As a learner of Italian, you’ve probably already come across mi piace and mi piacciono. These are our two essential phrases for expressing likes and dislikes in Italian. However, these expressions work a little differently from the straightforward verb “to like” in English. This is why a common question we receive from our Coffee Break community of language learners is: how do you say “I like” in Italian?
The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Maurizio and Mark discuss the phrases mi piace and mi piacciono, and how to use them to say “I like” in Italian.
So, let’s get started and unpack the intricacies of mi piace vs mi piacciono together.
Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go? Plus, don’t miss our free worksheet at the end to practise what you learn. Cominciamo!
How to use ‘piacere’ in Italian
First of all, let’s make sure we understand the basic structure of the verb piacere.
In English, we say “I like” followed by the thing that we like. In Italian, however, it’s a little different. The idea is expressed as follows: “something is pleasing or appealing to me”. Or, if you want to flip it around: “to me is pleasing or appealing something”.
Now, using this idea, let’s explore how to use mi piace and mi piacciono in different scenarios.
Expressing likes using ‘mi piace’ with singular nouns
When you’re talking about liking singular nouns, we use mi piace. For instance:
Mi piace l’italiano.
I like Italian.
Mi piace la zuppa di ceci.
I like chickpea soup.
What if you don’t like something? Easy! We just add non in front of mi piace. For example:
Non mi piace lo sciroppo d’amarena.
I don’t like sour cherry syrup.
Note that, as we explained in the previous section, it is the thing that you like (for example, Italian or chickpea soup) that is the subject of the sentence – in other words, what is carrying out the action of pleasing.
Expressing likes using ‘mi piacciono’ with plural nouns
Now, what if you’re a fan of multiple things?
Mi piacciono in English also translates to “I like”. When the thing that you like is plural, you use this expression. Remember that this is because the subject of the verb is the thing that you like, or rather the thing that is pleasing to you. This means that the verb has to change to be in its plural form.
For example:
Mi piacciono le verdure.
I like vegetables.
Here, we are literally saying “vegetables are pleasing to me”.
Mi piacciono le persone interessanti.
I like interesting people.
Non mi piacciono gli spaghetti all’amatriciana.
I don’t like amatriciana spaghetti.
Mi piacciono il salotto e il bagno di questa casa.
I like this house’s living room and bathroom.
The two sentences above are both curious examples. First of all, we need to remember that spaghetti is a plural concept in Italian, even though it is usually considered a singular, uncountable noun in English.
In the final example, note that although il salotto and il bagno are, individually, singular nouns, here they are combined to form a plural subject, which is why we use mi piacciono instead of mi piace. Therefore, if you’re making lists of things you like (or don’t like), use piacciono, even if they are, individually, singular nouns.
That’s it for nouns… But how do you say “I like” in Italian if you are talking about an activity, rather than a thing?
Expressing likes using ‘mi piace’ with verbs
To express that you like doing something, we are going to use mi piace followed by the verb in its infinitive form. For instance:
Mi piace viaggiare.
I like to travel / I like travelling.
Mi piace camminare.
I like to walk / I like walking.
Mi piace correre e viaggiare.
I like running and travelling.
Did you notice something interesting about our third example? That’s right – while we used mi piacciono with il salotto and il bagno combined, we always stick with mi piace for infinitives, which is why correre and viaggiare together are still used with mi piace.
How to say what someone else likes
To talk about someone else’s likes, simply swap out mi for the relevant pronoun. This is because in Italian we are literally saying “to you is pleasing …” or “to them is pleasing …” Let’s look at some example sentences:
Mi piace guidare. Ti piace guidare?
I like driving. Do you like driving?
The verb therefore stays the same and it is only the pronoun that changes (in this case from mi to ti).
Non gli piacciono le moto.
He doesn’t like motorbikes. / They don’t like motorbikes.
Note that gli can either mean “to him” or “to them”.
Le piace andare in palestra.
She likes going to the gym.
Ci piacciono le gite in montagna.
We like mountain trips.
Non vi piace il gelato al cioccolato?
Don’t you (all) like chocolate ice cream?
Before we move on, here is a summary of all of the pronouns we are going to use with piacere:
mi – “to me”
ti – “to you”
gli – “to him”
le – “to her”
ci – “to us”
vi – “to you (plural)”
gli / a loro – “to them”
Note that you can use a loro with piace or piacciono instead of gli, when you want to say “they like”. If the verb is in the negative form, a loro comes before non, unlike other pronouns. For example:
A loro non piacciono le moto.
They don’t like motorbikes.
Using ‘piacere’ with names
When you want to talk about specific people and what they like, use a followed by the person’s name. For example:
A Mark piace insegnare le lingue.
Mark likes teaching languages.
Here, the Italian structure is along the lines of “to Mark teaching languages is pleasing”.
Or, a negative example could be:
A Francesca non piace il pollo sulla pizza.
Francesca doesn’t like chicken on pizza.
Practising ‘mi piace’ vs ‘mi piacciono’
Now that you’ve got the hang of how to say “I like” in Italian, why not try a couple more on your own?
Have a go at translating the following sentences from English into Italian. The answers are at the end of the article.
- I don’t like writing emails.
- Michela likes Swedish language and culture.
That’s it for the basics on the verb piacere in Italian. Now, with a little practice, you’ll be effortlessly expressing your likes and dislikes in Italian like a native speaker!
If you found this interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Maurizio and Mark on The Coffee Break Italian Show. We will regularly be uploading more episodes for Italian learners, so subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to find out when the next episode is available.
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Good luck as you keep practising your Italian and, as always, happy Coffee Breaking!
PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge:
- Non mi piace scrivere (le) email.
- A Michela piacciono la lingua e la cultura svedese.
