Learn Italian: Mi piace il formaggio italiano.

Mi piace il formaggio italiano.

I like Italian cheese.

Breakdown of Mi piace il formaggio italiano.

Questions & Answers about Mi piace il formaggio italiano.

Why does it say Mi piace instead of a direct translation for "I"?

In Italian, the verb piacere (to like) works a bit backwards compared to English. Instead of saying "I like Italian cheese", you are actually saying "Italian cheese is pleasing to me". The word Mi means "to me", and piace means "is pleasing".

Why do we need the word il (the) here? In English we just say "I like Italian cheese".

In Italian, when you talk about liking a broad category or things in general, you must use the definite article (the word for "the"). Because formaggio is a masculine singular noun, it gets il.

Why is the word order formaggio italiano instead of italiano formaggio?

In Italian, most descriptive adjectives come right after the noun they describe. This is especially true for nationalities. So instead of "Italian cheese", you say "cheese Italian".

Would the ending of italiano change if I liked a different Italian food?

Yes! Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Since formaggio is masculine (ending in -o), italiano ends in -o. If you liked Italian pizza (feminine), you would say Mi piace la pizza italiana.