Italian grammar · Beginner
Piace vs Piacciono
Italian piacere works backwards compared with English like: the thing you like is the subject, and the person who likes it is an indirect object (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi). So the verb agrees with the thing liked. Use piace for one thing or for an activity, and piacciono for two or more things.
Mi piace il mare, ma non mi piacciono le spiagge affollate.
I like the sea, but I don't like crowded beaches.
What it is
Use piace when the thing you like is singular or is a verb (mi piace la pizza, mi piace ballare). Use piacciono when it is plural (mi piacciono le olive). The reason is that piacere means to be pleasing: mi piace la pizza is literally pizza is pleasing to me, so the verb agrees with la pizza, not with the person.
Ti piace il caffè? Sì, e mi piacciono anche i biscotti. (Do you like coffee? Yes, and I like biscuits too.)
How to spot it
Ignore the person and look at what comes after the verb. One noun, or an infinitive, means piace. A plural noun means piacciono.
- Mi piace questo libro. (I like this book. (one book))
- Mi piacciono questi libri. (I like these books. (several books))
- Ci piace cucinare. (We like cooking. (an activity))
- A Sara piacciono i gatti. (Sara likes cats. (several cats))
The pronoun in front tells you who likes the thing: mi (I), ti (you), gli (he), le (she), Le (formal you), ci (we), vi (you all), gli (they).
Piace vs Piacciono Quick Reference
Piace and piacciono side by side
| piace | piacciono | |
|---|---|---|
| Use it when the thing liked is | singular, or an infinitive | plural |
| Literal meaning | it is pleasing | they are pleasing |
| With a noun | Mi piace il gelato. (I like ice cream.) | Mi piacciono le fragole. (I like strawberries.) |
| With an infinitive | Mi piace nuotare. (I like swimming.) | Not used, even with two infinitives |
| Who likes it | mi, ti, gli, le, Le, ci, vi, gli + piace | the same pronouns + piacciono |
| Negative | Non mi piace il rumore. (I don't like noise.) | Non mi piacciono i ragni. (I don't like spiders.) |
| Passato prossimo | è piaciuto, è piaciuta | sono piaciuti, sono piaciute |
Common Piace vs Piacciono Examples in Italian
Each pair keeps the same person and changes only the number of things liked:
One Thing vs Several
- Mi piace la pizza.
- I like pizza.
- Mi piacciono le olive.
- I like olives.
La pizza is singular, so piace. Le olive is plural, so piacciono.
Activities vs Things
- Ci piace viaggiare.
- We like travelling.
- Ci piacciono i viaggi lunghi.
- We like long trips.
An infinitive always takes piace. The plural noun i viaggi takes piacciono.
Other People
- A Marco piace il calcio.
- Marco likes football.
- A Marco piacciono i film d'azione.
- Marco likes action films.
With a name, put a in front of the person. A Marco can also be replaced by the pronoun gli: gli piace il calcio.
Negatives
- Non le piace il caffè.
- She doesn't like coffee.
- Non le piacciono i dolci.
- She doesn't like sweets.
Non goes before the pronoun, not between the pronoun and the verb.
In the Past
- Mi è piaciuta la cena.
- I liked the dinner.
- Mi sono piaciuti i tuoi amici.
- I liked your friends.
The passato prossimo uses essere, and the participle agrees with the thing liked: piaciuta for la cena, piaciuti for i tuoi amici.
How Piacere Works
Once you see that the thing liked is the subject, every form of piacere follows the normal rules.
The Verb Agrees With the Thing Liked
In mi piace la musica, the subject is la musica. That is why the verb is third person, and why it becomes plural when the thing liked is plural. The person who likes it never changes the verb.
Ti piacciono i film italiani?
Do you like Italian films?
Look at the thing, not the person.
The Person Is an Indirect Object
The person who likes something is introduced by a or by an indirect object pronoun: mi, ti, gli (him), le (her), Le (formal you), ci, vi, gli (them). In formal writing, a loro can replace gli for them.
Gli piace molto questa città.
He really likes this city.
mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli.
Infinitives Always Take Piace
An activity counts as singular, even when you list two or three of them. Mi piace leggere e scrivere is correct, and piacciono never comes before an infinitive.
Mi piace leggere e scrivere.
I like reading and writing.
Infinitive: piace.
Use A Plus a Name or a Stressed Pronoun for Emphasis
With a name or a noun, the person takes the preposition a: a Giulia piace. For contrast or emphasis, use a me, a te, a lui, a lei, and so on, instead of mi, ti, gli, le. Use one or the other, not both.
A me piace il tè, a lui piace il caffè.
I like tea, he likes coffee.
a me or mi, never both.
Compound Tenses Use Essere
Piacere forms the passato prossimo with essere, and the participle agrees with the thing liked: è piaciuto, è piaciuta, sono piaciuti, sono piaciute. With an infinitive, use the masculine singular piaciuto.
Ci è piaciuto molto ballare.
We really enjoyed dancing.
essere + piaciuto, -a, -i, -e.
Common Mistakes with Piace vs Piacciono
Incorrect: Io piace la pizza. (I like pizza.)
Correct: Mi piace la pizza. (I like pizza.)
The person who likes something is not the subject. Use the indirect object pronoun mi, not the subject pronoun io.
Incorrect: Mi piace i cani. (I like dogs.)
Correct: Mi piacciono i cani. (I like dogs.)
I cani is plural and it is the subject of the verb, so the verb must be plural too.
Incorrect: Mi piacciono nuotare e correre. (I like swimming and running.)
Correct: Mi piace nuotare e correre. (I like swimming and running.)
Infinitives always take the singular piace, however many of them you list.
Incorrect: Mi ha piaciuto il film. (I liked the film.)
Correct: Mi è piaciuto il film. (I liked the film.)
Piacere takes essere in compound tenses, never avere.
Incorrect: A me mi piace il mare. (I like the sea.)
Correct: A me piace il mare. (I like the sea.)
A me and mi say the same thing twice. You will hear it in casual speech, but standard Italian uses one or the other: a me piace or mi piace.
Edge Cases Worth Knowing
Piacere has a full conjugation, and several other common verbs work in the same backwards way.
Piacere with people: mi piaci
When the thing liked is a person, piacere uses the other persons of the verb: piaccio, piaci, piace, piacciamo, piacete, piacciono. Mi piaci means I like you, usually in a romantic sense.
- Mi piaci molto.
- I really like you.
- Secondo te, gli piaccio?
- Do you think he likes me?
- Ai bambini piacete tanto.
- The children like you a lot. (you all)
To say you like a friend without any romantic meaning, Italians often say mi sta simpatico or mi è simpatica.
Piacere in the past
The participle agrees with the thing liked, not with the person. A man and a woman both say mi è piaciuta la pizza, because pizza is feminine.
- Ti è piaciuto il film?
- Did you like the film?
- Ci sono piaciute molto le spiagge.
- We really liked the beaches.
- Le è piaciuta la sorpresa.
- She liked the surprise.
The imperfetto works the same way: mi piaceva, mi piacevano.
Other verbs that work like piacere
Mancare (to be missed), servire (to be needed), and interessare (to be interesting) also take the thing as the subject and the person as an indirect object. They also switch between singular and plural.
- Mi mancano i miei genitori.
- I miss my parents.
- Mi servono due uova.
- I need two eggs.
- Non mi interessa la politica.
- I'm not interested in politics.
Dispiacere follows the same pattern: mi dispiace means I'm sorry.
Quick Check: Piace vs Piacciono
Fill each gap with piace, piacciono, or the correct past participle.
1. Ti ___ i film horror?
Answer: piacciono
i film is plural
2. A mia madre ___ cucinare.
Answer: piace
an infinitive always takes piace
3. Non gli ___ questa musica.
Answer: piace
questa musica is singular
4. Vi è ___ la cena?
Answer: piaciuta
agrees with la cena
5. Mi sono ___ molto i tuoi biscotti.
Answer: piaciuti
agrees with i tuoi biscotti
6. Ai miei figli ___ gli animali.
Answer: piacciono
gli animali is plural
Piace vs Piacciono FAQs
- When do you use piace and when piacciono?
- Use piace when the thing you like is singular or an activity: mi piace il gelato, mi piace nuotare. Use piacciono when it is plural: mi piacciono le fragole. The verb agrees with the thing liked, not with the person.
- Why does Italian say mi piace instead of io piaccio?
- Because piacere means to be pleasing. Mi piace la pizza is literally pizza is pleasing to me, so la pizza is the subject and mi is the indirect object. Io piaccio exists, but it means I am pleasing, as in gli piaccio, he likes me.
- How do you say I liked in Italian?
- Use essere and make the participle agree with the thing liked: mi è piaciuto il film, mi è piaciuta la pizza, mi sono piaciuti i libri, mi sono piaciute le canzoni.
- Is it mi piace or mi piacciono with two activities?
- Mi piace. Infinitives always count as singular, so mi piace leggere e viaggiare is correct. Piacciono is only for plural nouns.
- How do you say he likes and she likes?
- Gli piace for he likes and le piace for she likes. With a name, use a: a Paolo piace, a Giulia piace. In everyday speech, gli is also the normal pronoun for they: gli piace il mare can mean they like the sea.