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A small, smiling child enthusiastically hugging a giant, brightly colored sunflower, showing intense affection.

encantar

en-kan-TAR

verbA1regular ar
to love (something/doing something)?strong enjoyment, like 'to be crazy about'
Also:to delight?formal or literal translation,to be enchanting?literal meaning

Quick Reference

gerundencantando
infinitiveencantar
past Participleencantado

📝 In Action

Me encanta la pizza.

A1

I love pizza. (Literally: Pizza delights me.)

¿Te encantan los libros de fantasía?

A2

Do you love fantasy books?

Nos encantó el concierto de anoche.

A2

We loved last night's concert.

A mis padres les encanta viajar en tren.

B1

My parents love traveling by train.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • fascinar (to fascinate)
  • gustar (mucho) (to like (a lot))
  • adorar (to adore)

Antonyms

  • disgustar (to dislike)
  • detestar (to detest)

Common Collocations

  • me encanta la idea – I love the idea
  • encantar a primera vista – to enchant at first sight

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Backwards' Structure

Like 'gustar' (to like), 'encantar' means 'to delight' or 'to enchant.' The thing you love is the subject of the sentence, not the object. You use the indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, etc.) to show who is delighted.

Using 'A' for Clarity

To clarify who is being delighted, especially with 'le' (he/she/it/you formal), you often add 'a' + the person's name or a pronoun: 'A Juan le encanta el fútbol' (Juan loves soccer).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Direct Translation Error

Mistake: "Yo encanto esta película."

Correction: Me encanta esta película. (The movie is the one doing the enchanting, not you.)

Number Agreement

Mistake: "Me encanta tus zapatos nuevos."

Correction: Me encantan tus zapatos nuevos. (Since 'zapatos' is plural, the verb must also be plural: 'encantan'.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Stronger than 'Gustar'

'Encantar' is much stronger than 'gustar.' If 'gustar' is 'to like,' 'encantar' is 'to love' or 'to be crazy about.' Use it when you feel passionate about something.

People vs. Things

Use 'encantar' to express love for activities, objects, or ideas. Use 'amar' or 'querer' for romantic love or deep family affection.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

yoencantara
él/ella/ustedencantara
túencantaras
vosotrosencantarais
nosotrosencantáramos
ellos/ellas/ustedesencantaran

present

yoencante
él/ella/ustedencante
túencantes
vosotrosencantéis
nosotrosencantemos
ellos/ellas/ustedesencanten

indicative

imperfect

yoencantaba
él/ella/ustedencantaba
túencantabas
vosotrosencantabais
nosotrosencantábamos
ellos/ellas/ustedesencantaban

present

yoencanto
él/ella/ustedencanta
túencantas
vosotrosencantáis
nosotrosencantamos
ellos/ellas/ustedesencantan

preterite

yoencanté
él/ella/ustedencantó
túencantaste
vosotrosencantasteis
nosotrosencantamos
ellos/ellas/ustedesencantaron
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: encantar

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly expresses 'My sister loves classical music'?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'encantar' to say 'I love my husband'?

Not usually. 'Encantar' is used for strong liking of things or activities. For romantic love or deep familial attachment, you should use 'amar' or 'querer' (e.g., 'Quiero a mi esposo').

Is 'encantar' a stem-changing verb?

No, 'encantar' is a regular '-ar' verb. It follows the standard conjugation patterns, unlike verbs like 'preferir' or 'poder'.