Italian for Beginners: Sharing Food Likes and Dislikes and Talking About Dining Out
Learn to say what you love, like, tolerate or avoid in Italian, and chat naturally about eating out using mi piace, adoro, non sopporto and more.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to talk about your food preferences in Italian, not to order a meal. The key verb is piacere, which works differently from English 'to like': you say mi piace la pasta (pasta is pleasing to me). You will also learn stronger verbs such as adoro (I love) and non sopporto (I can't stand), useful phrases like non posso vivere senza (I can't live without), and polite ways to say you are not a fan of something. Finally, you will use these phrases in a short conversation about dining out, so you can share preferences with friends or hosts without turning the chat into an order.
By the end, you can…
- say which foods I love, like, dislike or can't stand.
- use mi piace, mi piacciono, adoro, non sopporto and non posso vivere senza correctly.
- discuss eating out and comment on a restaurant or a dish without ordering.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Mi piace la pasta.
I like pasta.
mee PYAH-cheh lah PAHS-tah
Use with a singular noun or an infinitive: Mi piace cucinare (I like cooking). Literally 'pasta is pleasing to me'.
Mi piacciono i dolci.
I like sweets.
mee PYAH-cho-noh ee DOHL-chee
Use the plural mi piacciono with plural nouns. The ending -no marks the plural verb form.
Adoro il cibo piccante.
I love spicy food.
ah-DOH-roh eel CHEE-boh peek-KAHN-teh
Adoro is stronger than mi piace and works like a normal verb: adoro, adori, adora.
Non sono un fan del cibo piccante.
I'm not a fan of spicy food.
nohn SOH-noh oon fahn del CHEE-boh peek-KAHN-teh
A relaxed, modern way to soften a dislike. Use di before a verb: Non sono un fan di cucinare.
Non posso vivere senza il caffè.
I can't live without coffee.
nohn POHS-soh VEE-veh-reh SEHN-tsah eel kaf-FEH
A playful, emphatic phrase for a favourite. Swap il caffè for any food or drink.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The verb piacere agrees with the thing liked, not with the person. Singular: Mi piace la pizza. Plural: Mi piacciono le verdure. With an infinitive, always singular: Mi piace mangiare fuori. To name the person, use indirect pronouns: mi (to me), ti (to you), gli (to him), le (to her), ci (to us), vi (to you all), gli (to them). So Ti piace il pesce? means 'Do you like fish?'. For stronger feelings, use adoro or non sopporto, which are ordinary verbs: Adoro i formaggi, Non sopporto le cipolle.
When to use it
Use mi piace for general likes and adoro for real enthusiasm. Use non mi piace for a simple dislike, and non sopporto or non posso vivere senza for strong feelings. When you are a guest, a softer option is Non sono un fan di... or Preferisco... (I prefer...). In a restaurant, these phrases let you comment rather than order: Questo piatto mi piace molto (I really like this dish). If someone offers something you dislike, a polite reply is No, grazie, non lo sopporto, but a gentler choice is Non fa per me (It's not for me).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Ti piace la cucina italiana?
Do you like Italian food?tee PYAH-cheh lah koo-CHEE-nah ee-tah-LYAH-nahSì, adoro la pasta e non posso vivere senza il caffè. Però non sono un fan del cibo piccante.
Yes, I love pasta and I can't live without coffee. However, I'm not a fan of spicy food.see ah-DOH-roh lah PAHS-tah eh nohn POHS-soh VEE-veh-reh SEHN-tsah eel kaf-FEH peh-ROH nohn SOH-noh oon fahn del CHEE-boh peek-KAHN-tehCapito. Stasera mangiamo fuori? Conosco un ristorante dove la pasta è buonissima.
I see. Shall we eat out tonight? I know a restaurant where the pasta is really good.kah-PEE-toh stah-SEH-rah mahn-JAH-moh FWO-ree koh-NOH-skoh oon ree-stoh-RAHN-teh DOH-veh lah PAHS-tah eh bwoh-NEES-see-mahVolentieri! Ma niente piatti piccanti per me, per favore.
Gladly! But no spicy dishes for me, please.voh-lehn-TYEH-ree mah NYEHN-teh PYAHT-tee peek-KAHN-tee pehr meh pehr fah-VOH-rehA little context goes a long way
Italians often discuss food with real passion, and strong opinions are normal at the table. Still, when you are a guest, blunt refusals can sound harsh; Non sono un fan di... or Non fa per me is softer than non mi piace. In much of Italy, 'piccante' is a marked flavour, and many traditional dishes are not spicy at all, though some southern regions use chilli more often. Regional words also vary: in some areas a sandwich is a panino, while in Rome you may hear panino or trapizzino for specific street foods.
One thing to watch for
Saying Io piaccio la pasta to mean 'I like pasta'.
Try this instead: Piacere does not work like English 'to like'. Say Mi piace la pasta (pasta is pleasing to me) or Mi piacciono i dolci for plural nouns. If you want to say you are liked by someone, then piacere works the other way: Piaccio a Maria means 'Maria likes me'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like vegetables' in Italian?
Show a sample answer
Mi piacciono le verdure.
Verdure is plural, so the verb becomes piacciono. Mi piace le verdure is a common error because the verb must agree with the thing liked, not with the speaker.
2Translate: 'I can't stand spicy food.'
Show a sample answer
Non sopporto il cibo piccante.
Non sopporto is a strong, direct way to express dislike. A softer alternative is Non sono un fan del cibo piccante.
3A friend asks Ti piace il pesce? You love fish. What can you answer?
Show a sample answer
Sì, adoro il pesce. / Sì, mi piace molto il pesce.
Adoro expresses strong enthusiasm, while mi piace molto is a little more measured. Both are correct; choose according to how strong you want to sound.
Use mi piace with singular nouns and infinitives, mi piacciono with plural nouns, and save adoro or non sopporto for strong feelings. These phrases let you share food preferences and chat about dining out without slipping into ordering.
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