Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): En invierno me encanta mirar la nieve desde la ventana del salón. - In winter I love looking at the snow from the living room window.

Me encanta mirar la nieve.
- me = to me (indirect object)
- encanta = 3rd person singular (because the thing that delights you is mirar la nieve, a single activity)

You don’t say yo encanto mirar… because the subject is not I, but the action watching the snow.

Why is it me encanta and not me encantan?

With gustar/encantar, the verb agrees with what you like/love:

Me encanta mirar la nieve.
The thing you love is one activity: mirar la nieve → singular → encanta.

Compare:

Me encanta la nieve. (one thing: snow)
Me encantan los días de nieve. (plural: “snowy days”)

So you only use encantan when the liked thing is grammatically plural.

What is the difference between me encanta and me gusta here?

Me gusta mirar la nieve = I like watching the snow.
Me encanta mirar la nieve = I love watching the snow.

Encantar is stronger than gustar. It expresses a higher degree of enjoyment, closer to “I absolutely love / I really love” in English. The grammar is the same; only the intensity changes.

Why is mirar used instead of ver?

In Spanish:

mirar = to look at / to watch (intentional, you focus your eyes on something)
ver = to see (more general, perception without necessarily trying)

Here, you’re deliberately watching the snow from the window, so mirar fits very well:

mirar la nieve = to watch/look at the snow

You could say ver la nieve (to see the snow), but it sounds a bit less intentional and is less natural in this specific sentence. Native speakers strongly prefer mirar la nieve in this “I enjoy watching it” context.

Why is it mirar la nieve and not mirar a la nieve?

You only use a before a direct object when it’s usually:

a person (or personified animal/object): mirar a Juan, mirar a mi perro
or to emphasize personification.

La nieve (the snow) is a thing, not a person, so you don’t use a:

✔ mirar la nieve
✘ mirar a la nieve (incorrect in normal usage)

Why do we say la nieve with la? Could we say just nieve?

In Spanish, you often use the definite article (el, la) with uncountable nouns and general concepts more than in English.

La nieve can mean “the snow” in general, not only a specific patch of snow.

You could sometimes drop the article (me encanta mirar nieve) but it sounds unusual or incomplete here. Mirar la nieve is the natural, standard way to say “watch the snow” (as a general phenomenon) in this kind of sentence.

Why is it En invierno and not En el invierno?

Both are grammatically correct:

En invierno = In (the) winter (most common, more neutral)
En el invierno = literally In the winter (a little more specific or slightly more formal)

In everyday speech, Spanish speakers usually drop the article with seasons when talking in general:

En invierno hace frío.
En verano vamos a la playa.

So En invierno me encanta… is the most natural version.

Why is the verb after encanta in the infinitive (mirar) and not in a form like mirando?

After verbs of liking/preference like gustar, encantar, odiar, preferir, you normally use the infinitive to express an activity in general:

Me encanta mirar la nieve. = I love watching the snow (in general).
Me gusta leer. = I like reading.

You would use mirando (the gerund) in different structures:

Paso el día mirando la nieve. = I spend the day watching the snow.

But after me encanta, the natural form is the infinitive: me encanta mirar.

Why is it desde la ventana and not de la ventana or por la ventana?

Desde emphasizes the starting point of the action, the place you’re at while you watch:

mirar la nieve desde la ventana = to watch the snow from (the vantage point of) the window

Comparisons:

de la ventana often means “of the window” (possession/origin) → el cristal de la ventana
por la ventana can mean “through the window” or “by the window,” focusing more on movement or the path:
- Entra aire por la ventana. = Air comes in through the window.

So desde is the correct choice to express “from the window” as a viewpoint.

What does del salón mean, and why is it del instead of de el?

del is the contraction of de + el:
- de el salón → del salón (mandatory contraction in Spanish)

So:

la ventana del salón = the window of the living room / the living-room window

You cannot say:

✘ de el salón (you must contract)
✘ de la salón (because salón is masculine: el salón, not la salón)

In Spain, what exactly does salón mean here? Is it “room,” “hall,” or “living room”?

In Spain, in a home context:

el salón usually means the living room / lounge, where you have the sofa, TV, etc.

Other related words:

la sala can also mean living room, but in Spain salón is more common at home.
el comedor = dining room
la habitación / el dormitorio = bedroom

So la ventana del salón is the window of the living room, not just any random “hall” or corridor.

Is the word order En invierno me encanta mirar la nieve… fixed? Can I move things around?

You can move elements around; Spanish word order is flexible, though meaning and emphasis can change slightly. All of these are possible:

En invierno me encanta mirar la nieve desde la ventana del salón.
(original; emphasizes in winter first)
Me encanta mirar la nieve desde la ventana del salón en invierno.
(time at the end; still natural)
Me encanta, en invierno, mirar la nieve desde la ventana del salón.
(more marked, with commas; adds contrast/emphasis on “in winter”)

They all mean essentially the same thing. The original version is very natural and typical because time expressions (En invierno) often go at the beginning of the sentence in Spanish.