15 Ways to Say “I like it” in Italian

Whether you’re marveling at a mosaic tucked inside a quiet neighborhood church or letting your local friend know that the wine they recommended is absolutely incredible, at some point knowing how to express that you like something in Italian becomes kind of essential. But of course, there isn’t just one way to say it. Instead, there’s a whole emotional spectrum between a standard “I like it” and that enthusiastic feeling that you may never recover from how much you love something. 

Here are the best ways to cover all of it.

The standard “I like it”

Let’s start with two classic expressions you can safely use in pretty much any situation.

This is the most basic way to say “I like it” in Italian. It’s built around the verb piacere (to like), which—this is key—works rather differently from “to like” in English.

In English, we say “I like” followed by the thing we like: I like coffee.

In Italian, the construction is reversed: the thing we like does the pleasing, and we’re the ones being pleased. So, we say: Mi piace il caffè, literally: 

• Mi: To me (indirect object pronoun, indicating the person being pleased)
• piace: pleases / is pleasing
• il caffè: the coffee (the thing doing the pleasing)

The form of piacere changes depending on what we like:

• If it’s just one thing, use mi piace: mi piace il gelato (I like ice cream).

• If it’s more than one thing, say mi piacciono: mi piacciono i musei (I like museums). 

Naturally, you can change the pronoun mi depending on who is being pleased, for example:

• Ci piace la montagna (We like the mountains)
• Vi piacciono le melanzane? (Do you like aubergines?)

See? The verb agrees with the thing that is doing the pleasing, not with you.

And if a plain mi piace doesn’t feel like enough for that beautiful view you just found, add expressions like un sacco or moltissimo:

• Mi piace un sacco questo paese (I really this town)
• Mi piacciono moltissimo le tue scarpe (I like your shoes a lot)

2. Che bello!

(How nice! / How lovely!)

If mi piace is your reliable classic, che bello! is for an instant emotional reaction. Like, someone tells you good news, shows you their new house, sends you a photo of their puppy, and you genuinely like what you see or hear? Then che bello is the most natural response. 

When reacting to something specific, bello has to agree in gender and number with the noun you’re referring to. So: 

• Che bello —> masculine singular
• Che bella —> feminine singular
• Che belli —> masculine plural
• Che belle —> feminine plural

If you’re reacting in general, like an idea or a situation, we just use the default che bello, even if the noun itself is feminine, such as:

The enthusiastic “I like it”

There are moments—say, a gorgeous little piazza you stumbled upon by accident or a perfect sunset—when mi piace just doesn’t quite say enough and you need a bit more intensity.

3. Che meraviglia! / Che spettacolo!

(How wonderful!)

We use these phrases when something is not just nice but genuinely impressive. Both work as enthusiastic reactions and are very similar in meaning, with only a small nuance in tone:

4. Amo!

(I love it!)

Amo is the first-person singular present form of amare (to love). Yep, it literally means “I love.” But in everyday Italian, it’s what we say when we’re not just liking something, we’re totally enthusiastic about it. It’s very informal and extremely popular, especially among younger Italians.

You can use it on its own, like:

However, if you want to be more specific and refer directly to the thing(s) you like, you can add a direct object pronoun:

Now, because amare is a strong verb, better to pay attention to when you use it. Saying things like amo la pizza (I love pizza) or amo questa città(I love this city)is completely normal. But saying amo to someone you’ve been dating for a week… well, maybe start with mi piaci (I like you) first.

5. Adoro! 

(I adore it!)

Adoro is very similar in meaning to amo, just a bit more… glamorous! Grammatically speaking, it’s the first-person singular present form of adorare, which literally means “to adore” or even “to worship.” So yes, it expresses serious appreciation. In terms of tone, it’s another very colloquial expression.

Just like amo, you can use adoro on its own, like:

Or you can pair it with a direct object pronoun to be more specific, for instance:

You can also hear it paired with the little interjection No vabbè, as in No vabbè… adoro! This is like saying “No way… I adore it!”—a spontaneous little combo that adds a burst of surprise and excitement.

6. Che figata!

(So cool!)

This is a very common slang expression we use when something genuinely excites or impresses us. It’s like saying “That’s so cool!” or “That’s awesome!” in English, perfect for casual conversations with friends. While it’s especially popular among younger Italians, honestly, you’ll hear it from adults too when they drop their formal filter.

Linguistically, che figata comes from figo, a slang word used to describe a particularly good-looking or stylish guy.

Top is one of those English words that have been fully adopted into everyday Italian, where we use it as an exclamation for when something is great, exciting, or just exactly what you were hoping for.

It works on its own (Top! – Cool!) or in the classic combo Che top! (How cool!). Both are colloquial and casual. You can even stretch them a bit: Toooop! / Che toooop! — the longer that “o,” the more enthusiastic you sound.

8. Tanta roba!

(Really impressive!)

Literally, Tanta robameans “a lot of stuff” which doesn’t exactly scream “Wow, I like it.” And yet, in everyday Italian, that’s exactly what it does. It’s modern slang we use when something is “a lot” in the best possible way, like high quality, impressive, or simply wow.

You’ll hear this expression a lot among younger speakers, but many adults use it too in very informal conversations.

The not-so-convinced “I like it”

Then we have some expressions for those moments when we do like something, just not enough to start throwing around amo or che meraviglia.

9. Non (è) male

(Not bad)

Non (è) male, literally meaning “(it’s) not bad,” is what we say when something is decent enough, but not exactly wow. It’s friendly, relaxed, and often comes with a subtle shrug.

You can also drop the verb entirely and just say non male!, which means exactly the same thing. Both versions are completely natural, and the choice just depends on how relaxed the conversation is.

10. Ci sta

(It’s okay) 

We use Ci sta (literally, “It stands there”) when something is acceptable, reasonable, or makes sense—a bit like saying “Yeah, I’m cool with that.” 

It comes from the pronominal verb starci, formed by stare (to be/stay) + the particle ci. I guess the literal translation now makes more sense, right? But don’t get stuck on it. What it really expresses is: it fits, it works, it makes sense in this situation. For example:

It’s informal and very relaxed, perfect for everyday situations with friends.

11. Non mi dispiace

(It’s alright)

This is our way of saying we like something by confirming we don’t “not like” it. Grammatically, the verb here is dispiacere (to displease / to be sorry), which works just like piacere. So:

• mi = to me
• dispiace = displeases

Put non (not) in front, and you get “it doesn’t displease me,” which is precisely the literal translation of non mi dispiace. 

It’s great to use when you want to stay polite or diplomatic about something: maybe you don’t love it, maybe you don’t hate it, you’re just…fine with it.

The foodie “I like it”

And finally, the most important category of all. Because let’s be honest — 90% of the time you’re saying “I like it” in Italian, you’re probably referring to something sitting on a plate!

12. È la fine del mondo!  

(It’s out of this world)

This is a great phrase to use when a dish is so good it feels like a small, delicious apocalypse (it literally means “it’s the end of the world!”).

Outside of food, you’ll often hear it in the negative form, non è la fine del mondo (it’s not the end of the world). We use it to reassure someone that a problem or mistake is not as bad as it seems. 

13. Da leccarsi i baffi!

(Finger-licking good) 

This literally means “to lick one’s mustache,” and yes, even if you don’t have one, go ahead and use it! It’s a playful, vivid expression to say that a dish is incredibly delicious, and the image comes straight from cats, happily licking their whiskers after a satisfying meal. 

We usually use it with the verb è / sono (is /are), like this:

14. Che bontà!

(Absolutely divine!)

This is my favourite. Literally, it means “What goodness!,” with bontà being a word that usually describes kindness or goodness in a person. But when it comes to food, it’s all about flavour and instant appreciation for anything that tastes divine to the palate.

15. Mi ispira un sacco 

(It’s calling my name)

If you take it literally, mi ispira un sacco means “it inspires me a bag,” which makes very little sense in English, I know. But in Italian, ispirare is what happens when something catches our eye and immediately makes us think: ooh, yes, I want that!

You know when you spot a gorgeous cornetto alla crema sitting behind the bar counter, or your eyes land on a description in the menu that just sounds too good to scroll past? Mi ispira un sacco is your phrase.

Valentina Nicastro

Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.