con piacere
/kon pjaˈt͡ʃe.re/word by word
The English phrase "with pleasure" is translated into Italian as con piacere.
con piacere is used to express that you are doing something willingly and without argument.
Meaning: willingly, without argument (prep_phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition con (with) and the noun piacere (pleasure).
Which one should you use?
While con piacere is perfectly correct, the adverb volentieri is much more common in everyday spoken Italian when accepting an invitation or a favor.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
con piacere is a polite and somewhat formal way to accept an invitation or a request.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
When do people say it?
If you are in an informal situation and want to express willingness, you might instead say Certo! to mean "of course".
Did you know?
- In Italian, the concept of 'liking' something is expressed as the thing 'pleasing' the person, making piacere the central verb for all preferences.
- In some regional Italian dialects, the expression of pleasure or agreement may be accompanied by a slight shrug or a specific hand gesture to emphasize sincerity.
- The word piacere comes from the Latin placēre, which also gave English the word 'placate', meaning to soothe or satisfy.
Examples in context
- Ci aiutò con piacere.She helped us with pleasure.This sentence shows how to describe someone helping with the phrase con piacere.Tatoeba #2473007 by Guybrush88, translation #13890463 by rul
- Con piacere, mio caro.With pleasure, my dear.This sentence shows an example of using con piacere as a response.Tatoeba #4274498 by Guybrush88, translation #1866687 by Eldad
- Lo faremo con piacere.We'll do it with pleasure.This sentence demonstrates how to use con piacere to express future intent.Tatoeba #4964330 by Guybrush88, translation #1166666 by Chrikaru
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia asks Alessandro to help her move a box.
- GiuliaMi aiuti a spostare questa scatola?Will you help me move this box?
- AlessandroCerto, lo faccio con piacere!Sure, I'll do it with pleasure!
- GiuliaGrazie mille, Alessandro.Thank you so much, Alessandro.
- AlessandroPrego, non c'è problema.You're welcome, no problem.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (con, piacere) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries con, piacere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
