ti piace qualcosa
The English phrase "you like something" is translated into Italian as ti piace qualcosa.
This phrase is used to state that a person finds something pleasing or enjoyable. To express that you like something, the most basic way is to say Mi piace. If you want to say you like something a lot, you can add molto after the verb to say Mi piace molto. For even more emphasis, you can use the informal expressions Mi piace un sacco or Mi piace un mondo to mean "I like it a lot" or "I love it". If you want to say you find something very interesting, you can use Trovo molto interessante. In formal contexts, you might say Sono affascinato/a da to express that something fascinates you.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use Le piace instead of ti piace when speaking to someone in a formal or polite context. To express high levels of liking, you can use the informal phrase Mi piace un sacco or Mi piace un mondo.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is grammatically structured as "to you it is pleasing", where ti is the indirect object meaning "to you". Because of this structure, the verb must agree with the thing being liked: use ti piace for singular objects and change the verb to ti piacciono if the objects being liked are plural.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use a direct object pronoun for "you" instead of the indirect object structure required by the verb piacere.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Sono affascinato dalla cultura italiana.I am fascinated by Italian culture.
- Questa canzone mi piace un mondo!I really love this song!
- Questo film è figo!This movie is cool!
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are at a gift shop.
- AlessandroGuarda questi regali, ti piace qualcosa?Look at these gifts, do you like something?
- SofiaSì, mi piacciono queste tazze.Yes, I like these mugs.
- AlessandroOttimo, prendiamone una per te.Great, let's get one for you.
- SofiaGrazie, Alessandro!Thank you, Alessandro!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qualcosa, ti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
