Breakdown of Me gusta combinar mi camisa blanca con mis zapatos negros.
yo
I
con
with
mi
my
gustar
to like
mis
my
el zapato
the shoe
la camisa
the shirt
blanco
white
negro
black
combinar
to match
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Questions & Answers about Me gusta combinar mi camisa blanca con mis zapatos negros.
Why is the verb gustar used here as me gusta instead of yo gusto?
In Spanish, gustar doesn’t follow the same pattern as most verbs. Instead of “I like,” you literally say “it pleases me.”
- Me is the indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.”
- Gusta agrees with the thing that pleases you (in this case, the infinitive combinar, which counts as singular).
If you said yo gusto, it would mean “I please,” which is uncommon and changes the meaning.
Why is combinar in the infinitive form rather than conjugated?
After me gusta, if you want to express “I like to do something,” you use the infinitive:
- Me gusta comer = “I like to eat.”
- Me gusta combinar = “I like to combine/match.”
The infinitive acts like a noun here, so you don’t conjugate it further.
Why do we say mi camisa blanca but mis zapatos negros?
Possessive adjectives in Spanish must agree in number with the noun they modify:
- mi becomes mis when referring to plural objects.
- camisa is singular, so mi camisa; zapatos are plural, so mis zapatos.
Also, adjectives (white/black) agree in gender and number: - blanca (feminine singular) → camisa blanca
- negros (masculine plural) → zapatos negros
Why do adjectives like blanca and negros come after the noun in Spanish?
The usual word order in Spanish is noun + adjective, especially for descriptive adjectives:
- casa grande (big house)
- coche rápido (fast car)
This order emphasizes the noun first and then describes its quality. Some adjectives (like quantity or limiting adjectives) do come before the noun, but colors and regular descriptors typically follow it.
Why is the preposition con used before mis zapatos negros?
The verb combinar (to match or coordinate) is normally followed by con to indicate “with”:
- combinar A con B = “to match A with B.”
So you must say combinar mi camisa blanca con mis zapatos negros to express “match my white shirt with my black shoes.”
Could I say Me gusta combinar mi camisa blanca y mis zapatos negros instead of using con?
That construction would literally mean “I like to combine my white shirt and my black shoes,” but it sounds odd because:
- Combinar almost always takes con to show “combining one thing with another.”
- y (“and”) simply lists two items, without implying coordination or matching.
Native speakers will usually use con in this context.
Can I omit the possessive adjectives and say Combino la camisa blanca con los zapatos negros?
Yes—if you’re talking in general you can use definite articles instead of mi/mis:
- Combino la camisa blanca con los zapatos negros.
This shifts from “I like to match my white shirt with my black shoes” to a more neutral “I match the white shirt with the black shoes.” You lose the personal “my,” but the grammar is correct.