How do I say "like ... very much"?

Question

I want to say "I like the flowers in the spring very much."

Is this right? "Me gustan mucho las flores en la primavera."

Should I use mucho or muy? Where do they go?

Muchas gracias.

Answer 1

Just as you said it:

Me gustan mucho (o muchísimo) las flores en la primavera

I think that's right

"Muchísimo" is just "mucho" with added emphasis. It's like "A LOT" vs. "a lot", lol - Goldie_Miel, Sep 28, 2011

Muchas gracias! - JazSpanish, Sep 28, 2011

De nada - Goldie_Miel, Sep 28, 2011

Answer 2

The rule-of-thumb for modifiers is that they go as close as possible to the word in the sentence that they modify without effecting their meaning.

So in your English sentence you could say:

I like very much the flowers in the Spring. (the same pertains to Spanish)

This helps to prevent "dangling modifiers" where the wrong word ends up being modified or where it is ambiguous as to which word is being modified.

Dangling modifier: (one type)

I saw the trailer peeking through the window.

correct version:

Peeking through the window, I saw the trailer.

If you translate mucho=a lot and muy = very; you will see which to use. Your example sentence is correct.

Is the rule above for Spanish as well? I meant to ask how to say the sentence in Spanish ;-) - JazSpanish, Sep 28, 2011

We had a similar question yesterday on where to locate an adjective (solo) in the sentence. It is not incorrect to place them far from the word that they modify, but it is not preferred as it can lead to errors. - 0074b507, Sep 28, 2011