me encantan los animales
/me enkantan los animales/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I love animals" is translated into Spanish as me encantan los animales.
This phrase is used to express a strong liking or affection for animals in general.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me encantan los animales translates to "animals enchant me", which is the standard way Spanish expresses that one "loves" or "really likes" something.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you have already mentioned the animals in conversation, you can use the shortened form me encantan to mean "I love them".
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use yo amo los animales to express their preferences. While this is grammatically correct, using the verb encantar is much more natural when expressing a strong liking for animals.
Did you know?
- The verb encantar is used for things you love, but it also means 'to cast a spell' or 'to enchant'.
- Using amo for animals can sometimes sound overly dramatic or even romantic in Spanish. While perfectly understandable, sticking to me encantan avoids making it sound like you are professing a deep, soulful passion for them.
- In Spanish, the grammatical subject of the sentence is actually 'los animales', not 'yo'. Because the verb encantar functions like 'to enchant', the animals are the ones doing the enchanting to you.
Examples in context
- Me encantan los animales. Son seres maravillosos y merecen nuestro respeto y cuidadoI adore animals. They are marvelous beings and deserve our respect and care
- Sé que me encantan los animales de la selva.I know that I love jungle animals.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are talking about a documentary at a cafe.
- Lucía¿Te gustó el documental sobre la naturaleza?Did you like the nature documentary?
- AlejandroSí, me encantan los animales.Yes, I love animals.
- LucíaA mí también, especialmente los elefantes.Me too, especially elephants.
- AlejandroSon criaturas maravillosas.They are wonderful creatures.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
