Which one should you use?
La BBC me fascina is a way to say you find the BBC incredibly fascinating, and Estoy enganchado(a) a la BBC is an informal way to say you are hooked on BBC's shows.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you might hear Me chifla la BBC to express a great liking for the BBC.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb gustar is used such that the subject of the sentence is actually la BBC and the phrase me gusta translates literally to "it pleases me". In Spanish, acronyms for organizations like the BBC almost always require a definite article (la) before them.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not say yo gusto la BBC. English speakers often mistakenly use the direct translation yo gusto la BBC, but gustar does not function like the English verb "to like" where the person is the subject.
Did you know?
- Because la BBC is the grammatical subject of the sentence, if you liked multiple things about the BBC, the verb gusta would change to the plural gustan.
- The word la used in la BBC evolved from the Latin illa, which originally meant 'that one'.
- In Spanish, the word 'BBC' is treated as a feminine noun because it is preceded by the feminine article la, even though the acronym itself is an English import.
Examples in context
- Me gusta la BBC porque sus documentales son fascinantes.I like BBC because their documentaries are fascinating.
- ¡Me flipa la genial programación de la BBC!I'm crazy about the awesome programming of BBC!
- Me gusta la BBC por sus documentales.I like the BBC because of its documentaries.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are discussing television programs at a cafe.
- Alejandro¿Qué programas ves en la televisión?What programs do you watch on television?
- ElenaA mí me gusta la BBC.I like the BBC.
- AlejandroEs una excelente elección para aprender.It is an excellent choice for learning.
- ElenaSí, sus noticias son muy profesionales.Yes, its news is very professional.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries BBC, la, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
