Gustar + Mucho question

Question

I have always learned that mucho matches both gender and person:

• mucho pasto - a lot of grass
• mucha agua - a lot of water
• muchos gatos - a lot of cats, or many cats
• muchas bicicletas - a lot of bicycles, or many bicycles

From these sentences (taken from Lesson 1.14), what does mucho match?

Me gustan mucho las hojas bonitas en el otoño.

Me gustan mucho las flores en la primavera.

Why is it not muchas in both examples?

:-P - Destroyed99, May 26, 2011

La primavera? - Sabor, May 26, 2011

Whoops! I fixed it... - Tosh, May 27, 2011

Answer 1

In this case, mucho is being used as an adverb and is modifying gustar. Adverbs do not match gender or number.

Me gustan mucho las flores en el primavera. = (Literally) The flowers in the Spring really please me.

Here mucho translates as really and is not being used to describe the flowers.

Had it been being used to describe the flowers, it would have a different position and would indeed be muchas and would translate as many.

Me gustan las muchas flores = The many flowers please me.

However, the phrase tengo hambre becomes tengo mucha hambre (I have a lot of hunger).

Because here mucha hambre , mucha is an adjective modifying hambre. - margaretcorwin, May 27, 2011

Good answer webdunce :) - EL_MAG0, May 27, 2011

Yes, I was in a hurry...I asked long ago whether it was possible to say tengo mucho hambre (I really have hunger) as opposed to tengo mucha hambre (I have a lot of hunger)...apparently, the answer was NO. In that phrase, you should say mucha hambre... - webdunce, May 27, 2011

So, in that phrase, always think of mucha as an adjective describing hambre (even though the English equivalent is "I am really hungry"...but then we see it as a state of being and Spanish views it as something you possess.) - webdunce, May 27, 2011

Answer 2

Because in these cases, "mucho" modifies the verb "gustar", as opposed to the flowers and leaves.

I had a feeling that was the case... so if you are liking plural things, or if plural things are pleasing to you (gustan)... why isn't it muchos? - Tosh, May 26, 2011

I'm not a grammar whiz, so take this for what it's worth. Because it is an adverb in thiese cases, and adverbs aren't modifed--unlike adjectives. - gintar77, May 26, 2011

these* - gintar77, May 26, 2011

Mucho is an adverb modifying a verb - me molesta mucho, me duele mucho, Shakira me gusta mucho. - margaretcorwin, May 27, 2011

OOps didn't finish - when you use mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas, those are adjectives modifying nouns so they can be made plura. - margaretcorwin, May 27, 2011

Sorry, I keep hitting the enter key before finishing. So mucho is an adverb modifying a verb and adverbs cannot be made plural. - margaretcorwin, May 27, 2011

Answer 3

Porque en esos casos la palabra "mucho" se usa para enfatizar un sentimiento.

Example:

Me molesta mucho que hagas eso!

Me duele mucho la muela

Shakira me gusta mucho

Estos videojuegos me divierten mucho

Regards!!

Good examples of mucho being used as an adverb. - webdunce, May 27, 2011

Answer 4

Hey, tosh, check your PM.

Me gustan mucho las hojas bonitas en el otoño.= adverb; modifies the verb "gustan"

Dentro de su colección, hay muchas hojas que me gustan = adjective, modifies the noun "hojas".

Me gustan mucho las flores en la primavera.= adverb, modifies the verb "gustan".

Hay muchas flores que me gustan, pero las rosas son mis favoritas. = adjective, modifies the noun "flores".

Can you identify what's the function of all the 'muchos' here?

No hay muchas maneras de entender lo mucho que te quiero; es mucho el tiempo que llevo haciéndome muchas preguntas acerca de los muchos momentos en los que siento que mi corazón no va a aguantar mucho más.

Wish I could vote twice! - webdunce, May 27, 2011