How to Say 'I Like' and 'I Don't Like' Foods in Spanish
Learn the Spanish verb gustar to express food preferences: me gusta, no me gusta, and how to talk about liking singular, plural, and multiple foods.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
To say what foods you like in Spanish, you don't usually say 'I like pizza' word for word. Instead, Spanish uses the verb gustar, which works more like 'pizza is pleasing to me.' The food becomes the subject, and me, te, le, nos, les tell you who is pleased. In this lesson you will learn me gusta and no me gusta with common foods, and how to switch between singular and plural foods. You will also see how this differs from describing how something tastes, such as saying a soup is salty or a fruit is sweet.
By the end, you can…
- say that I like or don't like a specific food using me gusta and no me gusta.
- use me gustan and no me gustan with plural foods.
- ask another person whether they like a food using te gusta or te gustan.
- tell the difference between liking a food and describing how it tastes.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Me gusta el café.
I like coffee.
meh GOOS-tah el kah-FEH
Use with one food or drink, or with an activity. In Latin American Spanish, café is usually black coffee; a coffee with milk is often café con leche.
No me gusta el pescado.
I don't like fish.
noh meh GOOS-tah el pehs-KAH-doh
Put no directly before me gusta. This states a personal preference, not that the fish tastes bad to everyone.
Me gustan las frutas.
I like fruits.
meh GOOS-tahn lahs FROO-tahs
Use gustan, not gusta, because las frutas is plural. The same pattern applies to los frijoles, las verduras, and los tacos.
¿Te gusta el chocolate?
Do you like chocolate?
teh GOOS-tah el choh-koh-LAH-teh
Use te for an informal 'you.' In much of Latin America, chocolate can mean a hot chocolate drink as well as the candy.
No me gustan los mariscos.
I don't like seafood.
noh meh GOOS-tahn lohs mah-REES-kohs
Mariscos is plural, so use gustan. This is a common way to state a food preference politely when refusing a dish.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern is me gusta + singular food, and me gustan + plural food. Me gusta la sopa. Me gustan las sopas. To make it negative, add no before me: No me gusta la sopa. No me gustan las sopas. To ask about another person, change me to te, le, nos, or les: ¿Te gusta el arroz? ¿Le gustan los tacos? The food word keeps its article, such as el, la, los, or las.
When to use it
Use me gusta when you want to state a personal preference about food, drink, or an activity: Me gusta el té. Use no me gusta when you want to refuse or express dislike politely: No me gusta la cebolla. Do not use it to describe objective flavor. If a soup has too much salt, say La sopa está salada, not La sopa me gusta salada. Liking is about you; taste is about the food.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Te gusta la comida picante?
Do you like spicy food?teh GOOS-tah lah koh-MEE-dah pee-KAHN-tehSí, me gusta mucho. Pero no me gustan los mariscos.
Yes, I like it a lot. But I don't like seafood.see, meh GOOS-tah MOO-choh. PEH-roh noh meh GOOS-tahn lohs mah-REES-kohsEntiendo. ¿Te gustan los tacos de pollo?
I understand. Do you like chicken tacos?ehn-TYEHN-doh. teh GOOS-tahn lohs TAH-kohs deh POH-yohSí, me gustan. Y también me gusta el guacamole.
Yes, I like them. And I also like guacamole.see, meh GOOS-tahn. ee tahm-BYEHN meh GOOS-tah el gwah-kah-MOH-lehA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American countries, food is often shared, so no me gusta can sound blunt if you say it alone. A common softening move is to add gracias or a reason: No me gusta el pescado, gracias. In Spain, the same structure is used, but you may hear vosotros forms such as os gusta. In Argentina and parts of Central America, vos is common, so the question can be ¿Te gusta? or ¿A vos te gusta?
One thing to watch for
Saying Yo gusto los tacos to mean 'I like tacos.'
Try this instead: Use me gustan los tacos. Gustar does not mean 'to like' in the same way as English like. The tacos are the thing that is pleasing, and me tells who is pleased. For one item, say Me gusta el taco; for more than one, say Me gustan los tacos.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like vegetables' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Me gustan las verduras.
Verduras is plural, so you need gustan. Me gusta las verduras is a common error because gusta is used with singular subjects.
2How do you say 'I don't like onions'?
Show a sample answer
No me gustan las cebollas.
Put no before me and use gustan because cebollas is plural. You could also say No me gusta la cebolla if you mean a single onion or onions as a mass idea, but the plural is very common.
3Your friend asks ¿Te gusta el café? How can you answer that you like it a lot?
Show a sample answer
Sí, me gusta mucho.
Sí confirms the preference, me gusta matches the singular café, and mucho adds 'a lot.' You could also say Me encanta el café for a stronger 'I love coffee.'
Remember the frame: me gusta for one food, me gustan for more than one, and no before me for dislike. Use it for personal preference, not for describing how food tastes.
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