In Spanish the most common way to say would like [to do something] is by using verb gustar in El Condicional Simple, but only the conjugation of the 3rd person singular is used.
Conjugation of gustar in El Condicional Simple
|
English |
Spanish |
|
I would like |
Me gustaría |
|
You would like |
Te gustaría |
|
He/she/you [formal] would like |
Le gustaría |
|
We would like |
Nos gustaría |
|
You would like [vosotros] |
Os gustaría |
|
They would like |
Les gustaría |
|
You would like [ustedes] |
Les gustaría |
As you can see, verb gustar is an "inverted" verb, so you will find an indirect object pronoun (Pronombre de complemento indirecto) in front.
Have a look at these examples:
Este año me gustaría hacer un curso de fotografía.This year I would like to do a photograply course.
Notice how after gustar there is always an infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir form)
A common mistake is to use the subject pronoun (Pronombre sujeto) or use both.
Yo gustaría ir al cine contigo.
Yo me gustaría ir al cine contigo.
Me gustaría ir al cine contigo.
I would like to go to the cinema with you.
To emphasise "who" is liking, the indirect object pronouns can be repeated:
A mí me gustaría ir al cine contigo.
See also Repetition of indirect object pronouns in Spanish with verbs like gustar
It's important to note that other inverted verbs like "encantar" or "apasionar" work exactly the same way as "gustar" in all tenses. For example:
Me encantaría ir al concierto contigo.
I'd love to go to the concert with you.
Le apasionaría el tema de la conferencia. Debería ir.
She'd absolutely love the theme of the conference. She should go.
To see how gustar works in El Presente see:
- Using gustar in Spanish + verb to say like [doing something]
- Using gustar in Spanish to say you like something
To learn about a different way to say "would like" see
Polite requests in Spanish: querría, quería and quisiera to politely say "I would like"
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