Lesson: 96 The verb PIACERE (to like) #1 Let s compare PIACERE with the verb MANGIARE (to eat) I eat the apple (io) mangio la mela The verb MANGIARE replicates the exact same structure from English to Italian, where you have a subject ( io ) performing an action onto an object ( la mela ). PIACERE TO LIKE Basically, when we say that PIACERE means TO LIKE, it isn t exactly an accurate statement because the verb TO LIKE and the concept of LIKING something does not actually exist in Italian. PIACERE does not literally translate to TO LIKE, as do other verbs from English to Italian and vice versa. In English, TO LIKE something and TO EAT something have the same structure, whereas in Italian they do not. I like the apple VS Io mangio la mela I eat the apple If we look at the phrase mi piace, we can see that it is not conjugated in the first person. How do we know? The verb mi piace does not finish in an O, so then it can t mean I am doing something. So who is doing what? 1
Different Perspective The concept of TO LIKE is thought about very differently in Italian (but similarly to French and Spanish). PIACERE = to please, to be pleasing >> someone, to someone Therefore, the concept is not SOMEONE LIKES SOMETHING, it s SOMETHING IS PLEASING TO SOMEONE. I like the apple >> The apple is pleasing to me I like (the) cookies >> The cookies are pleasing to me She likes (the) cookies >> The cookies are pleasing to her This naturally leads us to the need for Indirect Object Pronouns (which you already know!). To me mi To you To him ti gli To her le To you (formal) To us To you guys To them Le ci vi gli 2
In order to use the verb PIACERE you absolutely NEED to be confident with the indirect object pronouns, otherwise you will struggle to talk about things you or someone else likes. Mi piace la musica Italiana Mi piacciono i biscotti Mi piacciono le persone che parlano italiano I like the apple The apple is pleasing to me I like Italian music Italian music is pleasing to me I like (the) cookies (The) cookies are pleasing to me I like people who speak Italian People who speak Italian are pleasing to me Looking back at our examples, we can either say that something IS pleasing or that some things ARE pleasing. In Italian, it s the same concept, where we use PIACE if the subject (the thing being liked) is singular and PIACCIONO if the subject is plural. Mi PIACE la mela Mi PIACCIONO i biscotti The apple IS pleasing to me The cookies ARE pleasing to me The general sentence structure is as follows INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN. + PIACERE + ARTICLE + SUBJECT In Italian, whenever we LIKE a noun, we need to always use the article. Adding adverbs Molto? Poco? Non? 3
In Italian, adverbs, the words which qualify the verb and tell us how the verb is done or how much, always go after the verb. Mi piace molto la mela Mi piace poco la mela Non mi piace la mela I like the apple a lot The apple is pleasing to me a lot I like the apple a little The apple pleases me a little I don t like the apple The apple is not pleasing to me In Italian, the indirect object pronouns are weak pronouns that require the verb and must be attached to it in order to make sense. You can t place any other word between the indirect object pronoun and a verb. For example, you could NOT say * Mi non piace la mela To like verb / verbs When what is being liked is a verb, not a noun, then we always uses the singular form of PIACERE PIACE Ti piace leggere e scrivere? Do you like to read and write? Even if there is more than one verb, we always use PIACE and never PIACCIONO. Manu s Tips 1) Get familiar with the different concept of TO LIKE vs TO BE PLEASING 2) The thing you like is now the Subject of the verb 3) The person liking is the recipient > therefore, we need the indirect object pronouns 4) Check your pronunciation of PIACCIONO 5) Remember the Definite Article for nouns 4
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