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#088: Understanding Verbs: piacere (revisited)

22 January 2007, 3:26 PM by Keith

[IN PROGRESS=this article is in progress] The verb, piacere, can be tricky to use in Italian as it has an indirect construction. Remember that piacere uses follows this construction:

indirect object pronoun + conjugation of piacere in appropriate tense and number + subject
Mi + piacciono + le mele
To me + are pleasing + the apples.
The apple are pleasing to me or I like apples.

Remember, that the subject of the sentence is the object being liked (in the example above, the apples) and not the person/thing doing the liking. Below is a list of indirect object pronouns and how they are translated in Italian to the English. This may help when using piacere.

mi = I
I like apples. = Mi piacciono le mele.

ti = you
You like musica. = Ti piace la musica.

gli = he

le = she

Le = you (formal)

ci = we

vi = you (familiar, plural)

gli = they

In the above phrases, remember that the indirect object pronoun can be replaced with a person/persons by using the preposition a + noun:

Ai suoi cugini piacciono gli spaghetti.
Her cousins like spaghetti.
Literally: Spaghetti is pleasing to her cousins.

John likes to watch television.
A Giovanni piace guardare la television.
Literally: Watching television is pleasing to John.
Below is the verb conjugated in various tenses. Using piacere in compound tenses can be confusing. Below is piacere conjugated throughout:

Present/Presente:

  • Mi piace…
  • Mi piacciono…
  • Ti piace…
  • Ti piacciono…

Passato Prossimo:
Remember that the past participle must agree with the subject

  • Mi è piaciuto/a…
  • Mi sono piaciuti/e…
  • Ti è piaciuto/a…
  • Ti sono piaciuti/e…


Imperfect/Imperfetto:

  • Mi piaceva
  • Mi piacevano
  • Ti piaceva
  • Ti piacevano

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