Me gusta estar en buena compañía.

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Breakdown of Me gusta estar en buena compañía.

• estar: to be
• gustar: to like
• me: me
• bueno: good
• la compañía: the company

Questions & Answers about Me gusta estar en buena compañía.

Why does the sentence “Me gusta estar en buena compañía” use a structure that seems different from the typical English “I like to be in good company”?

In Spanish, the verb gustar literally means “to be pleasing,” so the sentence translates more directly as “being in good company is pleasing to me.” Instead of the standard subject-verb-object order in English, Spanish uses an indirect object (me) and treats the liked activity (estar en buena compañía) as the subject.

Why is the verb gusta conjugated in the singular form even though the idea might seem like it involves more than one element?

Even though it might appear that there are multiple aspects (company, being, etc.), the subject of the verb gustar here is the entire expression “estar en buena compañía,” which is a singular idea. Therefore, gusta is correctly conjugated in the singular form.

Why is the verb estar used in its infinitive form after gusta?

In constructions with gustar, when the thing that pleases is an action or state, it’s expressed in the infinitive form. Here, estar remains in the infinitive because it denotes the state of “being” in good company, functioning as the subject that causes pleasure, which is a common and correct pattern in Spanish.

What does “en buena compañía” mean and how is it structured grammatically?

“En buena compañía” means “in good company.” The preposition en indicates location or state, while buena is an adjective (meaning good) placed directly before compañía, a feminine noun meaning company. This word order is idiomatic in Spanish for expressing being among or in the presence of good people.

Could I say “estar con buena compañía” instead, and is there any difference?

Although “con” (meaning with) might seem like a logical substitute, the idiomatic and widely accepted expression in Spanish is “estar en buena compañía.” Using “en” emphasizes the state of being within a pleasant environment or group, and changing it to “con” may sound less natural to native speakers.