Elma Eagles  

Click Here to Go Back to Spanish - 1

Grammar Summary

Spanish 1 Unidad 4 Etapa 3

Using gustar to Talk About Things (nouns) You Like

You've already learned how to say you like to do something:                                               Indirect Object Pronoun+gustar+infinitive verb    Me gusta patinar

To say someone likes a thing or things (noun), use the same construction, but remember that the thing one likes is the subject of the sentence ("French fries please me") and so control the conjugation of the verb gustar: Me gustan las papas fritas.  If the thing you like is singular, use the singular form of the verb -  Me gusta la salsa.  But if the thing you like is plural, use gustan.

Affirmative and Negative Words

When you want to talk about an indefinite or negative situation, you use an affirmative or a negative word:

Notice that alguno(a) and ninguno(a) must match the gender of the noun they replace or modify.  Alguno and ninguno have different forms when used before a masculine singular noun.  La chica quiere algún postre, (postre is a masculine singular noun) pero el chico no quiere ningúno. (the word postre is omitted, so the form remains ninguno).

When a verb is preceded by no, words that follow it must also be negative.  A double negative is required in Spanish when no comes before the verb:               No quiero nada - I don't want anything (I not want nothing).  However, if a negative word, such as nunca or nadie, comes before the verb, a second negative is not needed:  Nadie quiere postre.  Las chicas nunca comen postre.

Stem-changing Verbs (e-->i)

You have already learned about verbs that have a spelling change in the stem from e to ie, or from o to ue.   These (e-->i) verbs change in a similar pattern: