¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? 👋🏻
Welcome back to another edition of Master Spanish Weekly.
Last week, one of our students (Monika) asked a question that I really liked: "How do you say 'It makes me feel sleepy' in Spanish? Like, 'The documentary made me feel sleepy.'"
It's a great question because the answer isn't obvious. You can't translate it word for word.
The answer is me da sueño, like “El documental me dió sueño,” and the reason it works that way is more interesting than it looks. In English, you are the one who feels sleepy. In Spanish, the documentary is the one giving you sleepiness. The subject flips. Instead of you acting, something acts on you. That shift in perspective is at the heart of some of the most natural, expressive phrases in Spanish, and once you see it, you'll notice it everywhere.
That's today's lesson.
Vamos. 🚀
En esta edición:
🌎 Noticias en Español
📚 Grammar Lesson: Verbos como Gustar
📥 Downloadable: Quick Reference Guide (Verbos como Gustar)
✏️ Mini Quiz
🙌 Gracias
🌎 Noticias en Español
Los astronautas de Artemis II se convierten en los humanos que más lejos han viajado en el espacio
La misión Artemis II de la NASA completó su histórico sobrevuelo lunar el 6 de abril.
Vocabulario: sobrevuelo (flyby) · tripulación (crew) · se convierten (they become) · nave espacial (spacecraft)
📚 Grammar Lesson: Verbos como Gustar
"How do you say 'It makes me feel sleepy'? In Spanish," The answer is me da sueño, like “El documental me dio sueño.” What a great question from Monika (¡Gracias Monika!)
In English, the subject of the sentence is the documentary; it does the action. Simple.
In Spanish, it works differently. Instead of saying the documentary did something to you, you say that to you, the documentary causes sleepiness. The focus flips.
This is the logic behind gustar-type verbs, also called verbos afectivos, and once you understand them, a whole layer of Spanish opens up.
The structure:
English | Spanish |
|---|---|
I like the movie. | Me gusta la película. |
The movie bores me. | Me aburre la película. |
The documentary makes me sleepy. | Me da sueño el documental. |
That song makes me happy. | Me alegra esa canción. |
Notice: In Spanish, the thing (documentary, movie, song) is the subject, not you. You are the one receiving the feeling.
The most common verbs that follow this pattern:
Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
gustar | to like / to please | Me gusta el café. |
encantar | to love | Me encanta el español. |
aburrir | to bore | Me aburre la gramática. |
molestar | to bother | Me molesta el ruido. |
dar miedo | to scare | Me da miedo la oscuridad. |
dar sueño | to make sleepy | Me da sueño ese programa. |
dar asco | to disgust | Me da asco ese olor. |
poner nervioso/a | to make nervous | Me pone nervioso hablar en público. |
Quick tip: The verb agrees with what causes the feeling, not with you.
Me gusta el libro. (singular — one book)
Me gustan los libros. (plural — several books)
This confuses many English speakers. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away.
📥 Downloadable of this week: A quick-reference guide with the most useful gustar-type verbs, their meanings, and example sentences in English and Spanish. Designed to keep on your desk or phone.
🧩 Mini Quiz: Verbos como Gustar
Choose the best translation to Spanish:
1. "That movie bores me."
a) Yo aburro esa película. b) Me aburre esa película. c) Me aburren esa película.
2. "I’m scared of heights."
a) Me dan miedo las alturas. b) Me da miedo las alturas. c) Yo tengo miedo a las alturas.
3. "The news worries me."
a) Me preocupan las noticias. b) Me preocupo las noticias. c) Yo preocupo las noticias.
4. "I love Mexican food."
a) Yo encanto la comida mexicana. b) Me gusta mucho la comida mexicana. c) Me encanta la comida mexicana.
4. "I get nervous when I have to speak Spanish"
a) Yo pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar Español. b) Me pone nervioso tener que hablar Español . c) Estoy nervioso cuando tengo que hablar Español.
🙌 Gracias
¡Muchas gracias a todos!
This newsletter exists because of the questions you ask in class. That curiosity is exactly what makes a great language learner.
Keep asking. Keep noticing. Keep showing up.
Hasta la próxima,
Alejandro Founder & Director, Vokally.
