Encantar

Question

How do I saw 'loving'? Is it encatnando?
I wanted to say 'Loving the cats'. In Spanish, is it 'encantando los gatos''

Answer 1

Thanks for the informative reply, Ricardo. I'll try to limit my use of this word in the future.

Answer 2

Adorar would be the word I would use, as I love my cat a lot!!

Answer 3

James,

I googled. You are right most of those site use "gozando de" as enjoy but mostly in the same sense as "enjoys good health" and similar uses.

However what is not obvious is that the use of "gozar de" is mostly a formal expression often reserved for writing not for conversation. I can say in conversation that someone "goza de buena salud" but I would normally say he"has" good health, "tiene buena salud".

The word gozar in Spanish has the same root as "Goce" which would translate as delight and therefore that implication is always in the use of the word. So 'gozar' in my mind translates better as 'delights in' than as 'enjoys'.

Answer 4

adorar los gatos would be similar to loving the cats it means worshiping the cats.

Answer 5

Dunia and Heidita,
Thanks for the comment, which is very interesting to me, since I have heard gozarse de used many times in the Americas to mean enjoy something, without any apparent sexual connotation. It's entirely possible that I am misusing the word here, but please do me a favor. Google this string {"gozando de" site:es}, which will give hits for those words on sites from Spain. Please tell me why all those hits do not simply mean disfrutar/enjoy.

I really am interested in knowing what you think, because I have used this word often in the past, and don't want to continue doing so it if sounds strange.

Thanks.

Answer 6

"Estoy gozando de los gatos" (which is more like "I'm enjoying the cats").

James, this sounds REALLY weird over here!!

Answer 7

"Estoy gozando de los gatos" doen't mean anything in Spain. I think "enjoy" should be translated as "pasarlo bien" or "disfrutar". Maybe could be: "me lo estoy pasando bien con los gatos", "estoy disfrutando de los gatos".

We say "gozar de la vida", for example.

"Gozar" is not a verb very common verb and sometimes has a sexual nuance. Always better "pasarlo bien" or "disfrutar"

Answer 8

Ahaaa...danish grammar is close to english, so...
- thank you for clearing that up for me, very useful!!

So "I like cats" will be:
Me gustan los gatos - ahaa...sí

Answer 9

Yes, you have to change the direction of action of the verb. In English the subject is "I," but in Spanish the subject is "the cats." So the Spanish is literally saying "The cats charm me."

Answer 10

A question of grammar...

You can't say: Encanto los gatos
- because encantar is a reflective verb?

And when you use reflective verbs, the bending follows the object? As in:
me encantan los gatos

Answer 11

James is right, context is important, Anita.

I suppose you wanted to say:

me encantan los gatos.

In Spanish you would not use the ing-form in this case.

Answer 12

It's ok. Maybe its just my way of slang talk.

Answer 13

We can't translate it if you don't know it in English. What is the context? Are you using "loving" as a gerund (noun form)?

The famous McDonald's ad campaing "I'm lovin' it" is translated by McDonald's as "Me encanta" in Latin America, and as "Me encanta todo eso" in Spain.

Answer 14

I can't really describe the way I wanted to use it, but I didn't want to say that 'I' am loving the cat. Pero, gracias.

Answer 15

Assuming you are trying to say "(I am) loving the cats," it would be "Me encantan los gatos," or "Estoy gozando de los gatos" (which is more like "I'm enjoying the cats").