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The verb to Like in Italian

Lesson twenty-four

The verb piacere is used in Italian to express liking, but it works differently from most other verbs. In English, we usually say I like pizza, where the subject I directly performs the action of liking. In Italian, however, piacere flips the perspective. The thing being liked is the subject, and the person who likes it becomes an indirect object. This unique structure makes Italian sentences using piacere feel reversed compared to English.

A me piace la pizza.

I like pizza.

A mia sorella piace leggere.

My sister likes to read.

Literally translated, A me piace la pizza means To me, pizza is pleasing. So instead of saying I like pizza, Italian speakers are saying that pizza gives pleasure to them. This difference in sentence structure is key to understanding and using piacere correctly.

More Examples

A Silvia piace camminare sulla spiaggia.

Silvia likes to walk on the beach.

Al mio gatto piace dormire.

My cat likes to sleep.

A mio padre piace il calcio.

My father likes soccer.

La pizza piace a tutti.

Everyone likes pizza.

Using Indirect Object Pronouns

To make sentences with piacere more concise, Italian often uses indirect object pronouns instead of the full A me, A te, etc. These pronouns indicate who is experiencing the liking:

Italian	English
mi	to me
ti	to you
gli	to him
le	to her
ci	to us
vi	to you (plural)
gli	to them

Mi piace ascoltare la musica.

I like listening to music.

Ti piace viaggiare?

Do you like to travel?

Gloria mi piace molto, è una ragazza simpatica.

I really like Gloria; she is a nice girl.

Vi piace il cibo piccante?

Do you like spicy food?

Using Piacere with Plural Subjects

When the thing being liked is plural, the verb changes from piace to piacciono. This is because the verb must agree with the subject, which is the thing giving pleasure:

Mi piacciono i film d'orrore.

I like horror movies.

Ti piacciono gli spaghetti all'amatriciana?

Do you like spaghetti all'amatriciana?

Ti piacciono queste scarpe?

Do you like these shoes?

Negative Sentences with Piacere

Forming negative sentences with piacere is straightforward. Simply place non before the pronoun:

A Marco non piace studiare.

Marco doesn't like to study.

Non mi piace questa canzone.

I don't like this song.

Using piacere in this way might feel indirect at first, but it is the most natural way Italians express likes and dislikes. By mastering the structure, you can convey preferences smoothly and sound more like a native speaker.

Summary

Piacere is a unique Italian verb used to express liking. Key points to remember:

The subject of the sentence is the thing that is liked, not the person who likes it.
Use indirect object pronouns (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli) to indicate who likes something.
For plural subjects, use piacciono instead of piace.
Negative sentences are formed by adding non before the pronoun.
This structure expresses likes and dislikes naturally and is very common in everyday Italian.