Italian 103 · Lesson 21
Piacere — Saying What You Like
Talk about things you enjoy and ask someone about their tastes.
Begin ↓01 / 08
One thing you like
Mi piace la pizza.
mee PYAH-cheh lah PEET-tsah
I like pizza.
Mi piace means I like it, but Italian builds the sentence around the thing that is pleasing. Start by learning the whole phrase.
02 / 08
Several things
Mi piacciono i ristoranti italiani.
mee PYAT-choh-noh
I like Italian restaurants.
Use mi piacciono when the liked thing is plural. The change follows the food, places or objects, not how many people like them.
03 / 08
An activity
Mi piace cucinare.
I like cooking.
Mi piace andare al mare.
I like going to the seaside.
An infinitive such as cucinare takes piace, not piacciono. You are talking about one activity as an idea.
04 / 08
Ask another person
Ti piace il caffè?
Do you like coffee?
Ti piacciono questi posti?
Do you like these places?
Ti replaces mi when you ask what an informal you likes. Keep the verb matched to the thing.
05 / 08
How much?
Mi piace molto.
I like it a lot.
Non mi piace.
I don’t like it.
Molto adds a lot. Non before mi makes the sentence negative.
06 / 08
The common mix-up
Mi piace questo ristorante.
I like this restaurant.
Mi piacciono questi ristoranti.
I like these restaurants.
Do not use piacciono just because your English sentence contains I. Compare one restaurant with several restaurants.
07 / 08
Find something in common
Mi piace la cucina italiana. — Anche a me.
I like Italian food. — Me too.
Non mi piace questo vino. — Neanche a me.
I don’t like this wine. — Neither do I.
Anche a me is a natural response to a positive statement of liking: me too. Neanche a me responds to a negative one.
Remember this
Takeaway
Mi piace mangiare fuori. Mi piacciono i piccoli ristoranti.
I like eating out. I like small restaurants.
Choose piace for a singular thing or an activity, piacciono for plural things. Say one of each about your own tastes.