En otoño, me gusta caminar en el parque.

In autumn, I like to walk in the park.

Breakdown of En otoño, me gusta caminar en el parque.

• yo: I
• gustar: to like
• caminar: to walk
• en: in
• el parque: the park
• el otoño: the autumn

Questions & Answers about En otoño, me gusta caminar en el parque.

Why is it me gusta and not yo gusto?

In Spanish, gustar doesn’t work like English “to like”; it’s closer to “to be pleasing (to someone)”.

• Me gusta literally means: “[It] is pleasing to me.”
• Me = to me (indirect object pronoun)
• gusta = is pleasing (3rd person singular form of gustar)

So:

• Me gusta caminar en el parque.
  = Walking in the park is pleasing to me
  = I like walking in the park.

Yo gusto is almost never used in normal speech and would sound wrong here.

Why is it gusta and not gustan?

Gustar agrees with what is liked, not with the person who likes it.

• If the thing liked is singular or an action (infinitive) → gusta
• If the things liked are plural → gustan

In the sentence:

• caminar en el parque (walking in the park) is treated as one action, so it’s singular.
  → Me gusta caminar en el parque.

Compare:

• Me gusta el parque. (I like the park. – 1 thing)
• Me gustan los parques. (I like parks. – plural)

What exactly is the me doing in me gusta?

Me is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.”

Structure with gustar is:

• A mí / Me
  • gusta
    • [what is pleasing]

So in:

• Me gusta caminar en el parque.
  → Me = to me (the person who experiences the liking)
  → The action caminar en el parque is what is “pleasing.”

You can also say:

• A mí me gusta caminar en el parque.

Here a mí just adds emphasis: “As for me, I like walking in the park.”

Why is caminar in the infinitive and not camino?

When you talk about liking an activity in general, Spanish normally uses the infinitive (the “to do” form):

• Me gusta caminar. = I like walking / I like to walk.
• Me gusta leer. = I like reading / to read.

If you said:

• Me gusta camino en el parque.

this would be incorrect, because gusta must be followed by a thing or action as a noun-like element. The infinitive caminar functions as a noun (like “walking”) here.

Can I say “En el otoño, me gusta…” instead of “En otoño”?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

• En otoño is the most common and natural way to say “in (the) autumn/fall” in general.
• En el otoño is possible but more likely in specific or more formal/literary contexts, for example:
  
  • En el otoño de 2020… (In the autumn of 2020…)

For a general habit like “In autumn, I like to walk in the park”, speakers in Spain would almost always say:

• En otoño, me gusta caminar en el parque.

Is the comma after “En otoño” necessary?

It’s optional, but very common and stylistically good.

• En otoño, me gusta caminar en el parque. ✅
• En otoño me gusta caminar en el parque. ✅

The comma just separates the introductory time phrase (En otoño) from the main clause, making the sentence easier to read. Both forms are correct.

Why is otoño not capitalized like “Autumn / Fall” in English?

In Spanish, names of seasons are written with a lowercase letter:

• la primavera – spring
• el verano – summer
• el otoño – autumn / fall
• el invierno – winter

So “En otoño” is correct; “En Otoño” would be wrong in normal writing.

How do you pronounce otoño, especially the ñ?

Pronunciation (Spain):

• otoño → [o-TO-nyo]
  
  • Stress on the second syllable: to
  • ñ = like the “ny” in “canyon” or “onion.”

So you don’t say “oh-TO-no”; you say “oh-TO-nyo.”

Why is it en el parque and not just en parque?

In Spanish, common singular countable nouns almost always need an article (el, la, un, una) unless there is a special reason to omit it.

• en el parque = in the park (a specific type of place in general)
• en un parque = in a park (one unspecified park)

Saying en parque (no article) would be incorrect in normal Spanish.

Could I say caminar por el parque instead of caminar en el parque? What’s the difference?

Both are correct, but the nuance changes slightly:

• caminar en el parque
  = to walk in the park (location: inside the park)

• caminar por el parque
  = to walk around/through the park (movement within the park, a bit more dynamic)

In many contexts they’re interchangeable, and both are fine in Spain. For a leisurely walk, por el parque is very common:

• En otoño, me gusta pasear por el parque.
  (In autumn, I like to stroll around the park.)

Could I say caminar al parque? Does that mean the same thing?

No, the meaning changes:

• caminar en el parque = to walk *in the park*
• caminar por el parque = to walk *around/through the park*
• caminar al parque = to walk *to the park* (the park is your destination)

So al (a + el) expresses direction / movement towards the park, not being inside it.

Is otoño masculine or feminine? What about parque?

Both are masculine nouns:

• el otoño – the autumn/fall
• el parque – the park

That’s why you see el in en el parque, and you would also say el otoño when the article is used:

• En el otoño de 2010…

Can I also say A mí me gusta caminar en el parque? Is that more “Spanish from Spain”?

Yes, you can, and it’s used in all varieties of Spanish, including Spain.

• Me gusta caminar en el parque.
• A mí me gusta caminar en el parque.

The second version (A mí me gusta…) puts extra emphasis on “me”:

• A mí = as for me / I personally

You use it especially to contrast with others:

• A mí me gusta caminar en el parque, pero a mi hermano no.
  (I like walking in the park, but my brother doesn’t.)

Is “En otoño” understood as “In the fall” in Spain, or do they prefer another word?

In Spain, “otoño” is the normal, standard word for the autumn/fall season, and:

• En otoño = In autumn / In the fall

There’s no separate everyday word like “fall” vs “autumn” in English; otoño covers both.