Me gusta el cine cuando tengo tiempo libre.

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Breakdown of Me gusta el cine cuando tengo tiempo libre.

• tener: to have
• gustar: to like
• cuando: when
• el tiempo: the time
• libre: free
• el cine: the cinema

Questions & Answers about Me gusta el cine cuando tengo tiempo libre.

Why do we use Me gusta instead of something like Yo gusto?

In Spanish, gustar literally means “to be pleasing to.” So instead of saying “I like,” you say something closer to “It is pleasing to me.” That’s why we use the indirect object pronoun me (to me) and then gusta (is pleasing). If you said Yo gusto, it would mean "I am pleasing," which doesn’t convey the same meaning in Spanish.

Why is the phrase Me gusta el cine and not Me gustan el cine?

The verb gustar must agree with what is liked, not with the person who likes it. Here, el cine is singular, so we use the third-person singular form gusta, not gustan (which would be used for plural subjects, like Me gustan los libros).

Do I always need to include el before cine?

Yes, in this kind of statement you typically need the definite article el. In Spanish, common nouns like cine (cinema) often take an article even when you’re talking in general. Saying Me gusta cine sounds unnatural, whereas Me gusta el cine is the correct general expression for “I like going to the movies” or “I like cinema.”

Why do we say cuando tengo tiempo libre? Could I just say cuando tengo tiempo?

You could say cuando tengo tiempo, but cuando tengo tiempo libre is more precise. It emphasizes free or leisure time, suggesting you watch movies when you’re not busy with other obligations. It’s more natural when you mean “in my spare time” rather than just “when I have time.”

Is there any difference between Me gusta el cine and Me gusta ir al cine?

Yes, but both are correct in different contexts. Me gusta el cine means you enjoy cinema in a general sense (the art of film, going to theaters, movies themselves). Me gusta ir al cine focuses on the action of going to the movie theater. You can use whichever best fits what you want to express.