Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa. - I like it when the wind blows at the beach.

So instead of saying “I like the wind” as Yo gusto el viento, Spanish says “The wind is pleasing to me”: Me gusta el viento. That’s why you use me (to me) + gusta, not yo gusto.

What exactly does me mean in Me gusta? Can I also say A mí me gusta?

me is the indirect object pronoun meaning “to me”.

Me gusta = “It is pleasing to me” / “I like it.”

You can add a stressed form for emphasis or contrast:

A mí me gusta = “I (personally) like it.”

This is used when you want to contrast with others:

A mí me gusta, pero a él no.
I like it, but he doesn’t.

So Me gusta and A mí me gusta are both correct; the second is just more emphatic.

Why is it gusta and not gustan in this sentence?

The form of gustar agrees with what is liked, not with the person who likes it.

Me gusta el viento. (singular thing → gusta)
Me gustan los vientos fuertes. (plural things → gustan)

In Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa, the subject of gusta is the whole clause:
cuando sopla el viento en la playa (“when the wind blows on the beach”).

That clause is treated as a singular idea, so gusta (singular) is correct.

What tense are gusta and sopla, and what does that tell us?

Both gusta and sopla are in the present indicative.

gusta = present (3rd person singular) of gustar
sopla = present (3rd person singular) of soplar

Here, the present is used the way English often uses the simple present to talk about general likes or repeated situations:

Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
I like it when the wind blows on the beach (in general / whenever that happens).

It doesn’t refer to one specific moment; it describes something you generally enjoy.

Why is it cuando sopla and not cuando sople? Isn’t the subjunctive often used after cuando?

After cuando, Spanish can use indicative or subjunctive, depending on meaning:

Indicative (here: cuando sopla) is used for real, habitual, or known situations.
- Me gusta cuando sopla el viento…
  → Whenever the wind blows, I like it. This is a real, recurring situation.
Subjunctive (e.g. cuando sople) is used for future, hypothetical, or uncertain events:
- Me gustará cuando sople el viento.
  I’ll like it when the wind blows (in the future; not yet happening).

In your sentence you’re talking about something that does happen (a habit), so cuando sopla (indicative) is correct.

Why is the word order sopla el viento instead of el viento sopla?

Both orders are grammatically correct:

Sopla el viento
El viento sopla

In Spanish, it’s quite natural to put the verb before the subject, especially:

in descriptions of weather or nature
in more literary or descriptive style
when the subject is already known or not strongly emphasized

Sopla el viento sounds a bit more descriptive / literary, like “The wind is blowing” as part of a scene-setting.
El viento sopla is more neutral and “textbook-like.”

In everyday speech, many people would still say cuando el viento sopla en la playa, but cuando sopla el viento en la playa is also very natural.

What does soplar mean exactly, and could I say hace viento instead?

soplar means “to blow” (for wind, air, etc.):

sopla el viento = “the wind blows” / “the wind is blowing”

You can also say hace viento (“it’s windy”):

Me gusta cuando hace viento en la playa.
I like it when it’s windy at the beach.

Both are fine, but they’re slightly different:

soplar el viento focuses on the action of the wind blowing.
hacer viento describes the condition (it’s windy).

In Spain, hace viento is very common in everyday speech. Sopla el viento sounds a bit more descriptive or poetic.

Why is it en la playa and not a la playa or por la playa?

These prepositions change the meaning:

en la playa = on / at the beach (location)
- sopla el viento en la playa → the wind blows at the beach.
a la playa = to the beach (movement towards)
- Voy a la playa. → I’m going to the beach.
por la playa = along / around / through the beach area
- Paseo por la playa. → I walk along the beach.

In your sentence, you’re talking about the place where the wind blows, so en la playa (at / on the beach) is the correct choice.

Why do we say el viento and la playa? Could we drop the articles?

Spanish uses definite articles (el, la, los, las) more often than English with general nouns:

el viento = “the wind” (but often just “wind” in English)
la playa = “the beach” (same as English here)

In this sentence, the articles sound completely natural and are usually not dropped:

Me gusta cuando sopla viento en playa ❌ (incorrect / incomplete)
Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa ✅

You can sometimes omit the article with viento in certain more technical or poetic phrases, but in normal speech here, el viento and la playa are what you want.

What is the subject of gusta in this sentence?

The subject of gusta is not yo or me. The subject is the thing that is pleasing.

Here, the subject is the whole clause:

cuando sopla el viento en la playa

So structurally, the sentence is:

[A mí] me gusta [cuando sopla el viento en la playa].
→ To me, it is pleasing when the wind blows on the beach.

me is an indirect object (“to me”), and cuando sopla el viento en la playa is the subject of gusta.

Could I say Me gusta el viento cuando sopla en la playa? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Me gusta el viento cuando sopla en la playa.

The meaning is very close, but there’s a slight shift in focus:

Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
Focus on the moment/situation: those times when the wind blows at the beach.
Me gusta el viento cuando sopla en la playa.
Focus more on the wind itself, specifically wind when it’s blowing at the beach.

Both are correct; the difference is subtle and often they’d be understood the same way in conversation.

How would this sentence change with other people: You like, He likes, We like, etc.?

You change only the indirect object pronoun; gusta stays the same because the thing liked is still singular (the situation):

Me gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
I like it when…
Te gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
You like it when… (informal singular)
Le gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
He/She likes it when… / You like it when… (formal singular)
Nos gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
We like it when…
Os gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
You all like it when… (informal plural, Spain)
Les gusta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
They like it when… / You all like it when… (formal plural)

The verb gusta would only change to gustan if the thing(s) liked were plural.

Is Me gusta the same as “I love” here, or is there a stronger verb?

Me gusta = “I like” (can range from mild to quite strong depending on context and intonation).

If you want to express a stronger feeling, you can use:

Me encanta cuando sopla el viento en la playa.
I love it when the wind blows on the beach.

So:

Me gusta… → I like it…
Me encanta… → I love it / I really like it a lot.

Both follow the same gustar-type pattern with indirect object pronouns.