Me gusta sentarme en el sofá después de estudiar.

I like to sit on the sofa after studying.

Breakdown of Me gusta sentarme en el sofá después de estudiar.

• yo: I
• gustar: to like
• el: the
• estudiar: to study
• después de: after
• en: on
• el sofá: the sofa
• sentarse: to sit

Questions & Answers about Me gusta sentarme en el sofá después de estudiar.

Why do we use "Me gusta" instead of "Yo gusto"?

In Spanish, gustar translates more literally to "to be pleasing", so the person who likes something is actually the indirect object. That’s why you’ll see the indirect object pronoun (me) before the verb gustar. Instead of "I like the sofa," it’s expressed as "The sofa is pleasing to me," which in Spanish is "Me gusta el sofá."

Why do we say "sentarme" with the reflexive pronoun attached at the end?

When you use an infinitive with a reflexive pronoun, Spanish attaches the pronoun to the end of the infinitive. In "Me gusta sentarme," the infinitive is "sentar" and the reflexive pronoun is "me", which becomes "sentarme."

Why is there no extra preposition before "sentarme"?

With gustar and similar verbs, if you’re saying you like doing something, you simply use gustar + infinitive. Spanish doesn’t require an extra preposition here. So you get "Me gusta sentarme" rather than something like "Me gusta a sentarme."

Why do we say "después de estudiar"?

In Spanish, when después de is followed by a verb, that verb must be in the infinitive form. Hence, "después de estudiar" literally means "after studying."

What does "en el sofá" mean, and why is it used here?

"En el sofá" means "on the couch." In Spanish, en can mean "in," "on," or "at," depending on context. Here, it’s used to indicate location: "I like to sit on the couch."

Does "Me gusta sentarme en el sofá después de estudiar" change if I change the person talking?

Yes. For example, if someone else (like you) wants to say "You like to sit on the couch after studying," you’d use the indirect object pronoun "te" and the reflexive pronoun "te", resulting in "Te gusta sentarte en el sofá después de estudiar." The rest of the phrase generally stays the same.