How to talk about likes and dislikes in Spanish

Want to talk about what you like and dislike in Spanish? Let’s make sure you sound natural!

When you start learning Spanish, you quickly realize that expressing your opinions is a big part of everyday conversation. You might want to say “I like coffee,” “I don’t like traffic,” or “I love music.” But in Spanish, the structure is very different from English — and that’s what makes it tricky for many learners.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to talk about likes and dislikes in Spanish step by step. You’ll learn how to use gustar and similar verbs correctly, understand why the grammar works differently, discover pronunciation and rhythm tips, and get plenty of examples you can actually use in daily life.

By the end, you’ll be able to express your likes and dislikes naturally — just like a native Spanish speaker!

Talking About Likes in Spanish

The Most Common Verb: Gustar

The verb gustar is the key to expressing what you like in Spanish. But here’s the important part:
In Spanish, gustar doesn’t literally mean “to like.” It actually means “to be pleasing.”

So when you say Me gusta la música, you’re really saying “Music pleases me.”

That’s why the sentence order feels reversed compared to English.

• Me gusta la música. → I like music.
• Me gustan los libros. → I like books.

The thing that pleases you (music, books, chocolate) is the subject, and the person who likes it (me, te, le, nos, les) is the indirect object.

Singular and Plural

Use me gusta for one thing or for a verb:

• Me gusta el chocolate. → I like chocolate.
• Me gusta bailar. → I like dancing.

Use me gustan for more than one thing:

• Me gustan los perros. → I like dogs.
• Me gustan los días soleados. → I like sunny days.

💡 Tip: Pay attention to the ending – if what you like is plural, the verb ends in “-n.”

Indirect Object Pronouns

Here’s a quick chart so you can talk about what you, your friends, or other people like:

Person	Pronoun	Example
I	me	Me gusta el cine.
You (informal)	te	Te gustan los tacos.
He/She/You (formal)	le	Le gusta bailar salsa.
We	nos	Nos gustan los gatos.
You all	les	Les gusta el vino tinto.
They/You all (LatAm)	les	Les gustan las fiestas.

To add emphasis, you can say A + name/pronoun:

• A mí me gusta el café.
• A Juan le gustan los deportes.
• A nosotros nos gusta viajar.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Me gusto el helado.
✅ Me gusta el helado. (Remember, “me gusto” means “I please myself” — not what you want to say!)

❌ Me gusta los libros.
✅ Me gustan los libros. (The books are plural, so use “gustan.”)

❌ Yo gusto la música.
✅ Me gusta la música. (In Spanish, you are not the subject when using gustar.)

Other Verbs Like Gustar

Once you’re comfortable with gustar, you can expand your vocabulary. These verbs work the same way:

• encantar – to love something (Me encanta viajar. → I love traveling.)
• interesar – to interest (Me interesa la historia. → I’m interested in history.)
• fascinar – to fascinate (Me fascina el arte. → Art fascinates me.)
• importar – to matter (Me importa mi familia. → My family matters to me.)

They all use the same structure:
(A mí) me + [verb] + subject

Real-Life Examples of Likes

Daily life:

• Me gusta leer antes de dormir. → I like reading before bed.
• Nos gusta cocinar juntos. → We like cooking together.

Travel:

• Me gusta visitar pueblos mágicos. → I like visiting charming small towns.
• Me gustan las playas de México. → I like Mexican beaches.

Work:

• Me gusta trabajar con animales. → I like working with animals.
• Me interesa aprender español para mi carrera. → I’m interested in learning Spanish for my career.

Relationships:

• A mi pareja le gusta bailar. → My partner likes to dance.
• A mis amigos les gusta salir los fines de semana. → My friends like going out on weekends.

Challenge for You

👉 Write 3 sentences using me gusta or me gustan to describe your favorite food, hobby, and place.

Example:

• Me gusta el sushi.
• Me gustan los museos.
• Me gusta viajar por España.

Talking About Dislikes in Spanish

The Simple Way: Add “No”

To say you don’t like something, just add no in front:

• No me gusta el café. → I don’t like coffee.
• No me gustan las películas tristes. → I don’t like sad movies.

💡 Tip: In Spanish, no always comes directly before the pronoun (me, te, le, etc.).

Stronger Dislikes: “Odiar” and “Detestar”

If you really dislike something, use odiar (to hate) or detestar (to detest). These verbs are regular and work like normal -ar verbs.

• Odio levantarme temprano. → I hate getting up early.
• Detesto el tráfico. → I hate traffic.

Softer Ways to Say You Don’t Like Something

Spanish speakers often soften their dislikes to sound polite, especially in Latin America.
Instead of saying No me gusta, you might hear:

• No es mi favorito. → It’s not my favorite.
• No me va mucho. → It’s not really my thing.
• No soy fan de… → I’m not a fan of…

This makes your opinion sound gentler and friendlier — a useful cultural tip when you want to avoid sounding too direct.

Real-Life Examples of Dislikes

Food & drink:

• No me gusta la cerveza. → I don’t like beer.
• Odio las aceitunas. → I hate olives.

Daily routines:

• No me gusta limpiar la casa. → I don’t like cleaning the house.
• Me fastidia esperar. → Waiting annoys me.

Work:

• No me gusta trabajar los domingos. → I don’t like working on Sundays.
• Me molesta llegar tarde. → Being late bothers me.

Travel:

• No me gustan los vuelos largos. → I don’t like long flights.
• Odio perder mi equipaje. → I hate losing my luggage.

Challenge for You

Translate this sentence:
“I don’t like watching TV, but I love reading.”

Answer:
No me gusta ver la televisión, pero me encanta leer.

Grammar Notes and English Comparisons

Why Gustar Feels Backwards

In English, you’re the subject: “I like pizza.”
In Spanish, the pizza is the subject: Me gusta la pizza.

Literally: “Pizza pleases me.”

That’s why gustar uses indirect object pronouns (me, te, le…) instead of subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…).

Using Verbs After Gustar

When what you like is an activity, use the infinitive:

• Me gusta bailar. → I like to dance.
• Me gusta cocinar. → I like cooking.

You don’t need an article before the verb — just me gusta + infinitive.

Other Useful Tenses

You’ll mostly use the present tense of gustar, but here are a few other forms:

Tense	Form	Example
Present	me gusta / me gustan	Me gusta el café.
Preterite	me gustó / me gustaron	Me gustó la película.
Imperfect	me gustaba / me gustaban	Me gustaba leer cuando era niño.
Future	me gustará / me gustarán	Me gustará conocer Madrid.
Conditional	me gustaría	Me gustaría aprender italiano.

💡 Tip: Me gustaría (I would like) is very common and polite for requests:
Me gustaría una mesa para dos, por favor. → I would like a table for two, please.

Pronunciation and Rhythm

• Me gusta → pronounced “meh GOOS-tah”
• Me gustan → “meh GOOS-tahn”
• No me gusta → say the “no” clearly before “me,” with a short pause: “no meh GOOS-tah.”

Native speakers connect words smoothly, so “me gusta bailar” sounds like “meh GOOS-ta bai-LAR.”
Practice saying it rhythmically — every vowel is pronounced clearly.

Regional and Cultural Notes

Spanish is spoken in many countries, and people have fun ways of expressing what they like!

• In Mexico, you might hear Me late eso — “I like that” (literally “That beats for me”).
• In Argentina, people say Me copa — meaning “I like it / it’s cool.”
• In Spain, No me va mucho means “It’s not really my thing.”

These regional phrases make your Spanish sound more natural once you know the basics.

Translate into Spanish

a) I like green tea but I don’t like coffee.
b) We love going to the beach.
c) My sister hates washing dishes.
d) Do you like listening to music?
e) They don’t like waiting in long lines.

Create Your Own Sentences

Write 5 sentences about your likes and dislikes using gustar, encantar, and odiar.
Try to include examples from travel, food, work, and hobbies.

Example:

• Me gusta el arte moderno.
• No me gustan los lunes.
• Me encanta el mar.
• Odio el tráfico.
• Me gustan las clases de español.

Journaling Prompts and Speaking Practice

Use these ideas to practice expressing yourself more freely.

Journaling Prompts:

• What kind of music do you like and why?
• What activities don’t you like doing during the week?
• Write about three foods you love and two you dislike.
• Describe a trip you enjoyed and say what you liked most about it.

Speaking Ideas:

• Ask a partner: ¿Qué te gusta hacer los fines de semana?
• Have a short conversation describing what you like or dislike about your city.
• Record yourself saying five sentences with me gusta and no me gusta — focus on pronunciation and rhythm.

Summary

Now you know how to talk about likes and dislikes in Spanish confidently and naturally.

✅ Use me gusta for singular things or verbs, and me gustan for plural things.
✅ Add no to express dislikes.
✅ Use encantar, fascinar, and odiar to express stronger feelings.
✅ Remember that gustar is reversed — the thing you like is the subject!
✅ Practice daily with real examples from your life.

Keep Learning

If you enjoyed this lesson, don’t stop here!

👉 Subscribe to the Speak Better Spanish free newsletter for more lessons, quizzes, and cultural tips.
👉 Listen to the Speak Better Spanish podcast — you’ll hear natural conversations that show how native speakers use these expressions. Find us on Spotify and Amazon Music.

👉 Visit the blog for more lessons on everyday Spanish you can actually use.

Now go practice — ¿Qué te gusta hacer hoy? 🌟

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