Learn Hardcore Italian: Mi piace ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino. - I like listening to live music in the garden.

In Italian the verb piacere agrees with the thing that’s liked. Here what pleases you is the entire action ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino (a single activity), so you use third-person singular piace. You would only use mi piacciono if what you like were plural nouns, for example mi piacciono le canzoni.

Why is there no article before musica in ascoltare musica?

When you talk about an activity or something in a general, non-specific sense, Italian often omits the article.
• ascoltare musica = “to listen to music” (in general)
If you refer to specific music, you could say ascoltare la musica or add a qualifier like ascoltare la musica classica.

What does dal vivo mean and how is it formed?

dal vivo literally comes from da + il + vivo. It’s an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning “live” as in “performed in front of an audience.”
• da = “from”
• il contracts with da to become dal
• vivo here isn’t agreeing with musica; it’s part of the fixed expression dal vivo (“live”).

Why is the sentence in giardino and not al giardino?

For locations like giardino, Italian normally uses in without an article to express “in that space.”
• in giardino = “in the garden” (generic location)
Using al giardino (from a + il) would sound like “to the garden” or refer to a very specific garden, which isn’t needed when simply stating where you listen.

What is the grammatical subject in Mi piace ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino?

The subject of piace is the infinitive clause ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino—that entire action is what “pleases.”
• mi is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.”
• piace agrees with the subject (the listening activity), not with mi.

Can I start with the infinitive clause, like Ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino mi piace?

Yes. Because ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino is the subject of piace, you can front it for emphasis:
Ascoltare musica dal vivo in giardino mi piace.
The verb piace still stays in third-person singular.

Does vivo agree in gender or number with musica when part of dal vivo?

No. In dal vivo, vivo is part of a fixed prepositional-adverbial phrase. It doesn’t function as an adjective modifying musica, so it remains invariable regardless of gender or number.