Lesson 19 - Restaurante (Restaurant)
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Pages in this lesson: Restaurant foods - gustar - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
This page: Learn how to use the verb gustar in Spanish (to like).
The verb gustar
Grammar Lesson
To express that you like something in Spanish, you have to say it backwards from how we say it in English. For example, in English we would say, "I like chocolate." In Spanish they flip this sentence on its head and say that chocolate is pleasing to me.
- Me gusta el chocolate. = I like chocolate. (Literally, "Chocolate is pleasing to me.")
- Me gustan las galletas. = I like cookies. (Literally, "Cookies are pleasing to me.")
You will notice in the sentences above that the verb gustar agrees with the thing that you like (because the thing that you like is the subject of the verb). In the first sentence, the verb is in the singular form (gusta) to agree with the singular subject el chocolate. In the second sentence the verb is in the plural form (gustan) to agree with the plural subject las galletas (the cookies). The word me is an indirect object pronoun that means "to me."
| Forms of gustar | Translation |
|---|---|
| Me gusta (singular) Me gustan (plural) |
I like |
| Te gusta (singular) Te gustan (plural) |
You like (informal singular "you") |
| Le gusta (singular) Le gustan (plural) |
He/She likes, You like (formal singular "you") |
| Nos gusta (singular) Nos gustan (plural) |
We like |
| Os gusta (singular) Os gustan (plural) |
You like (informal plural "you" in Spain only) |
| Les gusta (singular) Les gustan (plural) |
They/You like (Plural "you") |
Using gustar with another verb
You can also use the verb gustar to talk about activities that you like (another verb). The verb gustar will be in its singular form (gusta), and the verb that describes the activity that you like will be in the infinitive form.
- Me gusta patinar. = I like to skate. (Literally, "Skating is pleasing to me.")
- Me gusta nadar. = I like to swim. (Literally, "Swimming is pleasing to me.")
encantar = to love
To say that you love (rather than just like) something you use the verb encantar.
- Me encanta el chocolate. = I love chocolate.
- Me encantan las galletas. = I love cookies.
| Forms of encantar | Translation |
|---|---|
| Me encanta (singular) Me encantan (plural) |
I love |
| Te encanta (singular) Te encantan (plural) |
You love (informal singular "you") |
| Le encanta (singular) Le encantan (plural) |
He/She loves, You love (formal singular "you") |
| Nos encanta (singular) Nos encantan (plural) |
We love |
| Os encanta (singular) Os encantan (plural) |
You love (informal plural "you" used in Spain only) |
| Les encanta (singular) Les encantan (plural) |
They/You love (Plural "you") |
Practice
Section 1
Select like, love or not like to express how you feel about the following things or activities. Make sure you select the singular verb form (gusta/encanta) with singular items or infinitive verbs and the plural verb form (gustan/encantan) with plural items.
Practice
Section 2
Translate the sentence to Spanish. In Spanish the definite article (el/la) are used with the noun (the thing that you like). Don't forget to use correct capitalization, accents and punctuation, or the computer will mark it as incorrect.
- Examples:
- Te gusta el pollo.
- Me gustan los libros.
- No nos gustan las zanahorias.
- Le encanta leer.
Find the mistake in the sentence and re-write it correctly in the space. Don't forget to use correct capitalization, accents and punctuation, or the computer will mark it as incorrect.
|
Writing
Write sentences about what you like, don't like and love. If you want to type a special character (like an accented letter) in the comments section, you could do one of the following . . .
- Select and copy the character that you need → á é í ó ú ü ñ ¿ ¡ Á É Í Ó Ú Ü Ñ « »
- Use special codes on your computer if you have numeric keypad (instructions HERE).
- Type your sentences into the text box below and use the special character buttons provided. Then select and copy your text and paste it into the comments section.
If you see an error in someone else's sentence, please respond with the correction. Comments that are not from "Janet Castrejon" (the author of this page) do not represent Simplified Spanish. If someone is writing inappropriate comments on this webpage, please send a message to [email protected] and include the page that you saw the comment on.
Lesson 19 - Restaurante (Restaurant)
Restaurant foods - gustar - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
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Pronouns - Pronunciation - Verbs
