mucho gusto
/mut͡ʃo ɡusto/from spelling rules
The English phrase "nice to meet you" is expressed in Spanish as mucho gusto.
mucho gusto is a polite expression used to greet someone for the first time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mucho gusto literally translates to "much pleasure".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can expand the standard short form into a longer sentence by saying mucho gusto en conocerlo for a formal masculine recipient or mucho gusto en conocerla for a formal feminine recipient.
How do you pronounce it?
/mutʃo ɡusto/
When do people say it?
When someone says mucho gusto to you, a common and natural response is igualmente (Likewise / Equally). If you wish to be more polite or formal in your response, you can say el gusto es mío (The pleasure is mine).
Did you know?
- Depending on the country, mucho gusto may be replaced by encantado or encantada. While mucho gusto refers to pleasure, encantado literally means 'enchanted', as if the speaker has been cast under a spell by the meeting.
- The root of mucho can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European word *ml̥tós, which originally meant 'crumbled' or 'crumpled'. Over thousands of years, the meaning evolved from 'fragmented' to 'many' and eventually to 'much'.
- In some formal contexts, the response el gusto es mío is used to politely 'steal' the pleasure back from the other person. By claiming the pleasure is theirs, the speaker shows higher humility than the person who first said mucho gusto.
Examples in context
- Yo soy Antonio, mucho gusto.I am Antonio, nice to meet you.This sentence shows how to introduce yourself and use mucho gusto.Tatoeba #7304029 by ProfessorAntonnio, translation #7305207 by Bond21
- Mucho gusto. ¿Cómo está usted?Nice to meet you. How are you doing?This example demonstrates using mucho gusto as a greeting before asking how someone is doing.Tatoeba #1088720 by hayastan, translation #1346288 by marcelostockle
- Mucho gusto.It's nice to meet you.This sentence uses mucho gusto as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #600457 by Leono, translation #64723 by CK
- ¡Mucho gusto! Soy María, encantada de conocerlo. Soy Pedro. El gusto es mío, María.Nice to meet you! I'm María, delighted to meet you. I'm Pedro. The pleasure is mine, María.
- Permítame presentarme, soy Juan. Es un placer conocerla. El placer es mío, Juan.Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Juan. It is a pleasure to meet you. The pleasure is mine, Juan.
- ¡Hola! Soy Carla, mucho gusto. ¡Hola, Carla! Igualmente, mucho gusto.Hi! I'm Carla, nice to meet you. Hi, Carla! Likewise, nice to meet you.
- ¿Eres el nuevo vecino? Encantado, soy Santiago. ¡Mucho gusto, Santiago! Yo soy Miguel.Are you the new neighbor? Delighted to meet you, I'm Santiago. Nice to meet you, Santiago! I'm Miguel.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are introduced by a mutual friend at a party.
- JavierHola, soy Javier. Mucho gusto.Hello, I'm Javier. Nice to meet you.
- MaríaHola, Javier. Yo soy María.Hello, Javier. I am María.
- Javier¿De dónde eres, María?Where are you from, María?
- MaríaSoy de México. El gusto es mío.I am from Mexico. The pleasure is mine.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gusto, mucho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
