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Can you explain the difference between “mi piace” and “mi piacciono” in Italian?

Last Updated: 23.06.2025 14:55

Can you explain the difference between “mi piace” and “mi piacciono” in Italian?

A couple of examples:

La veste mi piace. - I like the dress. (The dress pleases me).

Le scarpe mi piacciono. - I like the shoes. (The shoes please me.)

Have you ever seen your wife being fucked?

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.

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.

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.

What should I be looking for when trying out running shoes? Local store lets me try the shoe and jog up and down the block, but they mostly feel the same to me. Is there some feeling or anything else specific I should be looking for?

Thank you for your question.

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.