Italian Idiom: Prenderci gusto (to develop a taste / take a liking)

If you try something new and find yourself enjoying it more and more despite initially thinking you wouldn’t, you might say that you’ve “developed a taste” or “taken a liking” to it in English. In Italian, there’s a similar expression: prenderci gusto.

Italian idiom "Prenderci gusto"

Prendere is an -ERE verb that means to take, to get or to pick. However, in the case of this idiom, it must be combined with the ubiquitous particle ci, transforming it into the pronominal verb prenderci. Pronominal verbs feature in many Italian idioms, so try not to overthink it – just remember that prendere gusto without the ci is incorrect.

In literal contexts, gusto refers to the taste of food or drink, but in this idiom, it’s being used figuratively to describe the pleasure, satisfaction or enjoyment one experiences when doing an activity.



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