A mi me gustan.
From my post, jefe
a mi me gustan...
"Me gusta" I understand to mean, "I like". Does "me gustan" mean "you all like me"? What does the "a mi" then mean? To me, you all like me?
3 Answers
Me gusta=I like (it/she/he is pleasing to me)
Me gustan=I like them or you all (they/you all are pleasing to me)
The a mí just emphasizes the me (it is redundant and not necessary)
you all like me= A ustedes les gusto yo. (I am pleasing to you all).
The a.... is a clarification tag for les. It tells you if les is them or you all, so here it would be: [the clarification tag is optional, you can get the meaning from context]
A ustedes les gusto yo.
If you wanted to say They like me.
A ellos, les gusto yo.
And, of course all of these you all's can be said in the familiar if you are in Spain.
A vosotros, os gusto yo.
The a mí just emphasizes the me (it is redundant and not necessary)
I don't agree with that. It is used like the subject personal pronouns with "inverted" verbs like "gustar", in which you can't say "yo" to make a contrast, but "a mí". If you just say "Me gustan las fresas", that's fine, but a dialogue can gives us a situation where "a mí" is almost required:
- Juan: Me gustan mucho las fresas.
- María: A mí me gustan más las manzanas.
If you remove "a mí", it sounds a bit weird. It is as if you did not even hear what the other person say. It is a way of saying "Ok, that is you, but I..." If María had said instead:
Pues a mí me gustan más las manzanas.
now removing "a mí" would make it sounds a lot weirder. It is definitely not redundant, and it is necessary to ensure a proper communication. If you intend to speak like a robot ("you" being "anyone"), expressing only the necessary amount of words to convey cold and objective facts, then it is redundant, but if you want to speak like a human being, with connotations, considering other people's feelings, giving feedback,... you do need to use how and when to use "a mí" effectively, if you want to speak naturally, and not like an inexperienced terminator. Again, it is not about using slang, sounding colloquial or cool, but ensuring a proper communication. The most conservative and highly sophisticated person who only uses perfect academic Spanish and avoids colloquial expressions would never omit "a mí" in certain situations, even in formal contexts. Admittedly, this will not happen often, but when it does, it will not be redundant or unnecessary.
Gustar denotes sexual attraction and should not be used unless indicating that level of attraction
Jeezle, this is completely wrong. Gustar simply means to please or to like.
Pedro me gusta.
I like him as a friend. I like him as a boyfriend.
But by no means does this automatically mean I desire him. That would be:
Pedro me atrae,
