Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Me gusta viajar a la ciudad: la experiencia es emocionante. - I like to travel to the city: the experience is exciting.

In Spanish, gustar is structured differently than the English "to like." Instead of saying Yo gusto, we say Me gusta, which literally translates to "It pleases me." Because of this structure, the verb agrees with whatever is pleasing (in this case, "viajar"), so we use gusta (third-person singular) rather than gusto (first-person singular).

Why do we say viajar a la ciudad instead of viajar en la ciudad?

The preposition a indicates movement toward a destination. So viajar a la ciudad means traveling to the city from somewhere else. If you said viajar en la ciudad, it would suggest that you're moving within the city, which is a different meaning.

What’s the function of the colon (:) in Me gusta viajar a la ciudad: la experiencia es emocionante?

In Spanish, as in English, a colon (:) can introduce a related statement or explanation. Here it shows that the second clause (la experiencia es emocionante) further explains or comments on the first one (Me gusta viajar a la ciudad).

Why do we use la experiencia es emocionante instead of la experiencia está emocionante?