me gustaría
/me ɡustaɾia/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I would like" is expressed as me gustaría.
me gustaría is a polite way to express a wish or a desire for something. When you want to express a desire to perform a specific action, you follow me gustaría directly with an infinitive verb, such as me gustaría comer (I would like to eat).
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "it would be pleasing to me". It is composed of the indirect object pronoun me (to me) and the conditional form of the verb gustar (to be pleasing).
Which one should you use?
While quiero means "I want", it is very direct and can sometimes sound blunt or demanding. In social settings like restaurants, me gustaría is the preferred polite way to express a wish.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ɡustaɾia/
Did you know?
- Even though you are the one who wants something, the verb 'gustar' must be conjugated to match the thing being liked, not to match 'me'.
- While me gustaría is polite, if you want to sound even more elegant or extremely formal, you can use quisiera. This uses the imperfect subjunctive to create a sense of even greater distance and politeness.
- The pronoun me shares a common ancestor with the Latin 'mē', which was the accusative form of 'ego' used for 'me'.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría tomar algo.I would like something to drink.This sentence shows how to use me gustaría to express a desire to drink something.Tatoeba #574252 by Shishir, translation #419708 by FeuDRenais
- Me gustaría ir a verte.I would like to come and see you.This sentence demonstrates using me gustaría to express a desire to see someone.Tatoeba #758531 by Shishir, translation #20178 by CC
- Me gustaría beber algo.I would like to drink something.This sentence illustrates the use of me gustaría followed by an infinitive to express a desire to drink.Tatoeba #2711506 by caiser, translation #945996 by sacredceltic
- Me gustaría una taza de café, por favor.I would like a cup of coffee, please.
- Quisiera reservar una mesa para dos personas, por favor.I would like to book a table for two, please.
- Desearía comprar unos zapatos nuevos.I would like to buy some new shoes.
- Me gustaría ir al cine esta tarde. ¿Te apuntas?I would like to go to the movies this afternoon. Are you up for it?
- Me gustaría una camisa nueva.I would like a new shirt.
- 185 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- AlejandroMe gustaría pedir un café con leche.I would like to order a coffee with milk.
- ElenaYo también. ¿Quieres comer algo?Me too. Do you want to eat something?
- AlejandroSí, me gustaría probar el pastel de chocolate.Yes, I would like to try the chocolate cake.
- ElenaPerfecto, pidámoslo ahora.Perfect, let's order it now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
