placere

Placere is a Latin verb of the second conjugation meaning “to please” or “to be agreeable.” It is commonly used with the dative of the person who is pleased, as in mihi placet, meaning “it pleases me” or “I like it.” The verb expresses approval, preference, or acceptance in various contexts, and can describe how something is deemed suitable or acceptable.

In present active indicative, the forms are placeō, placēs, placet, placēmus, placētis, placent. The imperfect is placēbam, placēbās, placēbat, placēbāmus, placēbātis, placēbant, and the future is placēbō, placēbis, placēbit, placēbimus, placēbitis, placent. The perfect uses placuit (or placuīt in some authors) with a similar sense of “it pleased.” The standard construction with a dative subject remains a hallmark of the verb’s usage.

Usage notes include the frequent impersonal sense in which placet means “it is pleasing” or “it seems good,” often in questions or statements about preference: Quid tibi placet? What do you like? Hoc mihi placet; this pleases me. The verb can also appear in subordinate clauses and with various tenses to report past, ongoing, or future approval.

Placere appears in classical Latin literature to express taste, approval, or suitability, and remains a standard example of a verb that governs the dative to indicate the experiencer of the pleasing action. Its basic sense—“to please”—gives rise to many related expressions in Latin prose and poetry.