nos gustaría
/nos ɡustaɾia/from spelling rules
In Spanish, nos gustaría is the phrase used to say 'we would like'.
nos gustaría is a polite way to express a wish or a desire for something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally 'it would be pleasing to us', where nos is 'to us' and gustaría is the conditional form of 'to please/to be pleasing'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The way you follow nos gustaría depends on who is performing the action. To express a desire for the group itself to perform an action, use nos gustaría directly followed by an infinitive verb. When you want someone else to do something, you must follow nos gustaría with que and then a verb in the subjunctive mood.
How do you pronounce it?
/nos ɡustaɾia/
Did you know?
- While nos gustaría is polite, speakers in Spain often use the more direct queremos ('we want') in restaurants and shops without sounding rude.
- Because gustar functions like 'to please', the phrase nos gustaría can be used even if the thing being desired is a plural noun. In that case, the verb changes to nos gustarían to match the object, not the people.
- In some Latin American regions, people may swap nos gustaría for nos encantaría to express a stronger, more passionate desire.
Examples in context
- Nos gustaría pernoctar aquí.We would like to stay here tonight.This sentence shows how to use nos gustaría followed by an infinitive.Tatoeba #1939153 by marcelostockle, translation #243272 by CK
- Nos gustaría que te unieras a nuestra compañía.We would like you to join our company.This sentence demonstrates how to use nos gustaría with the 'que' construction.Tatoeba #1823217 by marcelostockle, translation #71061 by CC
- Nos gustaría vivir en esta aldea y estudiar el idioma Kadazan.We would like to live in this village and study the Kadazan language.This sentence illustrates using nos gustaría with an infinitive.Tatoeba #4648228 by cueyayotl, translation #4631045 by LeeSooHa
- Nos gustaría reservar una mesa para cuatro personas, por favor.We would like to reserve a table for four, please.
- Quisiéramos solicitar información acerca del evento.We would like to request information about the event.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- ElenaNos gustaría probar la especialidad de la casa.We would like to try the house specialty.
- AlejandroEs una excelente elección, Elena.It is an excellent choice, Elena.
- ElenaTambién nos gustaría pedir una botella de agua.We would also like to order a bottle of water.
- AlejandroPerfecto, yo se lo pido al camarero.Perfect, I will ask the waiter for it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
