Complete Spanish

Track 42

1. gustar is "to be pleasing", not "to like" Rule

The verb works differently from English, which makes to like a misleading translation. Store it as to be pleasing and everything falls into place.

me gusta = it is pleasing to me = I like it
me gusta
I like it
me gustan
I like them (they please me)
me gustaría
I would like
A very common learner error is me gusto, translating I like literally. That actually means I like myself. You do not want to walk around telling everybody how much you like yourself.

Me gustaría comer ahora · Nos gustaría comer ahora · Me gustaría verte

2. Take the Spanglish step deliberately Method

Because the structure inverts, work through the literal version first. I like them becomes they please me, and then you can build it.

Start with the verb and you stay in control. Asked for we would like, the student produced "nos gustarían", letting the plural idea in nos leak into the verb. It is it would please us, so the verb is singular: nos gustaría.

It would please · gustaría. It would please us · nos gustaría. To eat now · comer ahora.

3. poder contracts in both futures Rule

A few verbs lose a vowel when the future endings go on. Poder should give "podería", but the e fell away.

poder + -ía → podría (I could)

Could is simply would be able. Common verbs are far more subject to change and irregularity, and many years of saying "podería" wore the vowel out.

podría
I / he / she could
podríamos
we could
podrían
they could
podrías
you could

¿Podrías venir a mi casa? · ¿Me podrías decir algo? / ¿Podrías decirme algo? · ¿Podrías decirme si quieres venir?

4. Recap of "would" Grammar

Hablaría · Hablaríamos · Hablarían · No hablarían

The key sound is -ía, added to the whole "to" form, and it covers I, he, she, it and formal you together.

5. New vocabulary Vocabulary

gustar
to be pleasing, to please
mi casa
my house
decir
to say, to tell

6. Just like English, you will use this a lot Note

Me gustaría is as common in Spanish as I would like is in English, which makes it a good hook for remembering the -ía ending itself.

Me gustaría comer ahora.