Can you explain the difference between “mi piace” and “mi piacciono” in Italian?
Last Updated: 30.06.2025 10:30
A couple of examples:
Le scarpe mi piacciono. - I like the shoes. (The shoes please me.)
Contrary to English “I like it", “mi piace” is not a personal expression with “I" as the subject. In Italian the subject and object are transposed — “mi piace" literally means “it pleases me". The verb is third person singular.
Exclusive | Ken Moelis to Step Down as CEO of His Investment Bank - WSJ
From discussion thus far you might already have understood that “mi piacciono" employs the third person plural form of the verb and translates as “they (understood) please me”, i.e. I like them.
La veste mi piace. - I like the dress. (The dress pleases me).
Thank you for your question.
No Deposit Casino 2025: Uptown Aces Launches No Deposit Bonus - GlobeNewswire
The endings of verbs indicate person and number in Italian and subject pronouns may therefore be omitted except when necessary for clearness or emphasis. In the case of “it" and “they" (referring to things) they are almost never used.
The direct object pronoun “mi" is the object of the verb “piacere" (to please). Also known as conjunctive, such pronouns generally precede the verb that governs them. The expression “mi piace", employing third person singular format, translates literally to English as “it (understood) pleases me", i.e. I like it.