Breakdown of Мне нравятся те детективы, где важна не только тайна, но и характеры людей.
я
I
где
where
не только
not only
но и
but also
Questions & Answers about Мне нравятся те детективы, где важна не только тайна, но и характеры людей.
Why is it мне нравятся instead of something like я люблю?
Russian нравиться works differently from English to like.
- In English, I am the subject: I like detective stories.
- In Russian with нравиться, the thing that is pleasing is the grammatical subject, and the person who experiences the feeling goes in the dative case.
So:
- мне = to me
- нравятся = are pleasing
- те детективы = the subject
A very literal breakdown is something like: Those detective stories are pleasing to me.
You could also say Я люблю..., but that means I love... and often sounds stronger or more direct than мне нравятся.
Why is the verb нравятся plural?
Because the subject is те детективы, which is plural.
Compare:
- Мне нравится этот детектив. = I like this detective story.
- Мне нравятся эти детективы. = I like these detective stories.
With нравиться, the verb agrees with the thing liked, not with мне.
What does те add here? Why not just Мне нравятся детективы...?