Expressing Likes and Dislikes in Spanish
Want to find out how to express your likes and dislikes in Spanish? Click here to see a wide range of methods for talking about what we like and don’t like in life!
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What is it that you like/dislike?Saying that you like somethingSaying why you like it!Positive adjectivesSaying what you dislikeNegative verb constructionsSitting on the fenceQuizWe like it when you learn!Maybe you like learning languages, swimming, or going to parties. Or maybe you dislike studying, physical activity, and social events—whatever it is you like or dislike, this article aims to teach you how to express that in Spanish!
What is it that you like/dislike?
Remember, when you’re saying what you like and dislike, you can refer to various things. You can talk about a noun:
- No me gusta la música pop.I don’t like pop music.
You can talk about an action (a verb):
- No me gusta nadar.I don’t like swimming.
You can talk about an idea or concept. This might require the subjunctive!
- No me gusta que me mientas tanto.I don’t like that you lie to me so much.
Saying that you like something
Let’s start with your ‘gustos’ (likes)! There are several phrases that you can use to say that you like something. Most of them are constructions with verbs.
A lot of these constructions can confuse students a bit, because they’re not as simple as ‘I like X.’ Instead, they take the form of ‘X pleases/amuses/fascinates me.’
When we learn basic sentences in Spanish, we often use a simple subject-verb(-object) word order, like in these examples:
When we throw in some indirect object pronouns, things get a little more sophisticated.
(If we want to, we can add a part that emphasizes who the ‘recipient’ of the action is, for example, ‘Yo te hablo a ti.’ If you want to know more about direct and indirect object pronouns, we’ve got you covered!)
‘Gustar’ is just a verb like any other; don’t be intimidated by it! In the construction we are learning, thinking of it as ‘to please’ helps explain the word order: the thing liked is the Spanish subject, and the person who likes it is the indirect object. The natural English translation is ‘to like.’ If X pleases Pedro, then Pedro likes X.
Let’s use the verb gustar to begin with, to see what happens when we use verbs with indirect object pronouns. You can have a lot of fun switching up the word order here!
*Some of the sentences are grammatically unnatural (so we recommend you don’t use them), but they help with explanation, so bear with us!
- GustarTo please
- La música gusta.*Music pleases.
- La música gusta a Pedro.*Music pleases Pedro.
- La música le gusta a Pedro.Music pleases Pedro.
- A Pedro le gusta la música.To Pedro, music is pleasing.
- La música le gusta.Music pleases him/her (i.e. he/she likes music.)
- Le gusta la música.Music pleases him/her (i.e. he/she likes music.)
- La música me gusta.Music pleases me. (i.e. I like music.)
- Me gusta la música.Music pleases me. (i.e. I like music.)
You can see that it’s very unnatural to say things like, ‘To Pedro, music is pleasing.’ And that’s why we translate it as ‘Pedro likes music.’ So if you’re ever confused about word order, remember that ‘to please’ is a useful guide to the Spanish construction, and ‘Pedro likes music’ is the natural English translation.
- GustarTo please
- Me gusta la música.I like music. (Music pleases me.)
- Encantar (me encanta)To delight (I love)
- Bailar me encanta.I love dancing. (Dancing delights me.)
- DivertirTo amuse
- Me divierten los dibujos animados.Cartoons amuse me.
- FascinarTo fascinate
- Me fascina la ciencia.Science fascinates me.
- Hacer reírTo make laugh
- Mi hermana me hace reír cada día.My sister makes me laugh every day.
- Hacer sonreírTo make smile
- Me haces sonreír.You make me smile.
- InteresarTo interest
- Me interesa mucho el tema.The topic really interests me.
- AmarTo love
- Te amo.I love you.
- ¡X mola! (Madrid slang)X rocks!
- ¡Lo máximo! (Colombian slang)Awesome!
Saying why you like it!
Once you’ve said that you like something, it makes sense to justify your opinion with a reason.
First off, you’ll need some ways to say ‘because.’
- Porque esBecause it’s
- Ya que esBecause/seeing as it’s
- Puesto que esBecause/seeing as it’s
Here’s a list of positive adjectives to describe a thing that you like.
Positive adjectives
- AgradablePleasant
- AmableFriendly
- BuenoGood
- DeliciosoDelicious
- DivertidoFun
- EstupendoStupendous
- ExcelenteExcellent
- FabulosoFabulous
- FácilEasy
- FantásticoFantastic
- FascinanteFascinating
- FenomenalPhenomenal
- InteligenteIntelligent
- InteresanteInteresting
- MagníficoMagnificent
- MaravillosoMarvellous
- PreciosoBeautiful
- SimpáticoNice
- ÚtilUseful
Saying what you dislike
None of us can pretend to like everything. It’s just as important to be able to express what you don’t like. So, let’s look at how to describe your ‘disgustos’/‘aversiones’/‘antipatías’ (dislikes)!
Negative verb constructions
- No me gusta cocinar.I don’t like cooking.
- Las matemáticas no me gustan.I don’t like mathematics.
- No me gusta X para nada.I don’t like X at all.
- Odio X.I hate X.
- AburrirTo bore
- Me aburren sus mentiras.His lies bore me.
- CansarTo tire
- Tus mentiras me cansan.Your lies tire me.
- FastidiarTo annoy
- Me fastidia su voz.Her voice annoys me.
- IrritarTo irritate
- Me irrita aquella película.That movie irritates me.
- MolestarTo annoy
- Daniela me molesta.Daniela annoys me.
- No me va X.X doesn’t suit me.
- Detesto X.I detest X.
- Aborrezco X.I abhor X.
And here are some negative adjectives to explain why you dislike something!
- AburridoBoring
- AsquerosoDisgusting
- ComplicadoComplicated
- DifícilDifficult
- HorribleHorrible
- MaloBad
- MolestoAnnoying
- RepugnanteRevolting
If these are too strong for you, then you could use the word ‘demasiado’ with a more neutral adjective. It means ‘too.’ For example,
- No me gusta X porque para mí es demasiado …I don’t like X because for me it’s too …
- largolong
- científicosciencey
- rosapink
- dulcesweet
- calientehot
Sitting on the fence
Sometimes you don’t necessarily like or dislike something. Here are some phrases to use for those in-between situations:
- ValeIt’s okay.
- Me da igual.It’s the same to me.
- Está bien.It’s okay.
- La verdad es que prefiero …The truth is that I prefer …
Quiz
For each example, choose the best translation from the options given.
1. Me gusta bailar porque es divertido.
a. I love to dance because it’s fun.
b. I like to dance because it’s fun.
c. I like to dance because it’s boring.
Click to reveal the correct answer:
b. I like to dance because it’s fun.
2. Detesto la música rap.
a. I love rap music.
b. I hate rap music.
c. I’m indifferent to rap music.
Click to reveal the correct answer:
b. I hate rap music.
3. Mi gato me hace sonreír.
a. My cat makes me smile.
b. My cat makes me happy.
c. My cat is smiley.
Click to reveal the correct answer:
a. My cat makes me smile.
4. Me aburren los documentales.
a. Documentaries excite me.
b. Documentaries upset me.
c. Documentaries bore me.
Click to reveal the correct answer:
c. Documentaries bore me.
5. ¿Mis gustos culinarios? Me encantan los mariscos y aprecio el vino tinto.
a. My culinary likes? I love seafood and I appreciate red wine.
b. My culinary dislikes? I love seafood and I appreciate red wine.
c. My culinary likes? I like seafood and don’t mind wine.
Click to reveal the correct answer:
a. My culinary likes? I love seafood and I appreciate red wine.
We like it when you learn!
Hopefully in this article you’ve learned a few different ways of expressing your likes and dislikes in Spanish. Practice a little every day to help solidify what you’ve learned!
