Your Favorite Things in Spanish

One of the easiest ways to start a conversation is to talk about your interests and your favorite activities. This is something very simple to learn, but it can also be very useful when you are in the process of learning a new language. It is a very easy way to break the ice, and it is also a great way to get to know other people. Let's start with the basics.

How to say 'I like' and 'I don't like' in Spanish

Me gusta (I like)

No me gusta (I don't like)

As you can see it is very simple (it was mentioned before), just add the word 'no' before 'I like' and you have created the negative. Ok, so now you know how to say 'I like' and 'I don't like' in Spanish, this is a lot actually because it is the first step when you want to mention your interests. Now let's see how to ask somebody else about their likes and dislikes.

How to ask about likes and dislikes in Spanish

Qué (what) the gusta (do you like) + category? So for instance let's say that we want to ask somebody: "What do you like to eat?" In Spanish we would just use the little formula I mentioned before.

Qué (what) the like) comer (to eat)?

Let's try "What do you like to do?"

Qué (what) the gusta (do you like) hacer (to do)?

Simple right? There are other ways to ask the same questions. You can pick the one that suits you best.

Other ways to ask about interests

Let's suppose that instead of asking "what do you like to eat?" you want to ask "what is your favorite food? This is also a very simple thing to do.

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) comida (food) favorita (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) restaurante (restaurant) favorito (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) color (color) favorito (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) pasatiempo (hobby) favorito (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) equipo (team) favorito (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) programa (show) favorito (favorite)?

Cuál (what / which) es (is) tu (your) película (movie) favorita (favorite)?

Letting people know your interests

So, in order to reply to the above questions you may reply as follows:

a) Mi (my) comida (food) favorita (favorite) es (is) ... pizza, hamburguesa (burger), comida china (Chinese food), pasta, comida de mar (seafood), filete (steak).

b) Mi (my) restaurante (restaurant) favorito (favorite) es (is) + name of the restaurant.

c) Mi (my) color (color) favorito (favorite) es (is) ... amarillo (yellow), azul (blue), rojo (red), negro (black), blanco (white), naranja (orange), morado (purple), verde (green), marrón (brown).

d) Mi (my) pasatiempo (hobby) favorito (favorite) es (is) leer (to read), pescar (to fish), caminar (to walk), tocar la guitarra (to play the guitar).

e) Mi (my) equipo (team) favorito (favorite) es (is) + name of the team

f) Mi (my) programa (show) favorito (favorite) es (is) + name of the show

g) Mi (my) película (movie) favorita (favorite) es (is) + name of the movie

As you have seen, these are all very simple phrases but if you learn them they will help a lot to start conversations on your own in Spanish.