Why does this sentence translate to "I do not like" if there is no word for "I" (io) here?
The verbpiacere literally means "to be pleasing". Italians don't say "I like fishing"; they say "Fishing is not pleasing to me." The word mi means "to me", which is why you don't see io (I) anywhere in this sentence!
Why do we use the singular verb piace?
Because the thing doing the pleasing is the action of fishing (pescare). When you talk about liking an action (a verb in its dictionary form), it counts as a single concept. Therefore, you always use the singular piace.
Why is non placed before mi?
The negative word non always goes before the wholeverb package. Because the pronounmi is tied directly to the verb piace, the non has to go in front of both of them. It is always non mi piace, nevermi non piace.
Can I translate pescare as "fishing" instead of "to fish"?
Yes, absolutely! When you want to say you like doing an activity, Italian just uses the basic dictionary form of the verb (pescare). There is no special "-ing" ending for this, so pescare translates perfectly to both "to fish" and "fishing".
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