Dialogue

Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to say what you want in Spanish?
Welcome to Three Step Spanish Practice by SpanishPod101.com. In this lesson, you will practice saying what you want in both polite and casual ways.
Let's look at the main dialogue.
Two people are having a conversation.
¡Guau! Es una habitación grande. Esa pintura es muy bonita.
"Wow! It's a big room. That painting is very pretty."
A mi esposa también le gusta. Pero yo quiero una pintura diferente.
"My wife likes it too. But I want a different painting."
quiero una pintura diferente
quiero
¿Qué tipo de pintura te gustaría?
"What kind of painting would you like?"
Me gustaría una pintura interesante.
"I would like an interesting painting."
Me gustaría una pintura interesante.
Me gustaría
In Spanish, both quiero and me gustaría can be used to say that you want something, but they feel very different.
Quiero is more direct. People often use it with friends or in casual situations.
However, in many Spanish-speaking cultures, being polite and respectful is important, especially with strangers or in formal settings.
That's why me gustaría is often preferred. It sounds softer and more polite. Using me gustaría shows good manners.
Gustaría is the conditional form of gustar and is used to express what you would like in a polite way.
We use it with things we want — food, places, activities.
For example,
Me gustaría un café. "I'd like a coffee."
Me gustaría viajar. "I'd like to travel."
If the thing you want is plural, change it to "me gustarían:"
Me gustarían unas galletas. "I'd like some cookies."
We use me, te, le, nos, and les to show who would like something.
That's it! Let's practice.

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