Gustar vs Encantar
In Spanish,gustarandencantarare both used to express liking something, but they differ in intensity.Gustarmeans "to like," whileencantarmeans "to love" (in the sense of really liking something a lot).
Usage
Both verbs are used in the same grammatical way, focusing on the object being liked rather than the subject doing the liking.
Sentence Structure
The basic structure is:
+ [verb] + [subject (thing being liked)]
- me, te, le, nos, os, les = indirect object pronouns (to me, to you, to him/her, etc.)
- The verb agrees with the subject (the thing liked), not the pronoun.
Examples withgustar
- Me gusta el chocolate. (I like chocolate.)
- Te gustan los perros. (You like dogs.)
- Nos gusta viajar. (We like to travel.)
Examples withencantar
- Me encanta el chocolate. (I love chocolate.)
- Le encantan los perros. (He/She loves dogs.)
- Nos encanta viajar. (We love to travel.)
Meaning
- Gustar= to like
- Encantar= to love (to like very much)
Intensity
- Gustarexpresses a general liking.
- Encantarexpresses a stronger, more enthusiastic liking.
Summary
You can safely usegustarfor most situations and useencantarwhen you want to emphasize that you really, really like something.
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025