and the context.

This is a genitive possession structure.

Breakdown:

• της = of the for a feminine singular noun
• γιαγιάς = genitive singular of γιαγιά, meaning grandmother
• μου = my

So literally it is something like:

• of my grandmother

Attached to the noun phrase, it means:

• το ψητό μοσχάρι της γιαγιάς μου = my grandmother’s roast beef / roast veal

This is a very common Greek way to express possession.

Because it is doing two different jobs.

In μου αρέσει:

• μου means to me

In της γιαγιάς μου:

• μου means my

So the same form can function as:

• an indirect object clitic: to me
• a possessive clitic: my

This is completely normal in Greek, and context tells you which meaning it has.