Your own life: hobbies, health and opinions
Phase 3 stops teaching structures and starts using them. This week also brings the one Italian verb that works backwards.
Colours live this week
10 of 10 in playA thing, a person or a place.
An action or a state — what is happening.
Describes a noun.
Modifies a verb or an adjective.
the / a / some — and possessives like mon, ma.
Stands in for a noun — I, you, he, it.
Links words together — to, in, of, for.
Joins two parts of a sentence.
Opens a question — where, when, how, why.
Learn it whole. Do not take it apart.
Adverbs of degree — molto, bene, male — are gold. Possessives behave like articles: grey, with the gender style.
Piacere works backwards, and you must let it
Mi piace il calcio does not mean I like football. It means football is pleasing to me. The thing you like is the subject, and you are the object. Two consequences. Keep the article: mi piace il calcio, never mi piace calcio. And the verb agrees with the thing, not with you: mi piace il cinema, but mi piacciono i libri — plural thing, plural verb. Spanish does exactly the same with gustar, if you have met it there.
Hobbies and interests
Pick the five that are actually true of you and drill only those.
- lo sportsportMi piace lo sport.I like sport.
Lo rather than il, because sport begins with s plus a consonant.
- la musicamusicMi piace la musica.I like music.
- leggereto readMi piace leggere.I like reading.
The verb is far more natural here than the noun la lettura.
- il giardinaggiogardening
- cucinareto cookMi piace cucinare.I like cooking.
- viaggiareto travel
- la fotografiaphotography
- il cinemacinema, film
Ends in -a and is masculine — il cinema. Greek origin, like il problema.
- la televisionetelevisionGuardo la televisione.I watch television.
- camminareto walkMi piace camminare.I like walking.
The four liking verbs
The first three work backwards, like piacere. Preferire behaves normally, which is a relief.
| Verb | a mereviewed | a lei |
|---|---|---|
| piacereto like | mi piace | le piace |
| adorareto love | adoro | adora |
| non piacereto dislike | non mi piace | non le piace |
| preferireto prefer | preferisco | preferisce |
Only the a me column becomes a review card. The rest are there to be recognised, not produced — which is what keeps a day inside its fifteen minutes.
Health
- Sto beneI'm wellSto bene, grazie.I'm well, thank you.
Stare, not essere. Come sta? Sto bene.
- Sto maleI'm unwell
- [mi fa male…]…hurts me[Mi fa male] la testa.I have a headache.
Backwards like piacere: the head is doing the hurting. Mi fanno male le gambe for a plural.
- il medicothe doctor
- malato / malataillSono malato.I am ill.
- stanco / stancatiredSono stanca.I am tired.
- [mi riposo]I'm resting
Where it hurts
All used with mi fa male — or mi fanno male if the part comes in a pair.
- la testathe head
- la manothe hand
Ends in -o and is feminine, with an irregular plural le mani. One of the few real exceptions.
- la gambathe leg
- lo stomacothe stomach
Lo again — s plus a consonant.
- la schienathe back
- il bracciothe arm
- i dentithe teeth[Mi fanno male] i denti.I have toothache.
Opinions
- [penso che…]I think that…[Penso che] il viaggio è interessante.I think travel is interesting.
- [trovo che…]I find that…
- [secondo me]in my opinion[Secondo me,] è bello.In my opinion, it's lovely.
Literally according to me. Far more common than a mio parere.
- il problemathe problem
Ends in -a and is masculine — il problema. So are il tema and il sistema.
Sentence frames
- 1
Mi piace / adoro lo sport.
I like / love ___.
- 2
[Mi fa male] la testa.
I have a headache.
- 3
[Secondo me,] è interessante.
In my opinion, it's interesting.
Substitution drill — what you like
Rotate the object through the frame. Watch for the moment you need piacciono rather than piace.
Mi piace lo sport.
I like ___.
Daily mini-tasks
Listening this week
Easy Italian — street interviews about hobbies
YouTube
Real speech at real speed. Do not expect to catch everything — catch the hobbies, and listen for how often mi piace comes up.