What does it mean word for word?
The phrase me encantan literally translates to "they enchant me", which is how Spanish expresses that something causes you great pleasure or delight.
Which one should you use?
For a more formal tone, you can say Siento un amor por los pandas (I feel a love for pandas). If you want to express being "in love" with them informally, you can use Estoy enamorado/a de los pandas. For a very colloquial expression meaning you are "crazy about" them, use Me chiflan los pandas. Finally, to say they "drive you crazy" informally, you can say Los pandas me vuelven loco/a.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are talking about the panda as a species in the singular, you use the singular form me encanta el panda instead of the plural me encantan los pandas. Additionally, if you want to use an endearing nickname for a panda, you can use pandita or pandito.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying yo amo los pandas. While grammatically possible, English speakers often mistakenly use amo (from amar) for animals or objects. encantar is much more natural for expressing a strong liking for things or animals.
Did you know?
- If you use the colloquial expression Me chiflan los pandas, you are using a verb that also describes the sound of a whistle or a train engine.
- While English speakers use 'love' for both people and pets, using amo for a panda in Spanish can sound overly dramatic, almost like a tragic poem or a religious devotion.
- While encantar is used here for pandas, it is also the standard way to say 'to love' when talking about food or objects, since using amar for a pizza would sound strangely romantic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- ¿Sabes que me encantan los pandas?Do you know that I love pandas?
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are watching a nature documentary at home.
- DanielMira, me encantan los pandas.Look, I love pandas.
- SofíaSon muy lindos, Daniel.They are very cute, Daniel.
- DanielSí, son mis animales favoritos.Yes, they are my favorite animals.
- SofíaA mí también me gustan mucho.I like them a lot too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
