Questions & Answers about Мне нравится эта тарелка.
What is the literal structure of Мне нравится эта тарелка, and how does it differ from the English I like this plate?
Literally, Мне нравится эта тарелка means “To me pleases this plate.” Russian expresses liking by saying that something “pleases” someone. The person who likes is in the dative case (Мне = “to me”), the verb is нравится (“pleases”), and the thing liked is the nominative subject (эта тарелка).
Why is Мне used instead of Я?
In Russian, the experiencer of an emotion or sensation is put in the dative case, not the nominative. So instead of saying “Я нравлюсь…,” you say “Мне нравится…,” literally “it is pleasing to me.”
Why is the verb нравится in the 3rd person singular form?
Because grammatically эта тарелка is the subject of the verb. The verb agrees with тарелка (a singular feminine noun), so you use 3rd person singular нравится (“pleases”), not a form for я or ты.
What case is эта тарелка, and how do we know that?