Breakdown of Mi piace questa sedia, ma preferisco quella.
io
I
la sedia
the chair
ma
but
piacere
to like
questa
this
preferire
to prefer
quella
that one
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Questions & Answers about Mi piace questa sedia, ma preferisco quella.
Why is it Mi piace used here instead of Mi piacciono?
The verb piacere agrees with the thing that pleases you. Since questa sedia is singular, you use piace. If you liked multiple chairs, you’d say Mi piacciono queste sedie (plural piacciono + plural sedie).
What role does mi play in Mi piace?
Mi is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.” In Italian piacere works backwards compared to English: the thing is the subject, and the person is the indirect object. So Mi piace literally means “It is pleasing to me.”
Why do we say questa sedia but only quella later, without adding sedia?
- Questa here is a demonstrative adjective modifying the noun sedia, so you must include the noun: questa sedia (this chair).
- Quella in the second clause is a demonstrative pronoun replacing the noun. It already stands for “that chair,” so you drop sedia.
How do questa and quella change with gender and number?
They agree with the noun they refer to:
- Feminine singular: questa, quella
- Feminine plural: queste, quelle
- Masculine singular: questo, quello (or quest’/quell’ before a vowel)
- Masculine plural: questi, quelli
Why is preferisco used differently from piacere?
Preferisco is the first-person singular of preferire (“to prefer”), a standard transitive verb: you (the subject) directly act on the object. So preferisco questa sedia means “I prefer this chair.” There’s no indirect object construction here.
Why doesn’t preferisco need an indirect object pronoun like piacere does?
Because preferire takes a direct object. In preferisco questa sedia:
– io (I) is the subject (usually omitted)
– preferisco is the verb
– questa sedia is the direct object
By contrast, piacere requires an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli, etc.) for the person who experiences the liking.
Could I also say Preferisco quella sedia instead of Preferisco quella?
Yes, absolutely. Preferisco quella sedia simply repeats the noun for clarity. Both are correct; dropping the noun after the pronoun (quella) is more concise but optional.