Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque. - I like the peaceful nature in the forest.

In English: I like nature.
- I = subject
- like = verb
- nature = object
In Spanish with gustar: the structure is more like Nature pleases me.
- la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque = grammatical subject
- gusta = verb (3rd person singular)
- me = indirect object (the person who experiences the liking)

So Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque literally means The calm nature in the forest is pleasing to me.

Yo gusto la naturaleza… is incorrect for expressing I like nature. You virtually always use the indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, les) with gustar.

Why do we use me here? Could we just say Gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque?

You need me because gustar in this structure says who is being pleased.

me gusta = it pleases me / I like it
te gusta = it pleases you / you like it
le gusta = it pleases him/her/you(formal)
nos gusta = it pleases us
les gusta = it pleases them/you all

If you say only Gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque, it is grammatically incomplete: we know something is pleasing, but we don’t know to whom.

So you need Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque to say I like the calm nature in the forest.

Why is it gusta (singular) and not gustan here?

With gustar, the verb agrees with the thing liked, not with the person.

If the thing liked is singular → gusta
- Me gusta la naturaleza. (nature = singular)
- Me gusta el bosque. (the forest = singular)
If the things liked are plural → gustan
- Me gustan los bosques. (forests = plural)
- Me gustan los animales.

In Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque, the grammatical subject is the whole phrase la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque, which is conceptually one thing, so the verb stays singular: gusta.

How would this sentence change if I were talking about several things I like in the forest?

If the things you like are plural, gustar becomes gustan and the noun becomes plural:

Me gustan los sonidos de la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
(I like the sounds of the calm nature in the forest.)
Me gustan los árboles y la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
(I like the trees and the calm nature in the forest.)

The indirect object pronoun (me) doesn’t change; only the verb (gusta → gustan) and the noun(s) do.

What’s the difference between Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque and Me encanta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque?

Both are correct but express different intensity of feeling:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
= I like the calm nature in the forest.
Me encanta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
= I love / I really like the calm nature in the forest.

Encantar is stronger than gustar, often closer to to love (for things/activities, not usually for people in a romantic sense).

Why is la naturaleza used with la? Could we just say Me gusta naturaleza tranquila en el bosque?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns and many abstract or collective nouns usually need a definite article (el, la) or an indefinite one (un, una) even when English doesn’t.

Me gusta la naturaleza. = I like nature.
Me gusta la música. = I like music.
Me gusta el café. = I like coffee.

Saying Me gusta naturaleza tranquila en el bosque (without la) sounds wrong and incomplete to a native speaker. You need la:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque. ✅

Why is the adjective after the noun: la naturaleza tranquila, and not la tranquila naturaleza?

The normal order in Spanish is:

noun + adjective

So:

la naturaleza tranquila = the calm nature
el bosque oscuro = the dark forest
el perro grande = the big dog

You can say la tranquila naturaleza, but that sounds more literary, poetic, or emphatic. In everyday speech, la naturaleza tranquila is more natural and neutral.

So your sentence uses the standard, most common pattern.

Does tranquila describe naturaleza or bosque?

In this sentence, tranquila describes naturaleza, because it comes directly after la naturaleza:

la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque
= the calm nature in the forest

So the idea is: the nature (which is calm) that is in the forest.

If you wanted to say that the forest is calm, you might say:

Me gusta la naturaleza en el bosque tranquilo.
(I like the nature in the calm forest.)

or:

Me gusta el bosque tranquilo y su naturaleza.
(I like the calm forest and its nature.)

Why is tranquila and not tranquilo?

Adjectives in Spanish have to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

la naturaleza → feminine, singular → tranquila (feminine singular)
el bosque → masculine, singular → tranquilo (masculine singular)

Examples:

la naturaleza tranquila (calm nature)
el bosque tranquilo (calm forest)
las montañas tranquilas (calm mountains)
los lugares tranquilos (calm places)

Since the adjective refers to la naturaleza, it must be tranquila.

Could I say Me gusta la tranquilidad del bosque instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s a very natural alternative:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
Focus: nature (which is calm) in the forest.
Me gusta la tranquilidad del bosque.
Focus: the tranquility (the peacefulness) of the forest itself.

Both talk about liking peace and nature in a forest, but:

naturaleza tranquila = calm nature as a thing
tranquilidad del bosque = the quality of calmness that the forest has

Both are common and correct; the nuance is just slightly different.

How would this sentence look if I emphasized me, like saying “me personally, I like…”?

You can add a phrase with a mí for emphasis:

A mí me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.

This doesn’t change the basic meaning; it just emphasizes that I, specifically, like it (maybe in contrast to others).

You could also move it to the end:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque a mí. (less common, more emphatic/colloquial sounding)

The most natural emphatic version is:

A mí me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.

How do I change this sentence for other people (you, he/she, we, they)?

You keep gusta (because la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque is still singular) and change only the indirect object pronoun:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
I like the calm nature in the forest.
Te gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
You (informal, singular) like the calm nature in the forest.
Le gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
He/She likes / You (formal) like the calm nature in the forest.
Nos gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
We like the calm nature in the forest.
Les gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
They like / You all (Latin America) like the calm nature in the forest.

How do you pronounce naturaleza and tranquila?

Approximate pronunciation (Latin American):

naturaleza → [nah-too-rah-LEH-sah]
- stress on -le-: naturaLEza
- z sounds like s
tranquila → [trahn-KEE-lah]
- stress on -qui-: tranQUIla
- qu before i is like k; the u is silent (qui = kee)

Spoken together smoothly:

Me gusta la naturaleza tranquila en el bosque.
[meh GOOS-tah lah nah-too-rah-LEH-sah trahn-KEE-lah en el BOS-keh]
(bosque: que = keh)