Piacere Conjugation in Italian
piacere means “to like” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 52 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to like something, but the construction is reversed: in Italian the thing liked is the subject and the person who likes it is the indirect object, so 'I like the film' is 'Mi piace il film'. It takes essere in the passato prossimo, and its present has the stem change piaccio/piacciono. This page gives you the complete conjugation of piacere — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.” — “I like the film.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: piacere
- English: to like
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: present, passato-remoto, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: piacendo
- Present participle: piacente
- Past participle: piaciuto
- Auxiliary: essere (all perfect tenses are formed with essere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for piacere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read piacere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about piacere
- It is irregular in 8 tense(s): present, passato-remoto, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use essere: the passato prossimo is formed with essere in the present plus the past participle piaciuto. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are piacente and piaciuto: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
A note on piacere
A note on the construction: piacere works backwards from English. The thing liked is the subject and the person who likes it is the indirect object, so “I like the film” is “Mi piace il film”, never “Io piaccio il film”. The tables give all six persons — io piaccio, tu piaci, lui piace — and the example sentences on this page use the third-person forms with mi, ti, gli, ci, vi, gli, which is how the verb is really used.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for piacere. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piaccio |
| tu | piaci |
| lui/lei | piace |
| noi | piacciamo |
| voi | piacete |
| loro | piacciono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.” — “I like the film”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piacqui |
| tu | piacesti |
| lui/lei | piacque |
| noi | piacemmo |
| voi | piaceste |
| loro | piacquero |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Mi piacque il film ieri.” — “I liked the film”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piacevo |
| tu | piacevi |
| lui/lei | piaceva |
| noi | piacevamo |
| voi | piacevate |
| loro | piacevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Mi piaceva il film una volta.” — “I used to like the film”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piacerò |
| tu | piacerai |
| lui/lei | piacerà |
| noi | piaceremo |
| voi | piacerete |
| loro | piaceranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Mi piacerà il film domani.” — “I will like the film”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piacerei |
| tu | piaceresti |
| lui/lei | piacerebbe |
| noi | piaceremmo |
| voi | piacereste |
| loro | piacerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Mi piacerebbe il film un giorno.” — “I would like the film”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sono piaciuto |
| tu | sei piaciuto |
| lui/lei | è piaciuto |
| noi | siamo piaciuto |
| voi | siete piaciuto |
| loro | sono piaciuto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Gli è piaciuto il film questa settimana.” — “he has liked the film”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ero piaciuto |
| tu | eri piaciuto |
| lui/lei | era piaciuto |
| noi | eravamo piaciuto |
| voi | eravate piaciuto |
| loro | erano piaciuto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Mi era piaciuto il film prima della festa.” — “I had liked the film”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarò piaciuto |
| tu | sarai piaciuto |
| lui/lei | sarà piaciuto |
| noi | saremo piaciuto |
| voi | sarete piaciuto |
| loro | saranno piaciuto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Mi sarà piaciuto il film per domani.” — “I will have liked the film”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarei piaciuto |
| tu | saresti piaciuto |
| lui/lei | sarebbe piaciuto |
| noi | saremmo piaciuto |
| voi | sareste piaciuto |
| loro | sarebbero piaciuto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Mi sarebbe piaciuto il film ieri.” — “I would have liked the film”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piaccia |
| tu | piaccia |
| lui/lei | piaccia |
| noi | piacciamo |
| voi | piacciate |
| loro | piacciano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che mi piaccia il film.” — “It is important that I like the film”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | piacessi |
| tu | piacessi |
| lui/lei | piacesse |
| noi | piacessimo |
| voi | piaceste |
| loro | piacessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che mi piacesse il film.” — “It was important that I like the film”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | piaci |
| lui/lei | piaccia |
| noi | piacciamo |
| voi | piacete |
| loro | piacciano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Piaci a Maria!” — “Please Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | piacere |
| lui/lei | piaccia |
| noi | piacciamo |
| voi | piacciate |
| loro | piacciano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non piacere a Maria.” — “Do not try to please Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | piacendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Piacendo il film, imparo molto.” — “While liking the film, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | piacente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle piacente is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | piaciuto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Mi è piaciuto il film questa settimana.” — “I have liked the film.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with piacere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.” — “I like the film”
- “Ti piacque il film ieri.” — “you liked the film”
- “Gli piaceva il film una volta.” — “he used to like the film”
- “Mi piacerà il film domani.” — “I will like the film”
- “Ti piacerebbe il film un giorno.” — “you would like the film”
- “Gli è piaciuto il film questa settimana.” — “he has liked the film”
- “Mi era piaciuto il film prima della festa.” — “I had liked the film”
- “Ti sarà piaciuto il film per domani.” — “you will have liked the film”
- “È importante che mi piaccia il film.” — “It is important that I like the film”
- “Piaci a Maria!” — “Please Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io piacere il film.”
✓ Right: “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.”
The infinitive piacere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form piaccio.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io piaci il film.”
✓ Right: “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.”
piaci is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with piaccio.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io piaccio il film ieri.”
✓ Right: “Mi è piaciuto il film questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono piaciuto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io ho piaciuto il film.”
✓ Right: “Mi è piaciuto il film questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of piacere is formed with essere plus the past participle piaciuto: the io form is sono piaciuto. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io piaccio il film.”
✓ Right: “È importante che mi piaccia il film.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use piaccia here, not the indicative piaccio.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io sono piacendo il film.”
✓ Right: “Mi è piaciuto il film questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle piaciuto, not the gerund piacendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on piacere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of piacere in the Present indicative?
- A) piaci
- B) piaccio
- C) piace
- D) piacciamo
What is the lui/lei form of piacere in the Passato remoto?
- A) piacqui
- B) piacesti
- C) piacque
- D) piacemmo
What is the noi form of piacere in the Imperfect?
- A) piacevo
- B) piacevi
- C) piaceva
- D) piacevamo
What is the tu form of piacere in the Future?
- A) piacerai
- B) piacerò
- C) piacerà
- D) piaceremo
What is the io form of piacere in the Conditional?
- A) piaceresti
- B) piacerei
- C) piacerebbe
- D) piaceremmo
What is the lui/lei form of piacere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) sono piaciuto
- B) sei piaciuto
- C) è piaciuto
- D) siamo piaciuto
What is the lui/lei form of piacere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) piacciamo
- B) piacciate
- C) piacciano
- D) piaccia
What is the io form of piacere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) piacessi
- B) piacesse
- C) piacessimo
- D) piaceste
What is the gerund of piacere?
- A) piaciuto
- B) piacendo
- C) piacere
- D) piaccio
What does piacere mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to like
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) piaccio — the correct form is piaccio. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) piacque — the correct form is piacque. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) piacevamo — the correct form is piacevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) piacerai — the correct form is piacerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) piacerei — the correct form is piacerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) è piaciuto — the correct form is è piaciuto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) piaccia — the correct form is piaccia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) piacessi — the correct form is piacessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) piacendo — the correct form is piacendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to like — the correct form is to like. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does piacere mean in English?
piacere means “to like”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is piacere regular or irregular?
piacere is irregular: it is irregular in present, passato-remoto, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is piacendo and the past participle is piaciuto.
What are the gerund and past participle of piacere?
The gerund is piacendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is piaciuto — use it with essere for the perfect tenses, as in sono piaciuto.
Which auxiliary does piacere take in the passato prossimo?
piacere takes essere in the passato prossimo: the io form is sono piaciuto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with essere plus the past participle piaciuto.
How do I say “I like” in Italian?
Say “Mi piace il film ogni giorno.” — “I like the film” The io form of the present is piaccio, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of piacere — every tense of piacere in one place.
- Piacere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Piacere examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Sedersi conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Tenere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise piacere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise piacere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise piacere with the interactive tool.