47 Comments
I answered correctly, but I don't really understand why the A is necessary, or how it functions. Thanks!
its because of how piacere is. it doesn't mean 'to like' its is 'to be pleasing to'. So you need the 'A' before to have it be correct. "To them the horses are not pleasing" ... but in english it doesn't make much sense so we just think 'they don't like the horses'. its not a literal translation unfortunately which makes these statements with piacere confusing to english speakers
Then why it's not like "A loro i cavalli non piacciono" or "I cavalli non piacciono a loro"?
i don't really know how to explain this but for me as a spanish speaker becomes super easy i guess you just have to get used to these linguistic differences by reading some texts either italian or spanish.
I think "Non piacciono loro i cavalli" is also correct, but Duolingo seems to disagree.
I think it's structured as the horses are not pleasing to them. therefore "A loro" - "To them" .....
Ciao Viaggiatore: I don't think so. You have to have the "a"("to them"). Your sentence would mean: "They the horses are not pleasing". which does not make sense because it doesn't say to whom they are not pleasing.
"loro" can mean "to them" (indirect object) as well as "they" (subject) http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare166a.htm Maiden & Robustelli say it's a formal usage, but I like formal.
Thank you for clarification . I wonder why do we use A loro at the first part of the sentences ?
1009
Infatti non รจ sbagliato , ma desueto. Con il verbo piacere si usa :
mi piacciono / piacciono a me
ti piacciono /piacciono a te
gli/le piacciono / piacciono a lui/lei
ci piacciono /piacciono a noi
a loro piacciono
Loro comunque va bene, in generale, per esprimere il complemento di termine:
consegno loro un libro....
riferisco loro il risultato....
i think it should be just "loro non piacciono i cavalli" i did not understand the A
The verb agrees in person with what is not liked. It tells you nothing about who is not liking (to whom it is not pleasing).
I thought with verb piacere, the subjects are reversed. So the horses do not like them, instead of they do not like the horses. When to the suggests switch and when do they stay?
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that is the explanatian, I read this litterally as "to them, (the) horses are not pleasing" (horses are the subject, not they)
which with reversed subjects becomes the more natural english "They don't like (the) horses".
at least, that is how I understand the explanation
''To them, they don't like horses.'' could it be possible to the sentence?
I think it would be easier to understand and make this sentence with reflexive verb: "Loro non si piacciono i cavalli"
I am not sure why the A is necessary. Could we get some explanation? Thank you.
Can someone please explain to me why this answer is incorrect: "The horses do not please to them"?
This one is curious. In english i don't quite understand it, but being a native spanish speaker, this one is like home haha. Is like saying "A ellos no..", when in english we don't really use the "A" for what i understand.
Why is "They do not like the horses" wrong? Is "i" not a definite article in this case?
"Non amano i cavalli" seems like an easier translation. It is the google translation. Can I say this if I do not like something? No wait, if I switch the text from they to me then the verb switches to piacere..........hmmm.
finally i got the answer " A loro non piacciono i cavalli " means "the horses like by them" as like if you talk about i like game so mi piace il gioco. it mean the game like by me . gore some verb in Italian uses passive tenses . so remember that verbs . Grazie
"loro" can mean "to them" (indirect object) as well as "they" (subject) http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare166a.htm Maiden & Robustelli say it's a formal usage, but I like formal.
wouldn't "to them it disgusts the horses" an acceptable literal translation?
