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- "She likes coffee."
"She likes coffee."
Translation:Της αρέσει ο καφές.
11 Comments
Why not, "Αυτή αρέσει ο καφές"?
Because with αρέσει ("appeals to"), the experiencer is in the genitive case (for pronouns) or uses σε + accusative case (for nouns).
The coffee appeals "to her" -- you can't say "The coffee appeals she".
So Της αρέσει ο καφές "She likes the coffee (the coffee appeals to her)".
This was a particularly clear explanation of a complex exception; very grateful, thank you!
So "της αρέσει καφές" is incorrect? How does one say "she likes the coffee"? (Do you have to say "της αρέσει αυτός/εκείνος ο καφές")?
Της αρέσει ο καφές could mean either: she likes coffee in general, or she likes "the coffee" (a particular serving of coffee which the listener will recognise, as it's been mentioned before or is otherwise obvious from context).
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Raleigh, what Philip says isn't rare in European languages, btw. Most Romance ones, and perhaps Germanic, would be the same. Seems to rarely cause confusion. This comes up often also with conceptual nouns like freedom, virtue, comprehension, laziness, pride, etc., that take a definite article in many languages.
Hello, yes- I am very familiar with the concept (Sp.= Le gusta el café. It.= Le piace il caffè. Fr.= Le café lui plaît. Gm.= Ihr gefällt (der) Kaffee.), but a year ago when I was first starting to study Greek I was just wondering if there was a distinction. Σ'ευχαριστώ.
By the way, you can't put Ο καφές της αρέσει? I guess I'm just use to the subject, in nominative case, being at the beginning
- 2061
It's not the most natural phrasing, but it's still correct. It has just been added as an alternative translation.
Thank you! :-)
How would you say "She likes this coffee"? Της αρέσει αυτός ο καφές?
Also, why does the accusative case doesn't apply here? (Της αρέσει τον καφέ) Ευχαριστώ!!,
How would you say "She likes this coffee"? Της αρέσει αυτός ο καφές?
That's right.
Also, why does the accusative case doesn't apply here?
Because the subject of a verb is in the nominative case, not accusative.
Who or what appeals to her? The coffee does. So the coffee is in the nominative case.
