The verb piacere is used in Italian to express liking, but it works a bit differently from other verbs. Unlike most Italian verbs, piacere doesn’t change based on the subject. Instead, it is always used with a pronoun, making the structure quite unique.
A me piace la pizza.
I like pizza.
A mia sorella piace leggere.
My sister likes to read.
In Italian, instead of saying I like pizza, they would phrase it more like Pizza is liked by me, or more accurately, To me, pizza is liked.
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.
You can also use indirect object pronouns with piacere. These are:
| 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?
When the subject is plural, use piacciono instead of piace.
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?
To form negative sentences, just add 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.
By using piacere in this way, you can express liking in Italian in a more indirect, but very natural and commonly used, manner!
