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Learn how to describe preferences in Spanish with key verbs like preferir, encantar, and gustar. This lesson teaches you to express likes, loves, and preferences using proper pronouns, agreement phrases such as también and tampoco, and outlines important grammar points including irregular verb forms and negation. Master these basics to communicate your tastes clearly and naturally.
  1. With these verbs the pronouns "me, te, le, nos, os, les" are used.
  2. We use "también" for affirmations and "tampoco" for negations.
Verbo (Verb)Ejemplos (Examples)
Encantar (Love)

Me encanta la música. (I love music.)

No me encantan estas canciones. (I don't love these songs.)

Preferir (Prefer)

Prefiero bailar que cantar. (I prefer to dance than to sing.)

Ellos prefieren ir al teatro, no al cine. (They prefer going to the theatre, not to the cinema.)

Gustos iguales (Similar tastes)

A mí me gusta. - A mí también. (I like it. - I also.)

A mí no me gusta. - A mí tampoco. (I don’t like it. - Neither do I.)

Gustos diferentes (Different tastes)

A mí me gusta - A mí no. (I like it - I don't.)

A mí no me gusta. - A mí sí. (I don't like it. - I do.)

Exceptions!

  1. Remember that the word "tampoco" includes a negation and you cannot use it with "no".
  2. The verb preferir is irregular. In the stem, the "e" changes to "ie" in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros.

Exercise 1: Describir preferencias: "Preferir, Encantar, Gustar"

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

tampoco, amáis, odian, también, Prefiero, no, preferimos

1.
¿No te gustan estos bailes? A mí ....
(Don't you like these dances? Neither do I.)
2.
Nosotros ... ir al cine que ver una exposición.
(We prefer going to the cinema rather than seeing an exhibition.)
3.
¿A Catarina le gusta el arte? A mí .... No me parece interesante.
(Does Catarina like art? I don’t. I don’t find it interesting.)
4.
No te interesan museos, ¿verdad? A mí ... me interesan.
(You're not interested in museums, are you? I'm not interested in them either.)
5.
Ana y Jaime ... ir a los conciertos.
(Ana and Jaime hate going to concerts.)
6.
Vosotros ... ver las exposiciones, ¿no?
(You all love to see the exhibitions, don’t you?)
7.
... ir al concierto que escuchar música en casa.
(I prefer to go to the concert rather than listen to music at home.)
8.
¿A Amalia y a Eva les interesan bailes? ¡A mí ...!
(Are Amalia and Eva interested in dances? Me too!)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Yo ___ salir al cine el viernes por la noche.

(I ___ to go out to the movies on Friday night.)

2. A María le ___ bailar en las fiestas.

(Maria ___ loves to dance at parties.)

3. Nos ___ ir al concierto de música española.

(We ___ like to go to the Spanish music concert.)

4. A ti te gusta el teatro y a mí ___.

(You like the theater and I ___.)

5. Ellos ___ ir al museo que al cine.

(They ___ prefer to go to the museum rather than the movies.)

6. A mí no me gusta cantar, pero a Carlos ___.

(I don't like to sing, but Carlos ___.)

Describe Preferences: Using "Preferir", "Encantar", and "Gustar"

In this lesson, you will learn how to express likes, loves, and preferences in Spanish with three essential verbs: preferir (to prefer), encantar (to love), and gustar (to like). These verbs are fundamental for everyday conversations when sharing opinions and tastes.

Key Verbs and Example Sentences

  • Encantar: This verb means "to love" or "to really like." Examples include:
    Me encanta la música. (I love music.)
    No me encantan estas canciones. (I don’t love these songs.)
  • Preferir: This verb means "to prefer" and is irregular—notice the stem change from "e" to "ie" in most forms.
    Prefiero bailar que cantar. (I prefer dancing to singing.)
    Ellos prefieren ir al teatro, no al cine. (They prefer going to the theater, not the cinema.)
  • Gustar and expressing agreement or disagreement:
    To talk about shared likes, use también for agreement (A mí me gusta. — A mí también.) and tampoco for shared dislikes (A mí no me gusta. — A mí tampoco.). For differences, note the phrases A mí no (not me) and A mí sí (yes, me).

Pronouns and Usage

When using these verbs, you will frequently combine them with indirect object pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les to indicate who likes or prefers something.

Important Grammar Tips

The word tampoco includes negation by itself and should not be used together with no. Also, remember the stem change in preferir happens in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Comparing Spanish Preferences with English

English speakers should note that verbs like gustar work differently from "to like" in English. Instead of "I like music," Spanish says "Me gusta la música," which literally means "Music is pleasing to me." Such differences require using indirect object pronouns and adjusting sentence order.

Useful phrases:
Me gusta(n) ... — I like ...
Me encanta(n) ... — I love ...
Prefiero ... — I prefer ...
A mí también. — Me too.
A mí tampoco. — Me neither.
A mí sí. — I do (when agreeing to a positive statement while others disagree).

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