Severn Spanish

Gustar I: Infinitives

 

Review

Infinitives are the most basic forms of verbs, because they have not been conjugated to fit any particular subject. Spanish infinitives are broken into three categories, based on the last two letters of the verb: -ar, -er, and -ir.

 

 

Expressing likes and dislikes

How do you say, “I like to ________” in Spanish? With this construction: Me gusta __________.

In this blank, you can put in any assortment of infinitives that you would like.

Examples:

Me gusta nadar. (I like to swim.)

Me gusta correr y comer. (I like to run and eat.)

Me gusta bailar, cantar, dibujar, y patinar. (I like to dance, sing, draw, and skate.)

 

For emphasis, you can add a mí before me (don’t forget the accent on mí):

A mí me gusta nadar. (I like to swim.)

 

What if you are talking to a friend, and want to say, “You like to _________”? Like so: Te gusta __________.

Again, fill in the blank with whatever infinitives you want.

Examples:

Te gusta leer. (You like to read.)

Te gusta montar en bicicleta y tocar la guitarra. (You like to ride your bike and play guitar.)

You can also add a ti (no accent this time) to the front of the phrase for emphasis:

A ti te gusta leer. (You like to read.)

 

What happens if you don’t like something? Just add no before me or te. No always comes before the verb in Spanish, like the English “do not.”

Examples:

No me gusta cantar. (I do not like to sing.)

No te gusta pintar. (You do not like to paint.)

 

 

Conversations about likes and dislikes

When carrying out a conversation, it is important to be able to ask questions and relate what you are saying to what the other person is saying, rather than just list your likes and dislikes.

 

Asking questions

• ¿Qué te gusta hacer? ("What do you like to do?" Notice that qué means “what” and hacer means “to do.” The middle part, te gusta, is normal.)

• ¿Y a ti? ("And you?" Say this if you have been talking about your own likes and now want to hear about the other person.)

• ¿Te gusta ______? ("Do you like to __________?" Fill in the blank with an infinitive to ask if the person likes a specific activity.)

 

Relating your likes and dislikes to the other person’s

• también (also, too) — You can use this in several different ways, such as:

  • Me gusta dibujar, y también me gusta pintar. (I like to draw, and I also like to paint.)

  • Person 1: Me gusta cantar. Person 2: A mí también. (Person 1: I like to sing. Person 2: Me, too.)

• tampoco (neither) — This is a sort of weird word. It is like también, but used in negative sentences. You can think of it as a negative version of "also." For instance:

  • No me gusta bailar. Tampoco me gusta cantar. (I do not like to dance. I also do not like to sing.)

  • Person 1: No me gusta leer. Person 2: A mí tampoco. (Person 1: I do not like to read. Person 2: Me, neither.)

• ni… ni (neither, nor) — If you don’t like two things, you can use this. Remember that Spanish does allow — and requires — double negatives, so the sentence should start “No me/te gusta…” or “A mí/ti no me/te gusta…”

  • No me gusta ni esquiar ni patinar (I do not like to ski or to skate.)

• más que (more than) — If you want to show your preference for one activity over another, try using más que.

  • Me gusta nadar más que correr. (I like to swim more than to run.)

  • Te gusta bailar más que leer. (You like to dance more than to read.)

 

Answering questions

If someone asks you, “¿Qué te gusta hacer?” you can just say, “(A mí) me gusta…” But if someone asks you if you like a specific thing — “¿Te gusta montar en bicicleta?” — you have two options.

Sí, me gusta montar en bicicleta. (Yes, I like to ride my bike.)

No, no me gusta montar en bicicleta. (No, I do not like to ride my bike.)

 

Sample conversation

Marta and Julio are having a conversation about things they like and do not like to do. See if you can understand it.

M: ¡Hola! ¿Qué te gusta hacer?

J: A mí me gusta tocar la guitarra. ¿Y a ti? ¿Qué te gusta hacer?

M: Me gusta cantar y bailar. ¿Te gusta cantar?

J: Sí, me gusta mucho cantar. También me gusta bailar y correr. ¿Te gusta correr?

M: No, no me gusta correr. Tampoco me gusta montar en bicicleta.

J: A mí tampoco. Pero me gusta mucho montar en monopatín y esquiar. ¿Y a ti?

M: No me gusta ni montar en monopatín ni esquiar.