Beginning, Task 05

Simplified and native speakers:

• Simplified Example
• Alfredo C.
• Roxana B.
• José G.
• Alejandra Z.
• Luis A.

Click red links to download .m4v files for use in iPod:

• Simplified Example
• Alfredo C.
• Roxana B.
• José G.
• Alejandra Z.
• Luis A.

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Key vocabulary for this task

Example phrases for this task

Grammar points for this task



		Simplified Example "Me gustan todos los deportes..."



		Alfredo C. México, Monterrey "Bueno, los fines de semana me gusta dedicarlos a la familia..."

		Roxana B. Chile, Santiago "Bueno algo que me gusta muchísimo hacer es..."

		José G. México, Delicias, Chihuahua "Pues, me gusta jugar futbol..."

		Alejandra Z. Ecuador, Quito "Hay cuatro cosas que me encantan..."

		Luis A. Costa Rica, San José "A mí me gusta mucho lo que yo hago..."

al aire libre		in the open air
cercano (adj)		close, near
contaminación (f)		pollution
dedicar		to devote
disfrutar		to enjoy

ir al cine		to go to the movies
naturaleza (f)		nature
playa (f)		beach
reunirse		to get together

Me gustan casi todos los deportes. En especial, me encanta el futbol.	I like almost all sports. I especially love soccer.
Todos los fines de semana voy al gimnasio a nadar y después a correr.	Every weekend I go to the gym to swim and then to run.
Una vez por semana voy al cine o al teatro. También procuro ir a conciertos y exposiciones de arte.	Once a week go to the movies o to the theater. I also try to go to concerts and art exhibitions.
Siempre voy a comer fuera con mi familia los domingos. Nos gusta la comida del medio oriente y de la India.	I always go out to eat with my family on Sundays. We like food from the Middle East and India.
Dedico por lo menos dos horas diarias para la lectura de novelas, poesía, ensayo y cuento.	I devote at least two hours each day to read novels, poetry, essays, and stories.

The verb 'gustar'

The verb GUSTAR is a little different in Spanish. Instead of conjugating GUSTAR like most verbs (e.g., I, you he, she, etc.), it is used with indirect objects (e.g., to me, to you, to him, to her, etc.). In other words, Spanish speakers do not say "I like the house." Instead, they something more like, "The house is nice to me." When you use the verb GUSTAR, there are three general patterns, depending on whether what you like is a singular noun, a plural noun, or a verb.

Note: The indirect object (me, te, le, nos, les) agrees with the person who is doing the liking (to me, to you, to him, to us, to them). The verb form "gusta" is always in the singular when the noun is singular. In all of the following examples, the sentences are written with the prepositional phrase (a mí, a tí, a él, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence. This is optional and most Spanish speakers will say the sentence without the initial prepositional phrase. Examples (singular noun):

(A mí) me gusta la casa. I like the house.

(A tí) te gusta tu abuelo. You like your grandpa.

(A usted) le gusta la comida. You like the food.

(A él) le gusta el libro. He likes the book.

(A ellas) les gusta el carro. They like the car.

(A nosotros) nos gusta su mamá. We like your mother.

The verb form "gustan" is always in the plural when the noun is plural or there are two nouns. Examples (plural noun):

(A mí) me gustan las casas. I like the houses.

(A tí) te gustan tus abuelos. You like your grandpas.

(A usted) le gustan las comidas. You like the foods.

(A él) le gustan los libros. He likes the book.

(A ellas) les gustan los carros. They like the car.

(A nosotros) nos gustan sus mamás. We like your mothers.

The verb form "gusta" is always in the singular when it is followed by a verb, even if there are many verbs listed. Examples (singular with verbs):

(A mí) me gusta cantar mucho. I like to sing a lot.

(A tí) te gusta recibir y escribir cartas. You like to receive and write letters.

(A usted) le gusta escuchar la música. You like to listen to music.

(A él) le gusta comer y bailar. He likes to eat and dance.

(A ellas) les gusta aprender el español. They like to learn Spanish.

(A nosotros) nos gusta correr. We like to run.