me gustan los libros
/me ɡustan los libɾos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I like books" is translated into Spanish as me gustan los libros.
This phrase is used to express a general fondness or preference for books.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is structured literally as "to me books are pleasing" rather than "I like books".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the colloquial phrase Me mola leer libros is used to say "I dig/like reading books."
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase negative, place no before the pronoun me, resulting in no me gustan los libros.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ɡustan los libɾos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use yo gusto los libros to say "I like books." In Spanish, the subject of the sentence is actually the thing being liked.
Did you know?
- Because gustar functions like 'to be pleasing', you can use it to describe a person's physical attraction to another by saying me gustas, which means 'I like you' in a romantic sense.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, referring to someone as a libro abierto describes a person who is transparent and has no secrets.
- The word libro shares the same Latin root as the English word 'library' and the word 'libretto' used in opera.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué te flipa hacer en tu tiempo libre? / Me encanta leer libros. Es la forma perfecta de escapar a otras realidades.What do you love doing in your free time? / I love to read books. It is the perfect way to escape to other realities.
- Me gustan mucho los libros de historia.I like history books a lot.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are browsing in a bookstore.
- MateoSofía, ¿te gusta leer?Sofía, do you like to read?
- SofíaSí, me gustan los libros.Yes, I like books.
- MateoA mí también me gustan los libros.I like books too.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! Vamos a buscar uno.That's great! Let's look for one.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
