Apuntes de gramática:

Using verbs in the infinitive

and

GUSTAR

InfinitivesInfinitives

An un-conjugated verb is a word in itself. It's called an infinitive.To go (ir)To eat (comer)To listen (escuchar)

The infinitive always consists of the word "to" and the base form of the verb.

We use infinitives most often when we speak about things that we like and/or dislike. Me gusta mirar la televisión.

• I like to watch television.No me gusta hacer mi tarea.

• I don’t like to do my homework.

Infinitives are also used when two verbs immediately follow each other in a sentence.Yo necesito estudiar.

• I need to study.

Yo quiero comer.• I want to eat.

GUSTAR (To like)

We use the verb GUSTAR when we want to express things that we like.

GUSTAR is different from other verbs we’ve studied. When we use GUSTAR, we need to also use reflexive pronouns.

Our T-charts will have three sections instead of two.

To represent who is performing the action, we use the following reflexive pronouns:MeTeLeNosLes

I

You

He/She

We

They/You all

GUSTAR = To like

Yo

Tú

Él/Ella

/Ud.

Nosotros(as)

Ellos/Ellas

/Uds.

me gusta

te gusta

le gusta

nos gusta

les gusta

He, She, They, You all

You must add “A el”, “A ella”, “A ellos”, “A ellas”, or “A ustedes” in front of your reflexive pronoun in order to indicate who you’re talking about.Por ejemplo:

• A ella le gusta preparar la cena.• A ellos les gusta comer.

Ejemplos: GUSTAR + infinitives Me gusta leer.

I like to read. Te gusta comer.

You like to eat. A él le gusta hacer su tarea. He likes to do his homework. Nos gusta mirar la televisión.

We like to watch television. A ellas les gusta dormir. They like to sleep.