Talking About Food in Spanish: Likes and Dislikes

Knowing how to talk about what you like and don’t like when it comes to food in Spanish is really important!

This skill helps a lot, especially when you share your favorite meals or when you order food at a restaurant.

In this lesson, we will learn some useful words and phrases to express your food preferences. We will also connect these ideas to topics like family, daily life, school, and hobbies.

Basic Food Vocabulary

Here are some essential food words that you’ll find handy:

• La manzana (apple)
• La naranja (orange)
• El pan (bread)
• La carne (meat)
• La ensalada (salad)
• El agua (water)
• El arroz (rice)
• La pasta (pasta)
• El helado (ice cream)
• El chocolate (chocolate)

Saying You Like Something

When you want to say that you like something in Spanish, you can use the verb gustar. This word means "to please." Here’s how to use it:

• Me gusta (for one thing)
• Me gustan (for more than one thing)

Examples:

1. Me gusta la manzana. (I like the apple.)
2. Me gusta el helado. (I like ice cream.)
3. Me gustan las naranjas. (I like oranges.)
4. Me gustan las ensaladas. (I like salads.)

Saying You Don’t Like Something

If you don’t like something, you still use gustar, but with a little change. Here’s the pattern:

• No me gusta (for one thing)
• No me gustan (for more than one thing)

Examples:

1. No me gusta la carne. (I don’t like meat.)
2. No me gusta el arroz. (I don’t like rice.)
3. No me gustan los chocolates. (I don’t like chocolates.)
4. No me gustan las pastas. (I don’t like pastas.)

Connecting Food Preferences with Other Topics

You can use your food likes and dislikes in different settings like family gatherings, daily life, school, or hobbies.

Family and Relationships

• A mi madre le gusta el chocolate. (My mom likes chocolate.)
• A mi hermano no le gusta el pescado. (My brother doesn’t like fish.)

Daily Activities

• Me gusta comer pizza el viernes. (I like to eat pizza on Fridays.)
• No me gusta levantarme antes de desayunar. (I don’t like to wake up before breakfast.)

School Vocabulary

• Me gusta estudiar con una manzana y un sándwich. (I like to study with an apple and a sandwich.)
• No me gustan las galletas en clase. (I don’t like cookies in class.)

Hobbies and Fun Time

• Me gusta comer helado después de jugar videojuegos. (I like to eat ice cream after playing video games.)
• No me gusta beber agua mientras estudio. (I don’t like to drink water while studying.)

Practice with Questions

To get better at talking about food, try asking questions like these:

• ¿Te gusta...? (Do you like...?)
• ¿Te gustan...? (Do you like...? - for more than one)

Examples:

1. ¿Te gusta la pizza? (Do you like pizza?)
2. ¿Te gustan los tacos? (Do you like tacos?)
3. ¿No te gusta el helado? (Don’t you like ice cream?)

Summary

In conclusion, remember to use gustar when sharing your likes and dislikes in Spanish. Also, mix in words from other topics like family, daily life, school, and hobbies. This will help you communicate better and make your conversations more fun. Keep practicing these phrases and examples to grow your confidence!