Don’t Say ME GUSTA, say THIS instead (5 Alternatives)!

Mis amigos, if you’re serious about speaking good Spanish, it’s time for you to STOP saying the same old me gusta in Spanish. Try any of these 5 alternatives instead to sound exactly like a Spanish native speaker! Don’t miss the conversation fully in Spanish at the end of this lesson where I’m using all of them. 

I’m teacher María Fernanda from Spring Spanish, and THIS is your first alternative:

#1 Me encanta

In the liking level, Me encanta, is above Me gusta. Therefore, feel free to use it when you want to express that you LOVE something. For example.

• Me encantan tus ojos. (I love your eyes.)
• No solo me gusta ir al cine, la neta es que me encanta. (Not only do I like going to the cinema, the truth is that I love it.)
• ¿Te gusta mi vestido? No, no solo me gusta, ¡me encanta! (Do you like my dress? No, I don’t just like it, I love it!)

#2 Me fascina

Me encanta is not enough? Then when something fascinates you or don’t, you may use this chunk. You can either say:

• Me fascinan los atardeceres. (I am fascinated by sunsets.)
• Me gusta la escuela, pero no me fascinan las matemáticas. (I like school, but I’m fascinated by math.)
• Hay algo en ti, que me fascina. (There is something about you that fascinates me.)

By the way, teacher Juan made a video about the verb gustar, so if you want to learn more about this particular verb, you can watch that video lesson here.

#3 Me apasiona

This chunk is fascinante (amazing), as you can express many things with it. It’s the similar to the English chunk: I’m passionate about… So, imagine, you now will be speaking like a native to express your passions by just using this one. 

• Me apasiona bailar. (I’m passionate about dancing.)
• No hay nada más que me apasione que pintar. (There is nothing that I’m more passionate about than painting.)
• No solo me encanta viajar, es mi pasión. Por eso me apasiona tomar fotografías cuando viajo. (I not only love traveling, it is my passion. Because of that, I am passionate about shooting photographs while I travel.)

#4 Me late

Mis amigos, en México (My friends, in Mexico) we don’t say Me gusta. When a Mexican likes something instead, we say Me late. I am thinking how we could translate this in English… maybe, “It gives me a beat”?

Since that makes no sense, it’s always better to learn the full chunk rather than translate word for word in Spanish. You should also download our free Spanish Essential Chunking kit where you will find many more useful chunks in Spanish that you can use right away. The link is in the description below.

Each time someone in Mexico uses this chunk, that means they like you or they like that… but if they said No me late, then please change subjects. For example:

• ¿Vamos por un café? Va, me late. (Let’s go for coffee. Okay, sounds good.)
• Tengo flojera hoy, ¿te late ver una película en casa? (I am lazy today, would you like watching a movie at home?)
• ¿Qué te parecen mis zapatos nuevos? ¡Me laten un buen wey! Te quedan bien. (What do you think about my new shoes? I like them a lot, dude! They suit you.)

#5 Soy fan

And last but not least, we have Soy fan, or as you may know it “I’m a fan of”… and this chunk is not only meant to be used when speaking about your favorite singer or bands or sports, it is to express when you love or like something. Let’s have a look at the following examples:

• ¿Te gusta el rock? – ¿Que sí me gusta? ¡Wey soy fan! (Do you like Rock? Whether I like it? Dude, I am a fan.)
• ¿Ya viste los videos de Spring Spanish? Sí, soy fan del canal. (Have you watched Spring Spanish videos? Yes, I am a fan of the YouTube Channel.)
• ¡Weeeeey! Soy super fan de los chocolates, no hay nada más rico en este mundo que un buen chocolate. (Duuuude! I am a fan of chocolate, there is nothing tastier in this world than good chocolate.)

Now, let’s use them in a conversation altogether and practice your listening skills.

Roleplay using Me gusta chunks

ACTOR 1
Hola, cuéntenme ¿qué les gusta hacer por las tardes?
(Hello, tell me, what do you like to do in the afternoon?)

ACTOR 2
A mí me gusta hacer deporte, pero últimamente me encanta ir al cine. ¿Y a ti?
(I like to do sports, but lately I love going to the cinema. And you?)

ACTOR 3
Bueno a mí no me gusta el cine, pero me fascina leer un buen libro en el parque. ¿Por qué la pregunta?
(Well, I don’t like cinema, but I am fascinated by reading a good book at the park. Why the question?)

ACTOR 1
Bueno, porque a mi me apasiona pintar, y quería invitarlos a una clase muestra. ¿Les late?
(Well, because I am passionate about painting and I wanted to invite you to a trial lesson. Do you fancy?)

ACTOR 2
Sí, a mi sí me late. Siempre me interesó probar la pintura. ¿A ti te gustaría?
(Yes, I would like that. I have always been interested in trying painting. Would you like to?) 

ACTOR 3
Wey, soy fan de la pintura, no sabía que te gustaba pintar. Cuenta conmigo, me encantaría ir a la clase muestra.
(Dude, I am a fan of painting, I didn’t know that you liked to paint. Count on me, I would love to go to the trial lesson.)

ACTOR 1
¡Ya están! Entonces nos vemos la próxima semana sin falta. 
(Alright! See you next week then.)