Jobs and workplaces (Profesiones y lugares de trabajo)

¡OJO! Note that to refer to professions in Spanish, we don’t normally use the indefinite article UN/UNA: “I am a teacher” > “Soy profesora”

Let’s have a look at professions that are used to answer the two possible questions ¿en qué trabajas? and ¿a qué te dedicas?: Both mean the same, pretty much: What do you do?

Note some professions change for gender (masculine and feminine), while others don’t.

Workplaces (lugares de trabajo):

To like (gustar)

I’m sure you remember how to conjugate regular -AR verbs:

Therefore, you would assume you know how to conjugate GUSTAR, an -AR verb that means to like… (I like, *yo gusto… and so on).

Well, sorry to break the news, but WRONG! GUSTAR is a peculiar verb and weird verb … because it works in a way that is different from any other verb in Spanish. It’s an extremely common verb (just think the amounts of times a day you use in English “I like” or “I don’t like” … So, let’s get this one right.

As you probably have noticed, that’s a weird Spanish structure. There’s no -o or -as an ending for the verb, no YO or TÚ… Well, as I said, GUSTAR follows its own rules. Let´s have a look at the structure:

Step 1: We only use GUSTAR in the third person singular and plural conjugations (that is, the él and ellos conjugation). That means that, regardless of who likes something or doing something, we just use GUSTA and GUSTAN instead of the usual 6 endings.

Step 2: Of course, we need to say who likes whatever. Instead of the expected subject or subject pronouns (yo, tú, él-ella, nosotros, vosotros, ellos-ellas) we use a new set of pronouns (green bubble above). Me, instead of yo; Te, instead of tú; Le, instead of él, ella or usted… and so on.

Step 3: To complete our sentence we add WHAT someone likes. Be careful as the thing, person or animal “liked” is the part of the sentence determining whether we use GUSTA or GUSTAN.

You use GUSTA, independently from who likes, if they like singular things (el chocolate, la música), singular people (Pedro) or verbs in the infinitive (cantar, hablar español, levantar pesas).

Please note “things” liked are used with the DEFINITE article (la música, el chocolate… as in “I like THE chocolate or THE music”)

Also note that if you like a few infinitive verbs, you still use the singular GUSTA: Nos gusta cantar, bailar y comprar pan.

You use GUSTAN, independently from who likes, if they like plural things (las chicas, los coches) or plural people (Ana y Pedro).

• Remember that you never use GUSTAN followed by a verb (just GUSTA).
• This is the basic GUSTAR structure: “Me gusta el pan” > I like bread.

NOW –

There’s a last essential point to comment on, If I say “Me gusta el chocolate” or “Te gustan tus clases”, it’s clear that ME refers to myself and TE to you. Now, if I say “LE gusta el chocolate”, unless you know who LE refers to out of the conversation, it is a confusing sentence… we need to clarify who LE is.

Sometimes, for emphasis (in first and second persons) or clarification (in third person), we add a fourth block:

Step 4: (sometimes optional). We introduce block 4 at the beginning of the GUSTAR structure for clarification or emphasis. The important thing here is the A at the beginning. Let’s have a look at examples of block number four (in red):

A mí me gusta el chocolate (To me, I like chocolate) EMPHASIS

A ti te gusta el chocolate (To you, you like chocolate) EMPHASIS

A él – a ella – a usted – A Pedro – A maría – A mi madre – al profesor – al perro le gusta el chocolate (He – she – you formal – Pedro – Maria – my mother – the teacher – the dog, likes chocolate) CLARIFICATION

A nosotras nos gusta el chocolate (To us, we like chocolate) EMPHASIS

A vosotros os gusta el chocolate (To you people, you like chocolate) EMPHASIS

A ellos – a ustedes – a mis padres – a Ana y a Pedro les gusta el chocolate (They – you formal – my parents – Ana and Pedro, they like chocolate) CLARIFICATION

Finally, the ONE thing that is really easy about GUSTAR:

if you want to turn a GUSTAR sentence into a question, just add your question marks: “¿te gusta el chocolate?” (do you like chocolate?)

If you want to make it negative (like “I don’t like”), just insert a NO before block 3 (the me, te, le, nos, os, le column). “A Juan no le gusta el chocolate” (Juan doesn’t like chocolate)

Well, be really careful with GUSTAR!!! We use it all the time, and I can tell you, it’s a constant source of mistakes at this level!

Have a look at the box below and try to fix the mistakes before you look at the correct versions:

And now you can see the corrections below…

Verb periphrases: to finish, to need, to wish (perífrasis verbales: terminar de, necesitar, desear)

In very simple terms, let’s say “verbal periphrasis” means that we use two verbs, one after the other and one “depending” on the other.

In English, “I finish working at 2” or “I need to go now”.

In Spanish, we also have this structure with a few verbs. Today we are looking at “terminar de” (to finish doing something) “necesitar” (to need to do something), and “desear” (to wish to do something).

The RULE about Spanish periphrases is always the same: you conjugate the main verb (in this case, “terminar” and “necesitar” or “desear”) according to the subject, but the second verb most often goes in the INFINITIVE form.

¡OJO! Careful! Notice the second verb in the periphrasis in Spanish most often goes in the INFINITIVE (that is, the -AR, -ER, -IR form). The problem is that in English, you have periphrases in which the main verb is followed by an infinitive (I need to go) and others followed by a gerund (I finish working at 5). Don’t get confused! In Spanish, almost always use the INFINITIVE after the conjugated verb… at least at this level.

¡Amigos y amigas! We´re done for the Semana! As promised, classes are becoming less heavy with new stuff! I hope we’re not getting too tired…

Do learn your GUSTAR… it’s actually one of the structures where, statistically, Spanish students make the highest number of mistakes! … and listen to the Manu Chao “Me gustas tú” song.

Once you listen to it, you won’t be able to get it out of your head!

¡OJO!

BTW… Manu Chao uses “GUSTAS” in the song… WHAT?!?!? Is Manu making a mistake? Maybe this will make it easier to understand.

The verb gustar acts as the English structure in the phrases:

You please me – Me gustas tú

Tacos, please you – Te gustan los tacos

Running pleases him – A él le gusta correr

So, the subject in those phrases is the action, thing, or things that a person likes. Therefore, the conjugation of the verb gustar agrees with the liked person or thing.

El fin por esta semana…

¡Hasta luego!