20 Like, hurt, body parts
Verbo gustar (=to like) is a verb you DON’T CONJUGATE. You keep GUSTA most the time.
- Te gusta means You like, literally “pleases you”
- Me gusta means I like, literally “pleases me”
If the thing you like is plural or more than one, you just add an N:
- Me gustan las casas grandes (=I like the houses big).
- Me gustan los hombres maduros (=I like the men mature).
- ¿Te gustan los insectos venenosos? (=Do you like the insects venenous?)
If you forget to add an N, no big deal, we still understand.
Intermedios, avanzados y nativos: if you use “gustar” in the past, prefer the imperfect: GUSTABA and GUSTABAN.
Verbo GUSTAR works very different from English. It doesn’t use the conjugation gusto to refer to something I like, and not the conjugation gustamos to something we like. The word gusta doesn’t conjugate according to the person who likes something, only according to the item causing the like.
| Emphatic, not required | Required pronoun for experiencer | Verb “gustar” | Thing that causes the like | Meaning |
| a mí | me | gusta | la fiesta | The party pleases me |
| a ti | te | gusta | la fiesta | The party pleases you |
| a él, a ella | le | gusta | la fiesta | The party pleases him/her |
| a nosotros, a nosotras | nos | gusta | la fiesta | The party pleases us |
| a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes | les | gusta | la fiesta | The party pleases them |
Keep the singular for things you like TO DO:
Me gusta cantar (I like to sing) / Me gusta cantar y bailar (I like to sing and dance) / Me gusta correr, subir montañas, montar bicicleta, cantar y dormir.
The verb DOLER (to hurt) works similarly to GUSTAR. It also agrees in number with the part of the body that hurts:
| Emphatic, not required | Required pronoun for experiencer | Verb “doler” | Thing that causes the like | Meaning |
| a mí | me | duele | la cabeza | The head hurts me |
| a ti | te | duele | la espalda | The back hurts you |
| a él, a ella | le | duele | la garganta | The throat hurts him/her |
| a nosotros, a nosotras | nos | duele | la barriga | The belly hurts us |
| a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes | les | duele | la nariz | The nose hurts them |
When you refer to several parts of the body that hurt, you need to add an N:
- Me duelen las manos (=hands).
- Me duelen las piernas (=legs).
- Me duelen los ojos (=eyes).
- Me duelen los hombros (=shoulders).
- Me duelen las caderas (=hips).
You use the definite article “la garganta” (the throat) and not “mi garganta” (my throat) since the person is already implied in the object pronoun ME. However, if you use it, it’s ok. It just sounds a bit with an accent.
Other verbs like “gustar” are (IAN):
- faltar: to be missing
- molestar: to annoy
- encantar: to charm
- importar: to matter
- caer bien: to like someone, to make well to your stomach, lit. to fall well
- caer mal: to dislike someone, to make bad to your stomach
Examples:
- Faltar: Me faltan cien dólares / Me falta una sola tarea por hacer.
- Encantar: Me encanta tu forma de ser / Me encantan las montañas.
- Importar: A ella no le importan sus hijos / A ella le importa su esposo.
- Caer bien/mal: ¿Cómo te cae la profesora de español? / ¿Te cae bien mi primo?. REFERRING TO FOOD: Me cae mal la leche. Tengo intolerancia a la lactosa.
Sample conversations
Describing parts of the body in a monster
Check the following cumbia song by the Argentine group “Canticuenticos” to describe parts of the body.
Cumbia del monstruo de la laguna “CANTICUÉNTICOS”
Then describe the image below by using the template:
A: Al monstruo de la laguna le gusta mover _____________ (add part of the body)
B: Al monstruo de la laguna le gusta mover _____________ (add part of the body)
A: (Repeat with another part of the body).
B: (Rpeat with another part of the body).
La panza (=the belly), las manos (=the hands), los hombros (=the shoulders), la cadera (=the hip), los pies (=the feet), la cabeza (=the head).
At the end repeat everything he moves:
A: El monstruo de la laguna mueve (=moves) ______________, ______________ y _______________.
B: El monstruo de la laguna mueve (=moves) ______________, ______________ y _______________.
Talking about pain
A: ¿Qué haces cuando te duele ________ (=part of the body)?
B: Cuando me duele _________ (=part of the body), yo ____________________ (add action conjugated in the yo-form).
- Llamar al doctor=call the doctor
- Practicar deportes=practice sports
- Tomar medicina=take a medicine
- Comer=to eat
- Descansar=to rest
- Llorar=to cry
- Aplicar hielo=apply ice
- Duermo=I sleep
- Lo muevo=I move it
Talking about nice and mean people
A: ¿Quién ____ (add pronoun) __________ (verb “caer”) bien OR mal?
B: _____ (add pronoun) _____________ (verb “caer”) bien OR mal ____________________ (add person).
A: ¿Por qué? (=Why)
B: Porque es ________________ (add an adjective) OR Porque ____________________ (add an action in the present indicative).
In Spanish, you don’t use “gusta” when you like a person just because you find this person nice. GUSTA only refers to romantic attraction if you use it with people.
Annoying roommates
A: ¿Qué te molesta de tus compañeros de cuarto (=roommates)?
B: Me molesta que __________________ (add word in the subjunctive in the plural).
Coman duro=eat hard
Ronquen=snore
No respeten el PARE=don’t respect the Stop sign
Hagan ruido cuando duermo=make noises while I sleep
Cocicen a la media noche=cook at midnight
Mientan=lie
Se demoren en el baño=take time in the bathroom
Verbs are already conjugated, write down the infinitive once you finish conversation.
