diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index cc2fd79f..bd122698 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ Three special modifiers are available for LIKE:
 | `%like~` | the expression starts with a string
 | `%~like` | the expression ends with a string
 | `%~like~` | the expression contains a string
+| `%like` | the expression matches a string
 
 Search for names beginning with a string:
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/FirebirdDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/FirebirdDriver.php
index cf6890f6..a09b6ca2 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/FirebirdDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/FirebirdDriver.php
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ class FirebirdDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	public function escapeLike(string $value, int $pos): string
 	{
 		$value = addcslashes($this->escapeText($value), '%_\\');
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/MySqliDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/MySqliDriver.php
index 771f8248..e9a2dbbf 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/MySqliDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/MySqliDriver.php
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ class MySqliDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	public function escapeLike(string $value, int $pos): string
 	{
 		$value = addcslashes(str_replace('\\', '\\\\', $value), "\x00\n\r\\'%_");
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/OdbcDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/OdbcDriver.php
index a235df56..d092de4f 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/OdbcDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/OdbcDriver.php
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ class OdbcDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	public function escapeLike(string $value, int $pos): string
 	{
 		$value = strtr($value, ["'" => "''", '%' => '[%]', '_' => '[_]', '[' => '[[]']);
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/OracleDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/OracleDriver.php
index 4d7aa74c..9b8e472f 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/OracleDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/OracleDriver.php
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ class OracleDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	{
 		$value = addcslashes(str_replace('\\', '\\\\', $value), "\x00\\%_");
 		$value = str_replace("'", "''", $value);
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/PdoDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/PdoDriver.php
index d35e1265..adacb2f3 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/PdoDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/PdoDriver.php
@@ -324,29 +324,29 @@ class PdoDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 		switch ($this->driverName) {
 			case 'mysql':
 				$value = addcslashes(str_replace('\\', '\\\\', $value), "\x00\n\r\\'%_");
-				return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+				return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 
 			case 'oci':
 				$value = addcslashes(str_replace('\\', '\\\\', $value), "\x00\\%_");
 				$value = str_replace("'", "''", $value);
-				return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+				return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 
 			case 'pgsql':
 				$bs = substr($this->connection->quote('\\', PDO::PARAM_STR), 1, -1); // standard_conforming_strings = on/off
 				$value = substr($this->connection->quote($value, PDO::PARAM_STR), 1, -1);
 				$value = strtr($value, ['%' => $bs . '%', '_' => $bs . '_', '\\' => '\\\\']);
-				return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+				return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 
 			case 'sqlite':
 				$value = addcslashes(substr($this->connection->quote($value, PDO::PARAM_STR), 1, -1), '%_\\');
-				return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
+				return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
 
 			case 'odbc':
 			case 'mssql':
 			case 'dblib':
 			case 'sqlsrv':
 				$value = strtr($value, ["'" => "''", '%' => '[%]', '_' => '[_]', '[' => '[[]']);
-				return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+				return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 
 			default:
 				throw new Dibi\NotImplementedException;
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/PostgreDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/PostgreDriver.php
index fdade5d4..f8ce5c62 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/PostgreDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/PostgreDriver.php
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ class PostgreDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 		$bs = pg_escape_string($this->connection, '\\'); // standard_conforming_strings = on/off
 		$value = pg_escape_string($this->connection, $value);
 		$value = strtr($value, ['%' => $bs . '%', '_' => $bs . '_', '\\' => '\\\\']);
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqliteDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqliteDriver.php
index db900797..1b06d317 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqliteDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqliteDriver.php
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ class SqliteDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	public function escapeLike(string $value, int $pos): string
 	{
 		$value = addcslashes($this->connection->escapeString($value), '%_\\');
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'") . " ESCAPE '\\'";
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqlsrvDriver.php b/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqlsrvDriver.php
index f939a49a..bb178570 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqlsrvDriver.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Drivers/SqlsrvDriver.php
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class SqlsrvDriver implements Dibi\Driver
 	public function escapeLike(string $value, int $pos): string
 	{
 		$value = strtr($value, ["'" => "''", '%' => '[%]', '_' => '[_]', '[' => '[[]']);
-		return ($pos <= 0 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos >= 0 ? "%'" : "'");
+		return ($pos & 1 ? "'%" : "'") . $value . ($pos & 2 ? "%'" : "'");
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/Dibi/Translator.php b/src/Dibi/Translator.php
index 157f3b54..6ed3fadd 100644
--- a/src/Dibi/Translator.php
+++ b/src/Dibi/Translator.php
@@ -415,12 +415,15 @@ final class Translator
 					return (string) $value;
 
 				case 'like~':  // LIKE string%
-					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, 1);
+					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, 2);
 
 				case '~like':  // LIKE %string
-					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, -1);
+					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, 1);
 
 				case '~like~': // LIKE %string%
+					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, 3);
+
+				case 'like': // LIKE string
 					return $this->driver->escapeLike($value, 0);
 
 				case 'and':
diff --git a/tests/dibi/Translator.like.phpt b/tests/dibi/Translator.like.phpt
index d8e75a3f..d2661695 100644
--- a/tests/dibi/Translator.like.phpt
+++ b/tests/dibi/Translator.like.phpt
@@ -71,3 +71,9 @@ Assert::truthy($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %~like~', 'baa', 'aa'));
 Assert::truthy($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %~like~', 'aab', 'aa'));
 Assert::falsey($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %~like~', 'bba', '%a'));
 Assert::truthy($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %~like~', 'b%a', '%a'));
+
+
+// matches
+Assert::truthy($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %like', 'a', 'a'));
+Assert::falsey($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %like', 'a', 'aa'));
+Assert::falsey($conn->fetchSingle('SELECT ? LIKE %like', 'a', 'b'));