Mi piace viaggiare in campagna.

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Breakdown of Mi piace viaggiare in campagna.

• in: in
• piacere: to like
• viaggiare: to travel
• la campagna: the countryside

Questions & Answers about Mi piace viaggiare in campagna.

Why do we use mi piace instead of io piaccio?

In Italian, mi piace literally means it is pleasing to me. The verb piacere works differently from the English to like. Instead of saying I like something, Italians say something pleases me, hence the need for mi (to me) plus piace (it pleases).

Why is there an infinitive verb (viaggiare) after mi piace?

After mi piace, you generally use the infinitive form of the verb. In Italian, when expressing something you enjoy doing, you say mi piace + [infinitive]. So instead of saying I like to travel with a finite verb form, you say mi piace viaggiare.

Why do we say in campagna instead of a campagna?

The Italian preposition in often indicates being in or into a place in a general sense, especially larger areas or regions like in campagna, in città, in montagna. Using a campagna is not idiomatic for traveling in the countryside. In is the standard choice to mean in the countryside.

Do I need an article before campagna, like la campagna?

In many expressions talking about visiting or being in a general place, articles can be dropped. With campagna, you can say in campagna without la, because it’s referring to the countryside in a broad sense, rather than a specific area of countryside.

What if I want to talk about multiple things that I like traveling in, do I change mi piace?

Yes. If you like traveling in multiple types of places (for example, the mountains, the countryside, the city), you might use mi piacciono if you list them all as plural nouns: Mi piacciono la campagna, la montagna e la città. Otherwise, when referring to just one place at a time, mi piace stays the same.