Learn Hardcore Italian: Nel tempo libero, mi piace passeggiare lungo il fiume e osservare la natura. - In my free time, I like to take a walk along the river and observe nature.

Nel tempo libero translates to “in one’s free time” or “during leisure time”. It’s an adverbial phrase that sets the time frame for the activities that follow, similar to how in English you might say, “In my free time, …”.

What is the function of mi piace in this sentence, and how is its construction different from typical English expressions of likes?

Mi piace literally means “it pleases me” and is equivalent to “I like” in English. Unlike English, where the subject is the one who likes something, in Italian the thing that is liked (here, the activities) is actually the grammatical subject. The indirect object pronoun mi shows who is experiencing the pleasure.

Why are the verbs passeggiare and osservare in the infinitive form, and how do they function after mi piace?

In Italian, when expressing enjoyment of an activity, it’s common to follow piacere with an infinitive verb. Passeggiare means “to stroll” and osservare means “to observe.” Here, they act as the subjects of the verb piacere—so the sentence conveys that the speaker enjoys the combined concept of strolling along the river and observing nature.

What does lungo il fiume mean, and what role does the preposition lungo play in this phrase?

Lungo il fiume translates as “along the river.” The preposition lungo means “along” and is used to describe the path or direction of the activity—in this case, indicating that the strolling happens beside or along the river.

Why is the verb piacere conjugated in the singular form (piace) even though it appears to refer to two activities?

Even though two activities are mentioned—passeggiare and osservare—they are treated as a single, composite idea of leisure activities that the speaker enjoys. In Italian, when multiple related actions are combined into one concept with an infinitive, the singular form of piacere is used.