Mi piace or non piace are verbs Italians use all the time.
- Ti piacciono quelle scarpe? – Do you like those shoes?
- Non ci è piaciuto quel film – We didn’t like that movie
- Ti piace la cucina italiana? – Do you like Italian food?
As you might already know, piacere (and a few other verbs that I will list at the end of this post) doesn’t follow a regular conjugation pattern, and it’s used differently from its equivalent in English – I like.
In fact, the Italian translation for I LIKE, is not io piaccio, but mi piace or mi piacciono.
How to conjugate ‘piacere’?
Piacere is conjugated only with the 3rd person singular and plural. The person who likes something (or someone) is denoted by an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli/le, ci, vi, gli) and not by the regular subject pronouns (io, tu, lui, etc.).
So the conjugation of piacere looks like this:
Piacere in the present tense
| reflexive pronoun | verb form | English |
|---|---|---|
| mi | piace / piacciono | I like |
| ti | piace / piacciono | you like |
| gli/le | piace / piacciono | he/she likes |
| ci | piace / piacciono | we like |
| vi | piace / piacciono | you like |
| gli | piace / piacciono | they like |
What is the difference between piace and piacciono?
Piace is used when the thing or person we like is a singular entity or an action (an infinitive verb).
Examples:
- Mi piace Marco – I like Marco
- Gli piace la pasta – He likes pasta
- Ti piace questo dolce? – Do you like this dessert?
- Ci piace passeggiare nei boschi – We like to walk in the woods
Piacciono is used when the thing or person we like is a plural entity
- Ti piacciono questi fiori? – Do you like these flowers?
- Non ci piacciono questi mobili – We don’t like this furniture
Avoid this very common mistake.
Piacere is always conjugated using indirect object pronouns, which are different from other pronouns, such as reflexive ones. Sometimes, students mix them up and use ‘si piace‘ in place of ‘gli’ or ‘le piace,’ which is incorrect.
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The equivalent in English mi piace in Italian, is ‘something’ is pleasant for me/to you/to him, etc…
| verb form | literal English translation |
|---|---|
| Mi piace | It’s pleasant for me. |
| Ti piace | It’s pleasant for you. |
| Gli/Le piace | It’s pleasant for him/her/you (formal). |
| Ci piace | It’s pleasant for us. |
| Vi piace | It’s pleasant for you all. |
| Gli piace | It’s pleasant for them. |
So, saying ‘mi piace la cucina indiana’ is literally translated as ‘Indian food is pleasurable for me.’ The verb ‘piacere’ is used only in this way.
When ‘piacere’ is followed by a verb, like ‘I like cooking,’ the verb that follows ‘mi piace’ always appears in the infinitive form.
| Mi piace ballare | I like to dance |
| Ci piace viaggiare | We like to travel |
| Ti piace disegnare? | Do you like to draw? |
What do we say ‘A qualcuno piace…’
Why do you use ‘A’ before piacere, sometimes?
When the people who like something are explicitly mentioned, the noun must be preceded by the preposition ‘a’:
| Italian | English | Literal English |
|---|---|---|
| A Marco piace viaggiare | Marco likes traveling | To Marco traveling is pleasant |
| A Lucia non è piaciuto il film | Lucia didn’t like the movie | To Lucia the movie was not pleasant |
| A Luca e Lea non piacciono i film americani | Luca and Lea don’t like American movies | To Luca and Lea American movies are not pleasant |
| Agli italiani piace prendere il caffè al bancone | Italians like drinking coffee at the counter | To Italian drinking coffee at the counter is pleasant |
Piacere with the passato prossimo (I liked, I enjoyed)
Just like in the present tense, piacere follows a different conjugation pattern with the passato prossimo (past tense).
| mi è piaciuto/a | mi sono piaciuti/e | I liked |
| ti è piaciuto/a | ti sono piaciuti/e | you liked (did you like it..?) |
| gli è piaciuto/a | gli sono piaciuti/e | he liked |
| le è piaciuto/a | le sono piaciuti/e | she liked |
| ci è piaciuto/a | ci sono piaciuti/e | we liked |
| vi è piaciuto/a | vi sono piaciuti/e | you all liked (did you all like?) |
| gli è piaciuto/a | gli sono piaciuti/e | they liked |
As you can see from the list above, the past tense combines three elements:
the indirect pronouns + the auxiliary essere + the past participle (piaciuto/a/i/e).
What’s the difference between:
- mi è piaciuto il film – I liked the film
- mi sono piaciuti i negozi – I liked the shops
In the first sentence, the object that is “pleasurable” is a singular entity (un film/a movie), whereas in the second sentence, the thing that is “pleasurable” is a plural entity (i negozi/the shops)
The auxiliary and the past participles always agree with the gender and number of the thing that is pleasant. So, if the entity being liked (the object) is a feminine noun, you will need to make sure that the participle is in agreement with the subject, for example
Mi è piaciuta la pasta → I liked the pasta
Mi sono piaciute le tue lezioni → I liked your your classes
It’s important to note that you always need to use piacere always in the 3rd person singular or plural, no matter what tenses are being used.
Piacere with the imperfetto (I used to like)
| mi piaceva | I used to like |
| ti piaceva | you used to like |
| gli/le piaceva | he/she used to like |
| ci piaceva | we used to like |
| vi piaceva | you used to like |
| gli piaceva | they used to like |
Example:
- Quando ero piccola mi piaceva passare le vacanze dai miei nonni – When I was little I liked to spend my vacations at my grandparents.
Piacere in the future tense (I will like)
| mi piacerà | I will like |
| ti piacerà | you will like |
| gli/le piacerà | he/she will like |
| ci piacerà | we will like |
| vi piacerà | you will like |
| gli piacerà | they will like |
Example:
- Domani inizio un nuovo lavoro, ma non so se mi piacerà – Tomorrow I’ll start a new job, but I don’t know if I’ll like it
Piacere with the present conditional (I would like, I would love)
| mi piacerebbe | I would like |
| ti piacerebbe | you would like |
| gli/le piacerebbe | he/she would like |
| ci piacerebbe | we would like |
| vi piacerebbe | you would like |
| gli piacerebbe | they would like |
Example:
- Mi piacerebbe comprare una casa a Capri – I’d like to buy a house in Capri
- Non ti piacerebbe venire con noi domani? – Wouldn’t you like to join us tomorrow?
Piacere in the present subjunctive (I like)
| mi piaccia | I like |
| ti piaccia | you like |
| gli/le piaccia | he/she like |
| ci piaccia | we like |
| vi piaccia | you all like |
| gli piaccia | they like |
Example:
- Spero che ti piaccia – I hope you like it
- Speriamo che gli piaccia – We hope they like it
Other verbs similar to piacere
Piacere is not the only verb that uses a different conjugation (also known as impersonal conjugation). The verbs shown below are used and conjugated, just like piacere.
My advice is first to learn how to use piacere, and then to apply the very same pattern to the other verbs
