"Σου αρέσει η δημοκρατία ή η ολιγαρχία;"

Translation: Do you like democracy or oligarchy?

[carmina_banana]

This sentence does not sound natural to me, although English is not my first language. It seems to me that it means do you prefer democracy or oligarchy?, but I do not know if αρέσει could be translated this way...

[Dimitra956826]

I kind of agree with you. Αρέσει could mean prefer, but not all by itself. For example:

Ποιο χρώμα σου αρέσει περισσότερο, το κόκκινο ή το μπλε; - Which color do you like the most, red or blue?

If something σου αρέσει περισσότερο than something else, then you prefer it.

However, in spoken greek, I've heard such a thing being said. For example:

Διάλεξε αυτό που σου αρέσει - Pick the one you like. (the one you prefer)

This is just my opinion though. Not sure if the ones that actually created the sentence had the same thing in mind ^.^ Hope I helped.

[carmina_banana]

Thank you for you answer.

I see more similarities between Greek and Spanish than Greek and English, because the sentence you wrote as example would be the same (and with the same I mean this):

ποιο χρώμα | σου αρέσει | περισσότερο |, το κόκκινο | ή | το μπλε;

¿qué color | te gusta | más | , el rojo | o | el azul?

διάλεξε | αυτό που | σου αρέσει

elige | el que | te guste.

Of course, you can change te gusta and te guste with prefieres and prefieras, respectively, and the meaning would be the same. So maybe in Greek is only one verb, but contains both meanings.

[Dimitra956826]

Yes, this is quite common in greek. ^.^ Just a note here, προτιμώ is the immediate translation to prefer. Like in Spanish, you could replace μου αρέσει with προτιμώ and the meaning would be the same ^.^

[kirakrakra]

They even have borrowed "gustar" into Greek, γουστάρω/ to like or want very much. It functions like αρέσω or gustar

[troll1995]

It's slangy, though, and more enthousiastic than αρέσκομαι.

[troll1995]

@kirakrakra Έχει γούστο! as a phrase on its own is used when we think about an unwanted scenario we just thought about and is informal. Έχει γούστο στα ρούχα/στο φαγητό etc, means "he has a good taste for clothes/food etc" and is not even informal, I would say.

[kirakrakra]

Thanks for the info. I have started to suspect slangyness. What about έχει γούστο which I sometimes use?

[bonbayel]

In this case can σου αρέσει mean Do you prefer..?

[bonbayel]

My impulse was to write "...democracy or an oligarchy."

[deryckchan]

Suggestion: "Do you prefer democracy or oligarchy?"

[Dimitra956826]

Well, that kind of depends on youre term of preference. Personally, I think that preferring something over something else, doesn't necessarily mean that I like it. :) I think like and prefer might have different meanings, depending on the sentence's or the discussion's context.

[deryckchan]

How would you say "Do you prefer democracy or oligarchy?" in Greek then?

[Dimitra956826]

"Προτιμάς την δημοκρατία ή την ολιγαρχία;" would be the translation for this one.

[Vemund75118]

Σου αρέσεις η δημοκρατία ή η ολιγαρχία;

[kirakrakra]

No, αρέσει functions like the English please :
I like the dog <>the dog pleases me <> ο σκύλος μου αρέσει or μου αρέσει ο σκύλος