| to like (piacere)
This is constructed differently in Italian than it is in English; it is roughly the equivalent of "to be pleasing to"--which is very counterintuitive for English speakers.
A Maria piace l'insalata=To Maria salad is pleasing
A Maria piacciono i ragazzi americani=Le piacciono i ragazzi americani
The object or the person that is liked is the subject of the sentence; piacere agrees with this subject; the person who does the liking becomes the indirect object, precede by the preposition "a."
Agli uomini gay piacciono gli uomini=Gay men like men
Alle lesbiche piacciono le donne=Lesbians like women
Of course the indirect object can often be replaced by an indirect object pronoun.
Alle donne piacciono gli uomini sensibili=Gli piacciono gli uomini sensibili.
A Donatella piace la pasta=Le piace la pasta
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