YOUR ULTIMATE SPEAKING PRACTICE TO GET THE VERB 'PIACERE' RIGHT.

Textbooks and Italian language teachers always present the verb 'piacere' as a vicious animal you need to look out for and be afraid of--there are many others, but this is one. Nothing is further from the truth. There's not a single element of Italian--or any language for that matter--that is your enemy. But sure enough you need to do your due diligence, meaning you need to get to work consistently and with a method. You can't palm it off to the apps or AI to learn it for you.

'Piacere' does not present a different structure than all other verbs but just a different order of its key elements in the sentence. Like all western languages, Italian is an S-V-O language. This means that the regular order of the fundamental blocks in a sentence is Subject-Verb-Object, like in the sentence "Il gatto (Subject) mangia (Verb) il topo (Object).

With the verb 'piacere', though the structure doesn't change, the order of subject, verb, and object changes and becomes indirectO-V-S: "A Mario piace la pizza" or "Gli piace la pizza."

Below are ten sample sentences using the verb 'piacere'.

1) A Sergio piace la pasta alla carbonara. (Sergio likes pasta alla carbonara.)

2) Ci piace bere un bicchierino di vino ogni tanto. (We like to have a glass of wine once in a while.)

3) A te piace il caffè americano? (- judgmental tone - Do you like Americano coffee?)

4) Non gli piacciono le città affollate. (He doesn't like overpopulated cities.)

5) Non mi piacciono i film violenti. (I don't like violent movies.)

6) A tua madre piace preparare torte per tutta la famiglia. (Your mother likes to bake cakes for the whole family.

7) Ad Antonio non piace parlare al telefono. (Antonio doesn't like to speak on the phone.)

8) A me e a mia moglie piace andare a cena fuori qualche volta. (My wife and I like to go out for dinner sometimes.)

9) Questo vino non mi piace per niente. (I don't like this wine at all.)

10) A mia sorella piacciono i tipi intelligenti, colti, ricchi, e atletici. Per quello è sola. (My sister likes men that are intelligent, cultivated, rich, and in good shape. That's why she's single.)

PRACTICE:

1) Read the sentences aloud over multiple times. Your ears need to get used to the sound of this structure. Read them over and over until it sounds just right.

2) After a while, try and say a few out of memory without reading.

Key takeaways from the sentences above:

a) we mostly--though not exclusively--use 'piacere' in the third person singular or plural.

b) singular or plural depends on whether the thing that is liked is singular or plural.

c) 'piacere' utilizes indirect object pronouns.

d) 'piacere' is associated with the preposition 'a'.

Below is a table describing and explaining the indirect object pronouns associated with 'piacere' . The table places them in context with the subject pronouns and direct object pronouns.

PRACTICE

1) Read the table aloud multiple times in this fashion: "io, a me, mi / tu, a te, ti /lui, a lui, gli / etc.

2) When you have memorized all forms to perfection in the order presented in the table above, jump randomly from one form to the other (you need to break the order) without reading in this fashion: tu, a te, ti / io, a me, mi / noi, a noi, ci / loro, a loro, gli / lei, a lei, le /tu, a te, ti / voi, a voi, vi / io, a me, mi / etc.

3) Work point 2 up to perfect memorization. You need to be able to jump from pronoun to pronoun easily, comfortably, and with confidence.

Once you've done all of the above--and not before that--then you're ready for the next step:

PRACTICE

Say sentences aloud off the top of your head using the verb 'piacere' in the third person singular or plural. Say sentences back to back for one minute (use a stopwatch), then take a 1-minute break, then go again for one minute. Do this once or twice a day for two or three days.

Make simple sentences. You want to just focus on getting 'piacere', the pronouns, the preposition, and the indirectO-V-S order right. As you can see, you already have enough on your plate so don't do complex sentences. It's going to feel repetitive, and that's exactly how it should be. REPETITION is crucial.

Model your sentences after the samples above.

Obviously, learning a language is not just about repetition and saying things aloud. What you see above is part of my method to get you fluent in Italian atom by atom, element by element. But you also need to read stuff--mentally and aloud--watch movies, memorize quotes and poems, read newspapers and magazines, follow the news, watch documentaries in Italian, etc. You can't overlook the cultural aspect of the language.

However, you practice the verb 'piacere' according to the instructions above, and I can guarantee that it won't intimidate you anymore. It might take you more or less time than someone else, but if you're persistent and work consistently and methodically, it's going to pay off.

Yea, 'elbow grease', you heard it right. Forza then, get to work.

And this is The JP Method.