Italian for English speakers Clothes · Lesson 2

Pickings colors and sizes

Italian color preferences — Mi piace il giallo (I like yellow) — with the verb piacere working backwards.

Conversation

  1. Rose Rose

    Quale colore le piace?

    Which color do you like?

    Tip: <Quale> = Which <Piace> = Pleases <Le> = you object formal The phrase translates literally into English as "which color pleases you?"

  2. Yaya Yaya

    Mi piace il giallo

    I like yellow

  3. Rose Rose

    Che taglia porta?

    Which size do you wear?

    Tip: <Portare> literally means "carry/take". In Italian, you "carry" your size. <Che> is a word with many uses in Italian, but in this context it means "which?"

  4. Yaya Yaya

    La emme

    M

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How does piacere work in Italian?

Like Spanish gustar — backwards. Mi piace il giallo = 'yellow pleases me' = 'I like yellow'. Use mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli/loro.

Common Italian colors?

Rosso (red), blu (blue), verde (green), giallo (yellow), nero (black), bianco (white), grigio (grey), rosa (pink), viola (purple).

Piace vs piacciono?

Piace with singular subjects: mi piace il caffè. Piacciono with plural: mi piacciono i gatti = 'I like cats'.

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