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A loro piacciono questi attori americani?

A loro piacciono questi attori americani?
Do they like these American actors?
From Lesson 64:Plural preferences (mi piacciono)·Italian

Questions & Answers about A loro piacciono questi attori americani?

Why is the verb piacciono instead of piace?
With the verb piacere, you aren't actually saying "They like the actors"; you are literally saying "The actors are pleasing to them." Because the things being liked (questi attori americani) are plural, you must use the plural form of the verb, which is piacciono.
Why does the sentence use A loro instead of just Loro?
Because piacere works backwards for English speakers! Since it means "to be pleasing to," the person who likes the thing is the one it is pleasing to. Loro means "they," but adding a makes it A loro, meaning "to them."
Could we use Gli instead of A loro to mean "to them"?
Yes! Gli is an indirect object pronoun that can mean "to them" (as well as "to him"). If you use gli, it doesn't need the word a and it goes right before the verb: Gli piacciono questi attori americani? Using A loro is just an alternative that adds a little more emphasis.
Why is the word for "these" questi?
Questi is the masculine plural form of questo (this). Just like adjectives, pointing words like "this" and "these" must match the noun they go with. Since attori (actors) is masculine and plural, we use questi.

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