The English Verb “Like”: Forms, Usage, and Complete Conjugation Guide

Let's start from the beginning: what is this verb and what does it correspond to in Italian?

In its most common usage, the verb "like" in English-or rather, " to like "-means pleasure . It is therefore used to express preference, pleasure, or appreciation for something or someone.

Unlike Italian, however, in this case it is a transitive verb, meaning it takes an object complement.

Let's note the difference:

• I like pizza. → I like pizza.

In Italian, we don't literally translate "I like pizza," as it sounds in English, but we add the verb complement "mi," meaning "to me." This is a different grammatical nuance that's very important to learn to be able to use the verb "like" in English correctly right from the start.

The verb "to like" has a less strong sense of appreciation than the verb "to love," which we would instead translate as "to love, to adore."

When the verb like in English is used to express appreciation for actions expressed by verbs, it is important to remember that:

• supports the -ing form in case the action is quite general.
  
  Example :
  
  I like dancing → I like dancing.
  You don't like going out in the evening. → You don't like going out in the evening.
• It supports the infinitive form in case it concerns a more specific circumstance.
  
  Example :
  
  I like to watch TV before going to bed. → I like to watch television before going to bed.
  He likes to stay home on Sunday. → He likes to stay home on Sunday.

Furthermore, the verb like in English is also used in specific constructions, for example " As you like ": it is a set phrase that means "As you wish", "As you prefer", and which is used as is.

• Make whatever you want for dinner, as you like !

Finally, we want to focus on one last important meaning of the verb like in English, namely " to want, to desire ." While it doesn't directly mean this, when used in the conditional mood, it takes on the meaning of "I would like."

Let's see some examples to understand better:

• I would like to order a large pepperoni pizza, please.

If you think about it, in fact, even in Italian we could translate this sentence with the verb "piacere", saying "mi vorrei", even though it is more common to say "vorrei".

Finally, we also need to see what the interrogative form of the verb "like" looks like in English: this is very useful for forming questions and interrogative sentences. If you think about it, the verb "like" can be used to ask a wide variety of questions, asking people about their preferences, tastes, or what they like.

Just like with other verbs, the interrogative form of the verb like is formed using the auxiliary verb do - or don't, if the interrogative sentence is negative - and by inverting the order of the elements in the sentence.

Let's look at some examples with their translations to better understand, placing the interrogative form in a concrete context:

Of course, here are the sentences with the translation:

• Do you like pizza? → Do you like pizza?
• Would you like some tea? → Would you like some tea?
• What kind of music do you like? → What kind of music do you like?
• How do you like your coffee?
• Did he like the movie?
• Have you ever liked a horror film?
• Which color do you like best?
• Would you like to go for a walk?
• When do you like to exercise? → When do you like to exercise?
• How much do you like studying?→- How much do you like studying?