The Gustar Structure
To express strong likes or interests, use encantar (to love things or activities) and interesar (to interest).
These verbs follow the exact same structure as gustar. Instead of saying "I love classical literature," Spanish phrasing is closer to "Classical literature is enchanting to me." The thing you love is actually the subject of the sentence.
Place an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) before the verb. If the thing you love or are interested in is singular, use the singular verb form (encanta or interesa).
| I love classical literature. | Me encanta la literatura clásica. |
| Are you interested in modern art? | ¿Te interesa el arte moderno? |
Clarifying and Emphasizing
Because le and les can refer to multiple people (him, her, you formal, them), Spanish often adds a + [person] to clarify exactly who is feeling the emotion.
| Poetry doesn't interest him. | A él no le interesa la poesía. |
You can also use this structure with pronouns like a mí (to me) or a ti (to you) to add emphasis. This is very common when contrasting your preferences with someone else's.
| He prefers modern art, but I love classical art. | Él prefiere el arte moderno, pero a mí me encanta el arte clásico. |
Plural Things
When the things that you love or interest you are plural, the verb must match them. Simply add an -n to the verb to make it encantan or interesan.
| My sister loves classic novels. | A mi hermana le encantan las novelas clásicas. |
| You guys are not interested in those novels. | A vosotros no os interesan esas novelas. |
