#im allergic to duo atm sorry

[sayitaliano]

Ok. I am *really* struggling with how to use the verbs “like” and “miss”. As in “I like her but she does not miss me”. I get that I need to use “al x piace” and “io non le manco” but getting the words grammatically in order has me stumped. Where do I put the subject and the object for each? (yes, I am learning via Duolingo. It’s free and easy for my spouse and I to use and encourage each other.)

Please, let me be the annyoing person I am deep inside for a few lines before answering you. I need it. :') You can avoid reading this first miniature paragraph ofc.

The more I hear people are learning via Duolingo, the more I find people who struggle in understanding grammar patterns and really getting how things work in a language. It's not a critic to you, I understand that you find Duolingo of help for all the reasons you have listed but imo, it needs to be taken only as a support in learning, if anything. Cause it rushes people. And explanations aren't always correct (if you can even find them) and, from my personal experience, it has mistakes (translation and grammar) too (and I refer to the Italian course as well). I personally decided it wasn't of help to me: it only gave me translations without explanations. And I later on found out that some grammar patterns I got to understand where completely wrong (it rushed me to learn them without having the basis of the language I was learning). Ofc, it's a personal decision and I am not telling you you're wrong for sticking with it, I mean, it could even work for you... but I still suggest everyone to maybe stop and trying to realize if you are really understanding what you are learning via Duo. And maybe think also about what do you want to do with the language you are learning: do you want to just use some random words/sentences if necessary/for pleasure or would you use it as you like, one day? Either are fine, it's your choice ofc. And btw there are also other apps that work even better than Duo imo (Memrise is the one that works better for me for example: you can also choose from different courses, and it has daily goals and it's free as well + you have audios from natives).

Now, to answer you. I get why you struggle with these two verbs: they both are "buildt" differently from the English sentence pattern. Let's see them one by one. I will use some colours to try to make things easier, I hope those who are colorblind don't mind (it's still understandable, I hope).

-Piacere: (links: verb | noun | synonyms | uses | per piacere -I added all the ways you can find this verb/word, but for now I suggest you to focus on understanding how it works as a verb)

"al x piace" isn't what I would use to explain the Italian translation of "to like" (we never or rarely use it when commonly speaking + beware: use the preposizione semplice "a" not the preposizione articolata "al", to start. You can change "a" into any articolata one when necessary, i.e. when the following noun requires it). Anyway, I understand this could be an easier translation made up by the app exactly cause of the reasons I listed above (rushing people). But it's also true that the grammar pattern of the verb is different from English to Italian. In English you have a simple "I like you" (Subject -verb - object) cause the verb in English is transitive. But the Italian verb "piacere" is intransitive, so you need to build the sentences as if it was a passive verb: (Tu) Mi piaci = Tu piaci a me (or, as you wrote, "A me piaci tu") = You "are of/provoke like" to me. You cause me to like you. The English object becomes the subject of the action in Italian. And us, well "I" in the sentence, the ENG subject, I undergo the action of liking you. I "suffer" the fact that I like you (=I suffer that your appearance/anything makes me feel better, if you want to make up something to remember the thing). So your sentence: "I like her", could be easily translated as: (Lei) Mi piace. Instead of the "Lei piace a me/A me piace lei" (the order is not that relevant here, but we generally put subject + verb + object + other complements in our sentences) that you have understood from Duo and ofc it is grammatically correct, but not that often/much used. (I suggest you to learn the verb "piacere" conjugation well before making up some sentences on a notebook; and to look at the personal pronouns, if you haven't).

-Mancare: (I have already mentioned somewhere but the explanation was kinda short, so I am gonna write it here anyway)

This verb too is buildt as if it was in a passive form. And you have used the right translation in your sentence. In English is "I miss you". I, the subject, make the action of missing you, the object. In Italian we say "(Tu) Mi manchi", which translates (in the same way as for piacere) "You miss from me": You become the subject and us, (in the example I, but I talk from an "italians" pov) "suffer" the fact that I miss you, that you are missing from me (that your absence makes me incomplete, if you want it to be more romantic: anything goes to remember how it works!). I don't need to add anything else as your sentence is already correct "(io) non le manco" = She doesn't miss me.

So, putting it all together, your sentence would be: "Mi piace ma io non le manco". "I like her but she does not miss me" = (lei) Mi piace ma (io) non le manco.

We often leave subjects implied, in particular when we are the subject or the subject is undefined or very clear from our speech (and the verbs used). This sentence looks more natural with only the second written subject, but it'd be okay also without it: let's say that putting the second subject stresses the change of the subject from the first part/verb (=lei mi piace, lei=she is the subject), makes it more clear to our listener that the focus is on us now (io non le manco, I=io). I suppose, from this sentence, these two people where already talking about "her": this makes it even more clear that she is the subject of the first part/verb.

I hope this is of help!