What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me gustan los cupcakes translates to "to me they are pleasing the cupcakes".
Which one should you use?
Use me gusta el cupcake when talking about a single masculine cupcake, and me gustan las cupcakes for feminine plural cupcakes. For a more intense expression of preference, you can use the informal phrase Me chiflan los cupcakes, which means "I am crazy about cupcakes".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the verb *gustar* is conjugated based on the thing being liked rather than the person doing the liking. Because "cupcakes" is plural, the third-person plural form gustan is used in me gustan los cupcakes. If you are talking about only one cupcake, the verb changes to the singular gusta, as seen in Me gusta el cupcake.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ɡustan los kubkakes/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying yo gusto los cupcakes. English speakers often make this mistake by trying to translate "I like" literally, but in Spanish, the cupcakes are the subject of the sentence, not you.
Did you know?
- To express an intense passion for cupcakes, you can use the informal phrase Me chiflan los cupcakes, which literally means they 'whistle' or 'drive you crazy'.
- While cupcakes is common, in Spain you will often find magdalenas, which are traditional sponge cakes that look like cupcakes but usually lack frosting and are less sweet.
- The word me in this phrase is a linguistic relative of the English word 'me', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root *(h₁)me-.
Examples in context
- Gracias por el postre, me gustan los cupcakes.Thank you for the dessert, I like cupcakes.
- Los cupcakes son mi dulce favorito, me encantan.Cupcakes are my favorite sweet, I love them.
- ¡Los cupcakes son tan deliciosos! Me gustan mucho.Cupcakes are so delicious! I really like them.
- Me gustan los cupcakes de chocolate.I like chocolate cupcakes.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking at a bakery display.
- ElenaMira estos dulces, Javier.Look at these sweets, Javier.
- Javier¿Quieres probar uno?Do you want to try one?
- ElenaSí, me gustan los cupcakes.Yes, I like cupcakes.
- JavierEntonces compraremos dos.Then we will buy two.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries los, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
