me gustas mucho
/me ɡustas mut͡ʃo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'I really like you' is translated into Spanish as me gustas mucho.
This phrase is used to express romantic attraction toward another person.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'you are very pleasing to me'.
Which one should you use?
While me gustas mucho expresses romantic attraction or 'liking' someone, the phrase te quiero is a stronger expression used for 'I love you' in both romantic and close platonic contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase me gustas mucho, the verb gustas is the second-person singular conjugation of gustar. This means the subject of the sentence is 'you' (tú), rather than 'I'.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ɡustas mutʃo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say yo te gusto mucho by following English word order. In Spanish, the person being liked is the subject, so you must say me gustas mucho.
Did you know?
- While me gustas mucho is used for romantic attraction, using the verb gustar for a friend or family member can be misinterpreted as a romantic confession.
- The word mucho shares an ancient root with the concept of something being 'crumbled', from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'crumbled' or 'broken' into many pieces.
- While me gustas mucho is an attraction, the phrase me encantas is used to express an even more intense, almost hypnotic level of liking.
Examples in context
- Me gustas mucho.I really like you.Tatoeba #573810 by darinmex, translation #953585 by CK
- Señorita Flores, tengo sentimientos muy fuertes hacia usted. Admiro su inteligencia y dedicación.Miss Flores, I have very strong feelings towards you. I admire your intelligence and dedication.
- María, me gustas mucho. Eres increíble y siempre me haces sonreír.María, I really like you. You are amazing and always make me smile.
- Pablo, estoy loca por ti. No puedo dejar de pensar en ti.Pablo, I'm crazy about you. I can't stop thinking about you.
- La verdad es que me gustas mucho.The truth is that I really like you.
- ¿Sabes que me gustas mucho?Do you know that I really like you?
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are walking in a park at sunset.
- DanielSofía, tengo que decirte algo.Sofía, I have to tell you something.
- Sofía¿Qué pasa, Daniel?What's happening, Daniel?
- DanielMe gustas mucho.I really like you.
- Sofía¡Qué lindo! Tú también me gustas.How sweet! I like you too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, mucho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
