What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase is structured as "To me they are pleasing, the bananas".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, bananas are often referred to as bananos or guineos. In many Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, guineo is often used instead of plátano for the sweet banana. Note that in many Spanish-speaking regions, plátano can refer specifically to plantains (cooking bananas) rather than the sweet yellow bananas, depending on the local dialect.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you change the object from plural bananas to the singular banana, the verb must change from gustan to gusta, as in Me gusta el plátano.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ɡustan los platanos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use Yo gusto los plátanos because they translate "I like" directly, but in Spanish, the thing being liked is the subject of the sentence.
Did you know?
- If you say Me gustan los plátanos to a person in certain regions, they might interpret it as a sexual double entendre rather than a statement about fruit.
- The word plátano is a linguistic traveler that entered Spanish via Arabic, originally derived from the Greek word for the plane tree.
- Using the word guineo for a banana in the Caribbean is a nod to the fruit's historical association with 'Guinea' in West Africa.
Examples in context
- Me gustan los plátanos.I like bananas.Tatoeba #13709223 by ecorralest101, translation #6922521 by CK
- Me gusta el plátano porque es sabroso.I like bananas because they are tasty.
- Soy fanática del plátano, siempre tengo uno en mi bolso.I'm a fan of bananas, I always have one in my bag.
- Me gustan los plátanos con yogur.I like bananas with yogurt.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are shopping for fruit at a market.
- ElenaMira, Javier, hay fruta fresca. Me gustan los plátanos.Look, Javier, there is fresh fruit. I like bananas.
- JavierA mí no me gustan los plátanos, prefiero las manzanas.I don't like bananas, I prefer apples.
- ElenaEstá bien, compraremos las dos cosas.That's fine, we will buy both things.
- JavierPerfecto, pongámoslas en la bolsa.Perfect, let's put them in the bag.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
