Me gustan las bebidas, pero hay poco hielo.

Questions & Answers about Me gustan las bebidas, pero hay poco hielo.

Why is it gustan instead of gusta?
In Spanish, verbs like gustar work backwards compared to English. Instead of saying "I like the drinks," you are literally saying "The drinks are pleasing to me." Because las bebidas is plural, the verb takes the plural form gustan.
What is the difference between poco hielo and un poco de hielo?
This is a very important difference! Poco on its own means "little" or "not much"—usually a negative thing, implying there isn't enough. If you say un poco de hielo, it means "a little bit of ice" or "some ice"—a positive thing, meaning you have some. Here, the speaker is complaining about a lack of ice.
Does poco change its ending here?
Yes. When words of quantity like poco, mucho, or demasiado describe a noun, they must match that noun's gender and number. Because hielo (ice) is masculine and singular, we use poco. If you were talking about soup (sopa), you would say poca sopa.
Does the verb hay change depending on the amount?
No. Hay is a special, fixed word that means both "there is" and "there are." It never changes to match the noun that comes after it, whether that noun is a singular thing like hielo or plural like bebidas.

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