When discussing our likes, dislikes and hobbies en español, we have a wide range of verbs and expressions. Let’ take a look!
Gustar: this is our go-to verb when talking about the things and activities we enjoy. However, we have to remember that gustar has a special type of conjugation: the verb must agree with the object, that is, with the thing we like:
- Me gusta la natación. I like swimming.
- Me gustan los deportes de equipo como el fútbol o el baloncesto. I like team sports like soccer or basketball.
- Me gusta ver los Juegos Olímpicos. I like to watch the Olympics.
- No me gusta la esgrima. I don’t like fencing.
- No me gustan los deportes. I don’t like sports.
- No me gusta correr. I don’t like to run.
Notice how the verb gustar is conjugated in the singular form (gusta) when talking about actions (ver, correr) or a single object (natación, esgrima) and in the plural form (gustan) when talking about plural objects (deportes).
Other verbs that work just like gustar to discuss our likes and hobbies:
Encantar: to really like something, to love
- Me encantan las películas de terror. I love horror movies.
- Nos encanta viajar a lugares nuevos. We love travelling to new places.
Interesar: to be interested in something
- A ella le interesa mucho la arqueología. She’s very interested in archeology.
- ¿Te interesa el arte? Are you interested in art?
Parecer: to think, to seem. We use to give our opinion on a topic.
- Cocinar me parece muy relajante. I find cooking very relaxing.
- A ellos les parece fascinante coleccionar estampillas. They think collecting stamps is fascinating.
Additionally, we can also use verbs that have a more typical conjugation such as:
Preferir: to discuss our hobbie preferences.
- Yo prefiero pintar con acuarelas en vez de lápices. I prefer to paint with watercolors instead of pencils.
- Ellas prefieren practicar danza moderna por eso cambiaron de estudio. They prefer to practice modern dancing that’s why they switched studios.
Querer: to express our intentions in regards to a hobbie.
- Queremos aprender español. We want to learn Spanish.
- Quiero mejorar mi pronunciación en español. I want to improve my Spanish pronounciation.
- No quiero practicar más tenis; quiero probar una actividad nueva. I don’t want to practice tennis anymore. I want to try a new activity.