En la biblioteca nos gusta susurrar en español, pero sabemos que debemos callarnos si alguien nos mira mal.

In the library we like to whisper in Spanish, but we know we must be quiet if someone gives us a dirty look.

Breakdown of En la biblioteca nos gusta susurrar en español, pero sabemos que debemos callarnos si alguien nos mira mal.

• gustar: to like
• en: in
• pero: but
• nosotros: we

Questions & Answers about En la biblioteca nos gusta susurrar en español, pero sabemos que debemos callarnos si alguien nos mira mal.

Why is it nos gusta susurrar and not gustamos susurrar?

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

• The thing that is liked is the subject: here, susurrar (whispering).
• The person who likes it is an indirect object: nos (to us).

So:

• Nos gusta susurrar. = Whispering is pleasing to us → We like whispering.

You only say gustamos when we are the thing that is liked, e.g. Le gustamos (He/She likes us).

What does nos mean in nos gusta and in alguien nos mira mal? Is it the same?

It’s the same pronoun nos, but used in two different roles:

1. Nos gusta susurrar

   • nos = indirect object pronoun, to us
   • “Whispering is pleasing to us.”

2. Alguien nos mira mal

   • nos = direct object pronoun, us
   • “Someone is looking at us badly / giving us a dirty look.”

Same word, different grammatical function depending on the verb.

Why is it susurrar en español and not susurrar español?