Expressing Likes (A Plăcea) in Romanian

Overview

The verb "a plăcea" (to please / to like) is one of the most important verbs to learn at the A1 level in Romanian. Like Italian "piacere" or Spanish "gustar," it works differently from English "to like" — the thing you like is the grammatical subject, and the person who likes it is expressed with a dative pronoun. So "I like music" becomes literally "To me pleases music" (Îmi place muzica).

This inverted construction can feel strange at first, but it is completely regular and follows a simple pattern. You only need two verb forms for most situations: "place" (singular — one thing pleases) and "plac" (plural — multiple things please). The person who likes something is indicated by a dative clitic pronoun placed before the verb.

Mastering "a plăcea" early gives you access to a huge range of conversational topics — expressing preferences about food, music, activities, places, and people. It is one of the most frequently used verbs in everyday Romanian.

How It Works

Dative Pronouns with "A Plăcea"

Dative Pronoun	Person	Example	English
îmi	I	Îmi place.	I like (it).
îți	you (sg.)	Îți place?	Do you like (it)?
îi	he/she	Îi place.	He/She likes (it).
ne	we	Ne place.	We like (it).
vă	you (pl./formal)	Vă place?	Do you like (it)?
le	they	Le place.	They like (it).

Singular vs. Plural

What is liked	Verb form	Example	English
One thing	place	Îmi place muzica.	I like music.
Multiple things	plac	Îmi plac filmele.	I like movies.
An activity (infinitive)	place	Îmi place să cânt.	I like to sing.

Negative Form

Place "nu" before the pronoun-verb combination. When the pronoun starts with a vowel, a hyphen joins them:

Affirmative	Negative	English
Îmi place.	Nu-mi place.	I don't like (it).
Îți place?	Nu-ți place?	Don't you like (it)?
Îi place.	Nu-i place.	He/She doesn't like (it).
Ne place.	Nu ne place.	We don't like (it).

With Subjunctive (Liking to Do Something)

To express liking an activity, use "a plăcea" + "să" + subjunctive:

Romanian	English
Îmi place să citesc.	I like to read.
Îți place să gătești?	Do you like to cook?
Ne place să călătorim.	We like to travel.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Îmi place muzica.	I like music.	Singular subject → "place"
Îți plac filmele?	Do you like movies?	Plural subject → "plac"
Nu-mi place frigul.	I don't like the cold.	Negative with hyphen
Le place România.	They like Romania.	Country as subject
Îi place ciocolata.	He/She likes chocolate.	Third person singular
Ne plac vacanțele lungi.	We like long vacations.	Plural with adjective
Nu-mi plac legumele.	I don't like vegetables.	Negative plural
Îmi place să merg la plajă.	I like going to the beach.	With subjunctive clause
Vă place mâncarea românească?	Do you like Romanian food?	Formal/plural "you"
Îți place cartea aceasta?	Do you like this book?	With demonstrative
Nu-i plac câinii.	He/She doesn't like dogs.	Third person negative plural
Îmi place foarte mult.	I like it very much.	Adverb intensifier

Common Mistakes

Using "place" with plural subjects

• Wrong: "Îmi place filmele."
• Right: "Îmi plac filmele."
• Why: The verb agrees with the thing liked (the grammatical subject). "Filmele" is plural, so the verb must be "plac," not "place."

Treating it like English "to like"

• Wrong: "Eu plac muzica." (I like music — with "I" as subject)
• Right: "Îmi place muzica." (Music pleases me)
• Why: "A plăcea" works like "to please." The liked thing is the subject; the person is expressed through a dative pronoun. You cannot conjugate "a plăcea" with "eu, tu, el" as the liker.

Forgetting the hyphen in negatives

• Wrong: "Nu îmi place."
• Right: "Nu-mi place."
• Why: In spoken and standard written Romanian, the dative pronoun contracts with "nu" via a hyphen: nu-mi, nu-ți, nu-i. The full form "Nu îmi" is understood but sounds overly formal and unnatural.

Confusing "îi" and "îți"

• Wrong: "Îi place?" (meaning "Do you like it?")
• Right: "Îți place?" (you) vs. "Îi place?" (he/she)
• Why: "Îți" is second person (you), "îi" is third person (he/she). Mixing them up changes the meaning entirely.

Usage Notes

"A plăcea" is used across all registers, from casual conversation to formal writing. In very informal speech, you may hear the shortened forms "mi-e place" or regional variants, but "îmi place" is universally standard.

For stronger likes, Romanians say "Îmi place foarte mult" (I like it very much) or "Ador" (I adore). For mild preferences, "Îmi place destul de mult" (I like it quite a lot). For love, you can say "Iubesc muzica" (I love music), which uses a regular transitive verb with the liker as subject.

At the A1 level, mastering "îmi place/plac" with all six dative pronouns covers most situations. The past tense form ("mi-a plăcut" — I liked) and conditional ("mi-ar plăcea" — I would like) come at A2.

Practice Tips

1. List ten things you like and five you don't. Write them out using "Îmi place/plac" and "Nu-mi place/plac." Pay attention to whether each subject is singular or plural.
2. Practice all six persons. Take one subject (e.g., "ciocolata") and run through all pronouns: "Îmi place ciocolata, Îți place ciocolata, Îi place ciocolata..." until the pattern is automatic.
3. Ask and answer questions with a partner. "Îți place [X]?" / "Da, îmi place." / "Nu, nu-mi place." This builds conversational fluency with the inverted structure.

Related Concepts

• Parent concept: Verb 'A Fi' (To Be) — the foundational verb from which "a plăcea" patterns build