How to say I LIKE in Italian with PIACERE (QUIZ & FREE PDF📚)

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Mi piace la pizza (I like pizza) is likely one of the first things you learn to say when you start studying Italian, but it’s not exactly beginner material due to its unique grammar. Unlike most Italian verbs where you simply place the subject in front and form a sentence, piacere (to like) requires a shift in perspective and structure.

But don’t worry! In this guide, I’ll break down the essential rules for using piacere correctly and show you how to master it across various tenses and contexts. Once you understand its tricks, you’ll be able to discuss your likes and dislikes just like a true Italian. To see how much you’ve learned, don’t forget to take the free quiz at the end of this lesson!

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

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Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

• How to say I like in Italian
• The pronouns that go with “piacere”
• How to use “piacere” with a person’s name or noun
• How to conjugate “piacere” in Italian
• How to conjugate “piacere” in compound tenses
• How to use “piacere” in a negative sentence
• Piacere as a reflexive verb
• 9 Other meanings of “piacere”
• 4 Other ways to say “I Like” in Italian
• TAKE THE QUIZ!

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How to say I like in Italian

In English, expressing that we like something is straightforward: we simply say “I like” followed by whatever it is we’re fond of. However, in Italian, the sentence structure flips around: instead of you liking something, it’s as if the thing you like is “pleasing”! Sounds confusing? I know, but trust me, it’s easier than it sounds.

Let’s take the example “I like pizza.” You might translate this literally as Io piace la pizza, but that’s actually incorrect in Italian.

Instead, construct the sentence by focusing on what is pleasing to whom (in this case, pizza is pleasing to me). However, Italians rarely phrase it this way, they prefer a more natural approach by placing a pronoun at the beginning of the sentence. And there you have it: Mi piace la pizza, literally, ‘to me the pizza is pleasing’.

As you can see, la pizza becomes the subject of the sentence, and the person who likes it becomes the indirect object, indicated by a pronoun (in this case, mi = to me). So, the basic structure to follow is:

Pronoun + verb piacere (to like) + subject (= the thing liked)

Attenzione! Unlike English, in Italian the things that one likes are always preceded by the definite articles il, la, gli, le (all meaning “the”), unless you are talking about a person:

• Mi piacciono i libri gialli – I like thrillers
• Mi piace Marco, è simpaticissimo – I like Marco, he’s a really nice

The pronouns that go with “piacere”

As we’ve seen, a key element for expressing “I like” in Italian is the indirect object pronouns, which indicate to whom the action of liking is directed:

When you want to emphasize who finds something or someone pleasing, you use a different set of indirect object pronouns known as the stressed forms. These are stronger and always preceded by the preposition a (to):

Attenzione! Combining an unstressed indirect object pronoun with a stressed one, such as a me mi piace (I like), is grammatically incorrect. This construction is like saying “to me” or “to her” twice. Although you might hear it in very informal contexts, it’s best to avoid it and stick with either mi piace (I like) or a me piace (I like). For example:

• Mi piace il gelato / A me piace il gelato – I like ice-cream
• Ci piacciono i libri gialli / A noi piacciono i libri gialli – We like thrillers

How to use “piacere” with a person’s name or noun

When discussing what specific people like, instead of using indirect object pronouns, you must use the preposition a (to) followed by the person’s name or the noun:

• Al professore piace prendere un caffè prima della lezione – The professor likes to have a coffee before class
• A Carlo e Anna piacciono le foto in bianco e nero – Carlo and Anna like black and white photos
• A mia sorella piace molto viaggiare in Asia – My sister really enjoys traveling throughout Asia

How to conjugate “piacere” in Italian

Like with all other Italian verbs, piacere (to like) agrees with the subject – which in this case is the things we like. Since the things one likes are either singular or plural, this verb is conjugated in two forms: third person singular (piace) and third person plural (piacciono).

Mi piace (I like) is used with singular nouns:

• Mi piace il gelato – I like gelato
• Mi piace la campagna – I like the countryside

Mi piacciono (I like) is used with plural nouns:

• Mi piacciono quegli occhiali – I like those glasses
• Mi piacciono le scarpe di Anna – I like Anna’s shoes

When the thing you like is an activity and is expressed by an infinitive verb, then piacere is conjugated in the third person singular:

• Mi piace viaggiare in treno – I like traveling by train
• Mi piace giocare a pallavolo – I like playing volleyball

Here’s an overview of the main tenses in which the verb “piacere” is typically used. Note that in the present indicative and present subjunctive, its stem “piac-” doubles the ‘c’: →

How to conjugate “piacere” in compound tenses

In compound tenses, piacere always takes the auxiliary essere (to be):

Also, it’s important to note that the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (which, in Italian, is the thing you liked):

• Ci è piaciuto il film – We liked the movie
• Mi sono piaciuti i libri di Elena Ferrante – I liked Elena Ferrante’s books
• Spero che ti sia piaciuta la festa – I hope you liked the party
• Vi sono piaciute le canzoni del nuovo album? – Did you like the songs from the new album?

Attenzione! An exception to this rule occurs when piacere is followed by an infinitive verb. In this case, the participle is always masculine:

• Le sarebbe piaciuto uscire con Marco ieri, ma lui doveva studiare – She would have liked to go out with Marco yesterday, but he had to study.
• Mi è piaciuto cucinare insieme, dobbiamo rifarlo! – I enjoyed cooking together, we must do it again!

How to use “piacere” in a negative sentence

What if you don’t like something? It’s simple: to make a negative statement with piacere (to like), place the word non at the beginning of the sentence, before the pronoun. The structure is as follows:

Non + indirect object pronoun + conjugated verb piacere + subject

Here are some examples:

• Non le piacciono i film horror – She doesn’t like horror movies
• Non ci sono piaciuti i loro commenti – We didn’t like their comments
• Lo so, non ti piace fare i video! – I know, you don’t like making videos!

Attenzione! When using stressed pronoun forms, a noun, or a person’s name, the word order changes, and non goes after the pronoun or person’s name:

• A me non piace sciare – I don’t like skiing
• A Carlo non piacciono i dolci – Carlo doesn’t like sweets
• A quell’avvocato non piace seguire le cause di divorzio – That lawyer doesn’t like handling divorce cases

Piacere as a reflexive verb

What if the thing you like is… yourself?! Well, in that case piacere (to like) becomes a reflexive verb (piacersi – to like oneself) and the indirect object pronouns are replaced by reflexive pronouns:

• Io mi piaccio– I like myself
• Tu ti piaci– you like yourself
• Lui/lei si piace– he likes himself/she likes herself
• Noi ci piacciamo– we like ourselves
• Voi vi piacete– you like yourselves
• Loro si piacciono– they like themselves

By using reflexive pronouns, the action of liking is directed back at the subject, indicating self-appreciation.

9 Other meanings of “piacere”

Aside from being used as a verb, piacere can also function as a noun meaning “pleasure” and can be used in different contexts:

Meeting someone new

When you meet someone for the first time and introduce yourself, you would typically say something like

• Ciao Anna, io sono Enrica, piacere di conoscerti! (Hi Anna, I’m Enrica, nice to meet you!).

Experiencing satisfaction

Piacere can be used to talk about something that delights your senses, for instance

• Andrea suona il pianoforte, è un piacere ascoltarlo! – Andrea plays the piano, it’s a pleasure to listen to him!
• I miei figli mangiano con piacere sia la frutta che la verdura – My kids eat both fruit and vegetables with pleasure.

The joys of life

Piacere can also refer to something that gives pleasure in a generic way, such as:

• I piaceri della tavola – The pleasures of the table
• I piaceri della vita – Life’s pleasures

Expressing eagerness

When you agree to something with enthusiasm, the expression con piacere works perfectly.

• Ti fermi a pranzo? Con piacere! – Will you stay for lunch? With pleasure!

Doing something as you like

Italians say a piacere (as you like) to indicate something done at one’s discretion, for instance:

• Durante l’esame mi hanno chiesto di parlare di un argomento a piacere – During the exam, they asked me to talk about a topic of my choice)
• Quando la carne è cotta, aggiungere sale a piacere – When the meat is cooked, add salt to taste

Pleasurable activities

Piacere can also be used in reference to a pleasant occupation, such as Un viaggio di piacere (A pleasure trip) or the famous saying Prima il dovere, poi il piacere (Duty first, then pleasure).

Polite requests

When you need to ask for something politely, you can swap per favore (please) with per piacere (also meaning “please”). For example: Mi passi il pane per piacere? (Can you pass me the bread, please?).

Doing a favor

When you need a favor, piacere is your go-to word. Just ask, Mi faresti un piacere? (Would you do me a favor?). Simple and effective!

Responding with irony

The expression Ma fammi il piacere! (lit. Do me the favor, roughly equivalent to the English expression “Oh, come on”) is often used sarcastically when someone says something silly. For example, Ma fammi il piacere, è una storia ridicola! (Oh, come on, it’s a ridiculous story!). Fun fact: Ma mi faccia il piacere! is an iconic line by Neapolitan actor Totò in his movie Totò e l’onorevole Cosimo Trombetta and is still used playfully in conversations today.

4 Other ways to say “I Like” in Italian

So, now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the verb piacere (to like), let’s explore other common alternatives that you can use when talking about something you like:

1. Amare (to love)

Beyond romantic love, this verb is used to show deep appreciation or a strong liking for something, for example Amo camminare in riva al mare la mattina presto (I love walking by the sea early in the morning)

2. Adorare (to adore)

Use this when you have a great passion for something or deep admiration for someone. It’s a step up from liking – more like you’re a devoted fan. For example: Le mie figlie adorano le canzoni di Laura Pausini (My daughters love Laura Pausini’s songs).

3. Andare matto/pazzo per (to be mad/crazy about something)

This is your go-to phrase for those times when you’re absolutely bonkers about something and you can’t get enough of whatever it is. For instance: Chiara va matta per il tiramisù (Chiara is crazy about tiramisu).

4. Essere appassionato di (to be passionate about something)

This is the perfect expression to use when you’re really into a hobby or an interest, for example I miei fratelli sono appassionati di Formula 1 (My brothers are passionate about Formula 1).

How well do you know how to say I LIKE in Italian? TAKE THIS QUIZ!

Put your knowledge to the test with a little quiz! Complete the following sentences conjugating the verb piacere (to like) based on the specific tense, mood and person:

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