Your own life: hobbies, health and opinions
Phase 3 stops teaching structures and starts using them. This week also brings the one Spanish verb that works backwards.
Gustar works backwards, and you must let it
Me gusta el deporte does not mean I like sport. It means sport is pleasing to me. The thing you like is the subject, and you are the object. This matters for two reasons. First, keep the article: me gusta el deporte, never me gusta deporte. Second, the verb agrees with the thing, not with you: me gusta el cine, but me gustan los libros — plural thing, plural verb. Almost every learner gets this wrong for a month, so expect to, and correct it calmly.
Hobbies and interests
Pick the five that are actually true of you and drill only those.
- el deportesportMe gusta el deporte.I like sport.
- la músicamusicMe gusta la música.I like music.
- leerto readMe gusta leer.I like reading.
The verb is far more natural here than the noun la lectura.
- la jardineríagardening
- cocinarto cookMe gusta cocinar.I like cooking.
- viajarto travel
- la fotografíaphotography
- el cinecinema, film
- la televisióntelevisionVeo la televisión.I watch television.
- pasearto go for a walkMe gusta pasear.I like walking.
What the colours above mean
10 of 10 colours so farA thing, a person or a place.
An action or a state — what is happening.
Describes a noun.
Modifies a verb or an adjective.
the / a / some — and possessives like mon, ma.
Stands in for a noun — I, you, he, it.
Links words together — to, in, of, for.
Joins two parts of a sentence.
Opens a question — where, when, how, why.
Learn it whole. Do not take it apart.
Adverbs of degree — muy, bien, mal — are gold. Possessives stay grey and plain, because Spanish ones carry no gender.
The four liking verbs
The first three work backwards, like gustar. Preferir behaves normally, which is a relief.
| Verb | a míreviewed | a usted |
|---|---|---|
| gustarto like | me gusta | le gusta |
| encantarto love | me encanta | le encanta |
| no gustarto dislike | no me gusta | no le gusta |
| preferirto prefer | prefiero | prefiere |
Only the a mí column becomes a review card. The rest are there to be recognised, not produced — which is what keeps a day inside its fifteen minutes.
Health
- Estoy bienI'm wellEstoy bien, gracias.I'm well, thank you.
- Estoy malI'm unwell
- [me duele…]…hurts me[Me duele] la cabeza.I have a headache.
Backwards like gustar: the head is doing the hurting. Me duelen las piernas for a plural.
- el médicothe doctor
- enfermo / enfermaillEstoy enfermo.I am ill.
- cansado / cansadatiredEstoy cansada.I am tired.
- [estoy descansando]I'm resting
Where it hurts
All used with me duele — or me duelen if the part comes in a pair.
- la cabezathe head
- la manothe hand
Ends in -o and is feminine. One of the few real exceptions.
- la piernathe leg
- el estómagothe stomach
- la espaldathe back
- el brazothe arm
- las muelasthe back teeth[Me duelen] las muelas.I have toothache.
Where it hurts, on a figure
The plain nouns, before the phrases. Point and name — which is exactly what you would do at a pharmacy counter.
Tap a number, or a word, to hear it.
Opinions
- [creo que…]I think that…[Creo que] el viaje es interesante.I think travel is interesting.
- [me parece que…]it seems to me that…
- [en mi opinión]in my opinion[En mi opinión,] está bien.In my opinion, it's good.
- el problemathe problem
Ends in -a and is masculine — el problema. Greek origin. So are el tema and el sistema.
Sentence frames
- 1
Me gusta / encanta el deporte.
I like / love ___.
- 2
[Me duele] la cabeza.
I have a headache.
- 3
[En mi opinión,] es interesante.
In my opinion, it's interesting.
Substitution drill — what you like
Rotate the object through the frame. Watch for the moment you need gustan rather than gusta.
Me gusta el deporte.
I like ___.
Daily mini-tasks
Listening this week
Easy Spanish — street interviews about hobbies
YouTube
Real speech at real speed. Do not expect to catch everything — catch the hobbies, and listen for how often me gusta comes up.
What stuck?
Check it before you close the page.
Up to 10 of this week's words and frames. Say each one out loud before you look, and say whether you think you have it. Guessing first and then checking is what makes it stick — reading the answer feels better and does less.