Learn Hardcore Italian: A Giovanni piace pescare perché il pesce fresco ha un sapore speciale. - Giovanni likes to fish because fresh fish has a special taste.

The A marks the indirect object of the verb piacere. In Italian piacere literally means “to be pleasing (to someone).” So A Giovanni means “to Giovanni.” Word-for-word the sentence reads, “Fishing is pleasing to Giovanni.” You could also replace A Giovanni with the dative pronoun gli: Gli piace pescare.

Why is piace singular here?

With piacere you agree with the thing that’s pleasing, not the person. The subject is the infinitive pescare (“to fish”), which is singular, so the verb is piace. If the subject were plural (e.g. i libri), you’d use piacciono.

Can I use the pronoun gli instead of A Giovanni?

Yes. In everyday Italian you can say Gli piace pescare. Here gli means “to him” (Giovanni). Using the name with a is more explicit or emphatic.

Why is pescare in the infinitive form?

When you talk about liking or disliking actions with piacere, you use the infinitive of the verb: pescare = “to fish.” If you wanted the noun “fishing,” you’d use la pesca, but after piacere it’s more natural to use the infinitive.

Why is there a definite article il before pesce fresco?

In Italian, we generally use the definite article when speaking about things in a general sense—especially food. So il pesce fresco means “fresh fish” as a category. Dropping the article would sound odd here.

Why does the adjective fresco come after pesce?

Most Italian adjectives follow the noun they modify, unlike in English. So you say pesce fresco (“fish fresh”) rather than fresco pesce. A few adjectives can go before the noun for emphasis, but fresco normally follows.

Why does the sentence say ha un sapore speciale instead of using gustare?

In Italian, to express “to taste like” or “to have a certain flavor,” you use avere un sapore: ha un sapore speciale = “it has a special taste.” The verb gustare means “to taste (something)” or “to enjoy food,” not “to taste of something.”

Is there a difference between sapore and gusto?

They’re very similar. Sapore refers to the flavor or taste sensation itself (sweet, salty, smoky). Gusto can also mean flavor, but it more often means one’s sense of taste or one’s preference/style. In everyday cooking contexts they’re often interchangeable: ha un buon sapore = ha un buon gusto.

What does perché mean and how is it pronounced?

Perché means “because.” The accent on the é shows that the stress is on the last syllable: pronounce it per-KEH. Without the accent (perche) the word doesn’t exist in standard Italian.

Why not say il pesce è fresco instead of il pesce fresco?

Saying il pesce è fresco means “the fish is fresh” right now (a state). But il pesce fresco is a noun phrase meaning “fresh fish” in general. The original sentence describes a general property (“fresh fish has a special taste”), so you need the phrase il pesce fresco plus ha un sapore speciale.