Learn Spanish (Latin America): A ella le gusta el helado de chocolate.

A ella le gusta el helado de chocolate.

She likes chocolate ice cream.

Breakdown of A ella le gusta el helado de chocolate.

Questions & Answers about A ella le gusta el helado de chocolate.

Why are both "a ella" and "le" in the same sentence if they both mean "to her"?

In Spanish, the word le translates to "to him", "to her", or "to you". Because le can mean several different people, we often add a ella at the beginning to clarify exactly who we are talking about. Even when you use a ella for clarity, you still have to keep the pronoun le in the sentence.

Why is the verb "gusta" used instead of a form that matches "ella"?

The verb gustar works differently than "to like" in English. Literally, this sentence translates to "The chocolate ice cream is pleasing to her." The ice cream is doing the action! Since el helado (the ice cream) is a single thing, we use the singular verb form gusta.

Why do we need the word "el" before "helado"? We don't say "She likes the chocolate ice cream" in English.

When talking about things you like or dislike in general, Spanish requires you to use the definite article (el, la, los, or las) before the noun. So whenever you use gustar with a noun, don't forget the article!

Why is it "helado de chocolate" and not "chocolate helado"?