The verb piacere
And indirect objects
Grammar of piacere

The verb piacere is used to express like and dislike.

You are already familiar with this verb from expressions
such as “ti piace” and “non mi piace.”

Literally, piacere does not mean “to like.” The literal
meaning is “to be pleasing to.”

Example:
Mi
piace
il gelato.
To me is pleasing ice cream.
indirect
object
verb
subject
Indirect Objects

Piacere is always used with an indirect object. This is to say that
something (the subject) is pleasing to somebody (an indirect object).

The indirect object can be either a noun or a pronoun.

If the indirect object is a noun, it will be preceded by the Italian
preposition a (meaning “to”).

Example:
A Giovanna piace l’inverno. To Giovnna winter is pleasing.
A mio fratello piace il calcio. To my brother soccer is pleasing.
Al bambino piace dormire.* To the child, to sleep is pleasing.
*Notice that an infinitive verb can act as the subject of piacere.
Indirect Object Pronouns
mi (to me)
ci (to us)
ti (to you, sing. inf.)
vi (to you, pl.)
gli (to him)
gli (to them)
le (to her)
*loro (to them)
Le (to you, sing. form.)
Present tense, singular and plural

The present tense singular is piace.

The present tense plural is piacciono.

Remember that whatever is pleasing is the subject of piacere.
The subject determines whether the verb is singular or plural.

Example:
Mi piace questo libro.
I like this book.
Mi piacciono questi libri.
I like these books.
A Giovanna piace l’azzurro.
Giovanna likes light-blue.
A Giovanna piacciono tutti i colori. Giovanna likes all colors.
Passato prossimo tense, singular and plural

In the passato prossimo, piacere is an “essere” verb. It agrees in
number and gender with the subject, the thing that is liked.

The passato prossimo tense singular is è piaciuto/a.

The passato prossimo tense plural is sono piacciuti/e.

Example:
Mi è piaciuto il film.
I liked the movie.
Mi sono piaciute le fragole.
I liked the strawberries.
A Paolo è piaciuta la musica.
Paolo liked the music.
A Paolo sono piaciuti i tortellini. Paolo liked the tortellini.
Imperfetto tense, singluar and plural

The imperfect tense singular is piaceva.

The imperfect tense plural is piacevano.

Remember that whatever is pleasing is the subject of piacere.
The subject determines whether the verb is singular or plural.

Example:
Quando io ero piccolo, mi piaceva l’inverno.
When I was little, I liked the winter. (singular)
A Giovanna piacevano le fragole.
Giovanna used to like strawberries. (plural)
Review of piacere in the presente,
passato prossimo, and imperfetto
tenses
Present
Passato Prossimo
Imperfetto
piace
piacciono
è piaciuto/a
sono piaciuti/e
piaceva
piacevano
The negative
Normally, sentences are made negative by adding “non”
before the form of the verb piacere:

A Giovanna non piace l’inverno.

A mio fratello non piace il calcio.

Al bambino non piace dormire.
In the case of an indirect object pronoun, sentences are made
negative by adding “non” before the indirect object
pronoun:

Non mi piace il gelato.

Non ti piace ballare?
FINE