mi piace / mi piacciono
The Verb 'Piacere' (To Like)
In Italian, you don't 'like' things; things 'are pleasing to' you. The verb piacere changes based on what is liked, not who likes it.
How It Works
The verb piacere literally means 'to be pleasing to.' Because of this, the grammar works differently than the English 'to like':
- The Subject: The thing being liked is the subject. If you like 'pizza' (singular), the verb is singular: piace. If you like 'books' (plural), the verb is plural: piacciono.
- The Person: The person who likes the thing is expressed with an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi).
Common Forms:
1. Mi piace + singular noun: Mi piace la pasta. (I like pasta / Pasta is pleasing to me).
2. Mi piace + infinitive: Mi piace cucinare. (I like to cook / Cooking is pleasing to me).
3. Mi piacciono + plural noun: Mi piacciono i gatti. (I like cats / Cats are pleasing to me).
Emphasis:
If you want to emphasize who likes something or contrast two people, you use 'A' + a name or tonic pronoun: A me piace il mare, a lui piace la montagna.
Examples (5)
- Mi piace molto questo libro.
I like this book very much.
Word by Word: To me is pleasing much this book.
Since 'libro' is singular, we use 'piace'.
- Ti piacciono gli spaghetti?
Do you like spaghetti?
Word by Word: To you are pleasing the spaghetti?
Since 'spaghetti' is plural, we use 'piacciono'.
- Ci piace viaggiare in treno.
We like traveling by train.
Word by Word: To us is pleasing to travel in train.
When followed by a verb (infinitive), we always use the singular 'piace'.
- A Marco non piace il caffè.
Marco doesn't like coffee.
Word by Word: To Marco not is pleasing the coffee.
To say a specific person likes something, use 'A' + their name.
- Mi piacciono i tuoi occhiali nuovi.
I like your new glasses.
Word by Word: To me are pleasing the your glasses new.
Even though 'I' am the one liking them, the verb agrees with 'occhiali' (plural).
Common Mistakes
Using 'Io' (I) as the subject.
Io piaccio la pizza.Mi piace la pizza.In Italian, you cannot say 'I like'. You must say 'To me is pleasing'. 'Io piaccio' actually means 'I am pleasing (to someone else)'.
Using 'piace' for plural objects.
Mi piace i cani.Mi piacciono i cani.The verb must agree with the thing liked. Since 'i cani' (the dogs) is plural, the verb must be 'piacciono'.
Using 'avere' in the past tense.
Mi ha piaciuto il film.Mi è piaciuto il film.The verb 'piacere' always uses 'essere' as its auxiliary verb in compound tenses.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn 'piacere', you must understand that it functions differently than the English 'to like'. You need to know indirect object pronouns because they represent the person who likes something, and you must understand noun plurality and basic verb conjugation because the verb 'piacere' changes form to agree with the object(s) being liked.
- mi / ti / gli / le / ci / vi / gli / loroIndirect Object Pronouns
The verb 'piacere' uses indirect object pronouns (mi, ti, gli, etc.) to indicate who is doing the liking.
Level 1 - Present Tense: -ere Verbs
Piacere is an -ere verb, and understanding its conjugation (piace/piacciono) requires familiarity with present tense endings.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- piacere (passato)'Piacere' in the Past Tense
Once you understand the present tense, learn how to use piacere in the past with 'essere'.
Level 2 - Verb + Infinitive
Piacere is frequently followed by an infinitive to express liking an activity.
Level 1 - Definite Articles
In Italian, you usually need the definite article (il, la, i, le) after piacere when liking a category of things.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Sources
Practice mi piace / mi piacciono in Bubblegum
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