How to Talk About What You Like, Love or Really Enjoy in Italian

A great question to ask your Italian friends is “Cosa fai nel tempo libero?” What do you like to do in your free time?

Note: This article is from The Iceberg Project archives. It was written by a previous contributor - Hannah Jackel. Hannah spent nine lovely months in Viterbo, Italy studying abroad, where she fell in love with the Italian language, culture and food.

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A great question to ask your Italian friends is “Cosa fai nel tempo libero?” What do you like to do in your free time?

This is the best conversation starter on earth, period. Everyone knows what they like to do when they have a moment to themselves, and, odds are, the verbs you'll use during this conversation are some of the first you'll learn when beginning to study Italian.

The most basic answers begin with mi piace, or “I like.”

If you need some tips on using the verb piacere, you can go here.

Simply combine mi piace with the infinitive of a verb. Here are some examples:

• Mi piace cantare. – I like to sing.

• Mi piace ascoltare della musica. – I like to listen to music.

• Mi piace suonare la chitarra. – I like to play the guitar.

• Mi piace disegnare. – I like to draw.

• Mi piace leggere. – I like to read.

• Mi piace cucinare. – I like to cook.

The possibilities are endless, and of course these simple phrases can spawn a whole conversation.

After you tell someone you like to read, cook or listen to music, they’re bound to ask you more about that hobby.

So how do you tell someone what your FAVORITE book, recipe or singer is?