Learn Hardcore Filipino: Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.

mas – more (marks a comparative, like “more X than Y”)
gusto – like / want / preference (a stative word often treated like the verb “to like”)
ko – I / my (1st‑person singular pronoun; functions like the subject “I” here)
ang – subject/topic marker (often feels like “the” in English, but it’s really a grammatical marker)
kape – coffee
kaysa – than (used in comparisons)
alak – alcohol, liquor, wine

So a very literal gloss could be:
Mas (more) gusto (like) ko (I) ang (marker) kape (coffee) kaysa (than) alak (alcohol).

What exactly does mas do here? Could I just say Gusto ko ang kape?

Mas makes the sentence comparative.

Gusto ko ang kape. – I like coffee.
Mas gusto ko ang kape (kaysa alak). – I like coffee *more (than alcohol). / I **prefer coffee (to alcohol).*

So:

Without mas, you simply say that you like coffee.
With mas, you say that, compared to something else, your liking for coffee is greater.

You can drop the comparison if it’s understood from context:

Mas gusto ko ang kape. – I like coffee more (than that other drink we’re talking about).

Is gusto a verb like “to like”? Do I have to change its form for past, present, or future?

Learners usually treat gusto like a verb meaning to like, but in traditional grammar it’s more like a stative word or noun meaning desire/liking.

Important points for you as a learner:

It does not change form for tense in this pattern.
- Gusto ko ang kape. – I like coffee / I like coffee in general.
- Mas gusto ko ang kape. – I prefer coffee.
To be more specific about time, Filipinos often add time words or switch to a related verb:
- Kahapon, mas gusto ko ang kape. – Yesterday, I preferred coffee.
- Mas nagustuhan ko ang kape. – I liked the coffee more (that time / in that event).

For everyday conversation, you can safely use gusto / mas gusto without changing its form; tense is usually clear from context or extra time expressions.

Why is ko after gusto? Why not put “I” at the beginning like in English?

In Filipino, short pronouns like ko (I/my) usually come after the main describing word (verb or adjective), not before it.

Gusto ko ang kape. – literally “Like I the coffee.”
Mas gusto ko ang kape. – literally “More like I the coffee.”

Here:

gusto is the main describing word (“like”).
ko is the actor/experiencer pronoun (I – the one who likes).

This is a normal pattern:

Ayaw ko ng alak. – I don’t like alcohol.
Pagod ako. – I am tired. (Here the pronoun ako also follows the describing word pagod.)

So don’t put ko at the beginning. You say Gusto ko, not Ko gusto.

What is ang doing before kape? Is it like “the”?

Ang is a marker, not exactly the same as English “the,” but it’s often taught that way because it comes before the main noun/topic of the clause.

In this sentence:

ang kape is the thing being liked more.
ang marks kape as the main “topic”/subject of the statement from the listener’s point of view.

Very roughly:

Gusto ko ang kape. – I like the coffee / I like coffee.
Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak. – It’s coffee (that) I like more than alcohol.

Key idea: in structures like Gusto ko ang X, you usually mark the thing you like (X) with ang.

Why doesn’t alak have ang as well? Why not kaysa ang alak or kaysa sa alak?

In comparisons with kaysa, Filipino often:

Marks only the first item with ang, and
Leaves the second item bare, or uses kaysa sa + noun.

So you’ll commonly see:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.
Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa sa alak.

Both are acceptable; many speakers use them interchangeably. Details:

kaysa alak – very common, especially in casual speech.
kaysa sa alak – also common; the sa makes it feel a bit more explicitly “than [that thing]”.

You normally wouldn’t say kaysa ang alak. After kaysa, if you add a marker, it should be sa, not ang.

What’s the difference between kaysa and kesa? Are they both correct?

Yes, both are used and understood.

kaysa – the more standard/spelled‑out form.
kesa – a shorter, very common variant in speech and informal writing.

Examples:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.
Mas gusto ko ang kape kesa alak.

You can also add sa after either:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa sa alak.
Mas gusto ko ang kape kesa sa alak.

Meaning is the same: I like coffee more than alcohol / I prefer coffee to alcohol.

Can this sentence also be translated as “I prefer coffee to alcohol,” not just “I like coffee more than alcohol”?

Yes. Mas gusto ko… is the most common everyday way to express preference in Filipino.

So:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.
- I like coffee more than alcohol.
- I prefer coffee to alcohol.

If you want to sound a bit more formal or explicit, you can also say:

Mas pinipili ko ang kape kaysa alak. – literally “I choose coffee more than alcohol,” also meaning I prefer coffee to alcohol.

But in normal conversation, Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak is the natural, default way to say “I prefer coffee to alcohol.”

How flexible is the word order? Can I put kape at the beginning?

Yes, Filipino allows you to move parts for emphasis, but some orders are more natural than others.

Most neutral/natural:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.

You can front ang kape for emphasis or topic‑setting:

Ang kape, mas gusto ko kaysa alak.
– As for coffee, I like it more than alcohol.

This sounds like you’re specifically highlighting coffee.

However, changes like:

Mas gusto ang kape ko kaysa alak.

sound different: ang kape ko becomes the grammatical subject (something like “My coffee is more liked than alcohol”), which is not what you usually mean. So for “I prefer coffee to alcohol,” stick to:

Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa (sa) alak.

How would I say similar things like “I really prefer coffee to alcohol” or “I kind of prefer coffee to alcohol”?

You can add adverbs before mas gusto to change the tone:

I really prefer coffee to alcohol.
- Mas gusto ko talaga ang kape kaysa alak.
  (talaga – really, truly)
- Mas gustong‑gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.
  (gustong‑gusto – a stronger, intensified form of gusto)
I kind of / slightly prefer coffee to alcohol.
- Medyo mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak.
  (medyo – somewhat / kind of)

The core structure Mas gusto ko ang kape kaysa alak stays the same; you just insert adverbs like talaga (really), medyo (somewhat), sobrang (very) to adjust the strength of the preference.