Verbi particolari: piacere

The verb piacere (to like, to be pleasing) and similar verbs (mancare, bastare, interessare, importare, occorrere, parere, sembrare, …) have a construction that is the inverse of their English equivalents.

A Marco piace cantare.  =  Marco likes to sing.

→   “A Marco” = the person to whom something is pleasing = indirect object
→   “piace” = verb (is pleasing)
→   “cantare” = what is pleasing to Marco = the subject of the verb “piacere”

A Marco piace cantare, ma non gli piace ballare.
Marco likes to sing, but he doesn’t like to dance.

Coniugazione di PIACERE

1. PRESENTE

• • PIACE (3rd singular) when followed by a singular subject (a singular noun/pronoun or an infinitive)
  • PIACCIONO (3rd plural) when followed by a plural subject (a plural noun/pronoun)

A Marco piace magiare le mele.
→  “A Marco” = the person to whom something is pleasing = indirect object
→  “piace” = verb (is pleasing) → singular because →
→  “mangiare le mele” = is pleasing to Marco = the subject of “piacere” = infinitive*

A Marco piace la mela.
→  “A Marco” = the person to whom something is pleasing = indirect object
→  “piace” = verb (is pleasing) → singular because →
→  “la mela” = what Marco likes = the subject of “piacere” = singular noun

A Marco piacciono i film d’avventura.
→  “A Marco” = the person to whom something is pleasing = indirect object
→  “piacciono” = verb (are pleasing) → plural because →
→  “i film” = what Marco likes = the subject of “piacere” = plural noun

• • The 1st and 2nd person of the verb piacere are used occasionally:

Io non piaccio a Marco.
Marco doesn’t like me.

Tu piaci ai miei genitori.
My parents like you.

2. PASSATO PROSSIMO

Piacere and similar verbs take the auxiliary ESSERE in the passato prossimo. The participio passato agrees in gender and number with the subject (what is liked).

A Marco è piaciuto cantare.
→  “cantare” = Infinitive (= masculine singular noun)

A Marco è piaciuta la pizza.
→  “la pizza” = feminine singular noun

A Marco sono piaciuti gli spaghetti.
→ “gli spaghetti” = masculine plural noun

A Marco sono piaciute le scarpe.
→ “le scarpe” = feminine plural noun

3. IMPERFETTO

The most commonly used forms of the imperfect tense are piaceva, piacevano

A Laura non piaceva la frutta, però le piacevano le mele.
Laura didn’t like fruit, but she did like apples.

4. Note that the English it and them is not translated in expressions like the following:

I like it. = Mi piace.                  
I don’t like them. = Non mi piacciono.

Do you like it? = Ti piace?
Don’t you like them? = Non ti piacciono?

She likes it. = Le piace.
He doesn’t like them. = Non gli piacciono.

5. These are the most common verbs that function like piacere:

bastare            (to suffice)

dispiacere       (to be sorry)

interessare     (to interest, to pertain)

importare       (to concern, to matter)

mancare         (to lack, to be short of, to miss)

occorrere       (to need)

parere             (to look, to appear)

restare            (to have…left)

sembrare        (to seem)