No definite article after infinitive in 'gusta' constructions.

Question

Hello everyone. I did search for this answer and I did see some approximations, but I wasn't able to find an exact answer. Please send me a link if there is one, or I am very interested in hearing your explanation here.

In these two sentences, the article is necessary in one instance, but not in the other. Is there a formal explanation?

1. Me gusta estudiar música. (no 'la' article needed for 'música')
2. Me gusta LA música ('la' article needed)

or any subject matter:

1. Me gusta estudiar periodismo.
2. Me gusta el periodismo.

Any formal explanation as to why one needs it and the other doesn't? One acts as an object and the other a noun? One is specific and the other isn't? I'm not convinced by these explanations entirely.

Thank you in advance! Gustavo Lovato

objects and nouns aren't on the same level of analysis. '(in)direct object', like 'subject' refers to the function of a word in a sentence. 'Noun', like 'verb', classifies words themselves, without assigning a syntactic function to them. - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 26, 2014

Btw verbs like gustar work quite differently from others, to understand them it helps to know that 'la música, el periodismo etc.' aren't the objects of their sentences, they are the subjects.:) literally: to me is pleasing the music->the music pleases me - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 26, 2014

Hi Suzanne. Thank you for your response! I realize that the subjects (unusually for English speakers) follow 'gustar'. My confusion is that aren't those two constructions essentially the same? - GustavoLovato, Nov 26, 2014

In other words. I still don't see why the article is needed in one but not the other. - GustavoLovato, Nov 26, 2014

Just to piggy back on Suzanne, if I may, in #1 of each example, "music" and "journalism" are not the subjects; "studying music" and "studying journalism" are. - Winkfish, Nov 26, 2014

Understood. So therefore, by extension, the rule is that a definite article is not needed following a verb in the infinitive? - GustavoLovato, Nov 26, 2014

Hi Gustavo :) I was getting to that, but since you said 'is one the object and the other a noun', I thought I'd clear that up first. :) You ask a really good question btw. Thnx for hopping on Winkfish, that's true and I should've included it. :) - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 26, 2014

See my post below. I gave the shortest and most concise answer I could think of without using a bunch of grammatical terms that confuse me as well as the new learners at times. - Daniela2041, Nov 26, 2014

Please allow me to welcome you to SpanishDict. :) - rac1, Nov 27, 2014

Answer 1

I think when you use an infinitive between 'me gusta' and the noun, not using an article is most common and has it refer to the thing in general. When you specify (f.e. what genre of music), you do use the article: Me gusta estudiar la música pop.

When you use an adjective or adverb that tells the amount of the noun, the article is omitted again: Me gusta estudiar muchas asignaturas, me gusta comer tres manzanas por semana, me gustaría dibujar un montón de animales etc.

natives, how about this? : me gusta estudiar español VS me gusta estudiar LA lengua española - are they correct and if so, is the difference in article use made because the second one has an adjective, thus it is syntactically more specified?

I'm not a native myself so this is merely speculation.. I look forward to reading other people's answers.

Thank you Suzanne! - GustavoLovato, Nov 26, 2014

Suzanne, you are right on re: Me gusta estudiar LA lengua española--The adjective does make it necessary to add the article. I just do this instinctively, but you have come up with a point of grammar that I can share with my students. - Daniela2041, Nov 26, 2014

Glad we can help each other! :D - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 30, 2014

Answer 2

In your first answer: Me gusta estudiar periodismo. The verb "estudiar is really the subject. Leaving out gustar for a moment consider the following:

Yo estudio periodismo. No article needed. (Don't know why, that's Spanish I guess.)

Second sentence: Me gusta el periodismo. Here "periodismo" is the subject of the sentence. And when a noun is the subject you need the article. It's like "El periodismo es una profesión muy interesante"

I hope I have cleared up the mud instead of making it thicker.

¡Gracias Daniela! - GustavoLovato, Nov 26, 2014

Dani, So in the first example, "Studying journalism pleases me" no article needed - sanlee, Nov 27, 2014

The second example, "[The] journalism pleases me", the brackets because we would drop that the in the English translation, but it would be "Me gusta estudiar el periodismo" in the Spanish. - sanlee, Nov 27, 2014

I hope I have it right, but now it makes sense to me. Thank you so much. - sanlee, Nov 27, 2014

Voy a votar, Me gusta votar respuestas buenas. Me gustan las buenas respuestas. Espero que yo esté correcto - sanlee, Nov 27, 2014