Learn Hardcore Serbian: Da li ti se sviđa ova kuhinja?

This is one of the big differences from English. In English, you is the subject in you like this kitchen. In Serbian, the kitchen is grammatically the thing doing the pleasing, and you is the person receiving that impression.

So ti here means to you, not subject you.

What is se doing here?

Se is part of the verb expression sviđati se.

The dictionary form is sviđati se, not just sviđati. So when you learn this verb, you should learn it together with se.

In this sentence:

sviđa se = is pleasing / appeals

Even though se is often called a reflexive particle, in this case it is best to think of it as a fixed part of the verb. You normally cannot just leave it out.

For example:

Sviđa mi se film. = I like the film.
Ne sviđa mi se film. = I don’t like the film.

Why is the verb sviđa in third person singular?

Because the grammatical subject is ova kuhinja.

In Serbian, with sviđati se, the thing that is liked is the subject, and the verb agrees with that thing.

Here:

ova kuhinja = feminine singular
so the verb is sviđa = third person singular

Compare:

Sviđa mi se ova kuhinja. = I like this kitchen.
Sviđaju mi se ove kuhinje. = I like these kitchens.

So the verb changes according to what is pleasing, not according to the person who likes it.

Why is it ova kuhinja, not ovu kuhinju?

Because ova kuhinja is in the nominative case, since it is the grammatical subject of the sentence.

That may feel strange to an English speaker, because in English this kitchen feels like the object of like. But in Serbian, this sentence is built more like:

This kitchen is pleasing to you.

So:

ova kuhinja = nominative, because it is the subject
ovu kuhinju would be accusative, and would be used with a different verb, for example voleti

Compare:

Da li ti se sviđa ova kuhinja? = Do you like this kitchen?
Da li voliš ovu kuhinju? = Do you love/like this kitchen? but this sounds stronger and less natural for a casual opinion about appearance or design

Why is it ova and not some other form like ovaj or ovo?

Because ova has to agree with kuhinja in gender, number, and case.

kuhinja is feminine
it is singular
here it is in the nominative

So the correct form is ova.

Compare:

ovaj sto = this table masculine
ova kuhinja = this kitchen feminine
ovo kupatilo = this bathroom neuter

This kind of agreement is very important in Serbian.

Could the word order be different?

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but not completely free.

The most neutral version here is:

Da li ti se sviđa ova kuhinja?

You could also hear:

Sviđa li ti se ova kuhinja? — formal/written style
Ova kuhinja ti se sviđa? — conversational, with question intonation

However, the little clitic words such as ti and se have fairly strict placement rules. In this sentence, ti se stays together in a natural clitic position. So a form like Da li se ti sviđa... is not standard.

If you want emphasis, you can use the full pronoun:

Da li se tebi sviđa ova kuhinja? = Do you like this kitchen? with emphasis on you

How would I answer this question?

A very natural short answer is:

Da, sviđa mi se. = Yes, I like it.
Ne, ne sviđa mi se. = No, I don’t like it.

You can also repeat the noun:

Da, sviđa mi se ova kuhinja.
Ne, ne sviđa mi se ova kuhinja.

Notice the pattern:

question: ti se
answer: mi se

because the person changes from you to me.

Why use sviđati se here instead of voleti?

Because sviđati se is the natural verb for saying that something looks good to you, appeals to you, or you like it in the sense of personal taste or impression.

For a kitchen, a design, a dress, a song, a movie, or a color, sviđati se is often the most natural choice.

Sviđa mi se ova kuhinja. = I like this kitchen.

Voleti is usually stronger or broader:

Volela bih da imam ovakvu kuhinju. = I’d love to have a kitchen like this.
Volim kafu. = I like/love coffee.
Volim da kuvam. = I like cooking.

So in this sentence, sviđati se fits the idea of giving an opinion about how the kitchen seems to you.

Is this informal you? How would I say it politely?

Yes. Ti is the informal singular form, used with friends, family, children, or people you are on familiar terms with.

For polite or plural you, use vam:

Da li vam se sviđa ova kuhinja?

This can mean either:

Do you like this kitchen? said politely to one person
Do you all like this kitchen? said to more than one person

So the difference is:

ti = informal singular
vam = formal singular or plural

What is the basic verb form I should memorize from sviđa?

You should memorize the verb as sviđati se.

That is the infinitive / dictionary form. The form in the sentence, sviđa, is the present tense, third person singular.

A few useful forms are:

sviđati se = to be pleasing, to appeal, to be liked
sviđa mi se = I like it
sviđa ti se = you like it
sviđaju mi se = I like them

It is a good idea to learn this verb as a pattern rather than as a single word, because the dative pronoun and se are so important to how it works.