encantar

Encantar is a Spanish verb that means to charm, enchant, or delight, and in everyday use also to express strong liking or love for something. Its sense ranges from magical enchantment to a strong personal preference, as in “Me encanta la música” (I love music). The word comes from Latin incantare, related to chanting or casting a spell, and over time acquired the sense of causing delight or charm.

In general usage, encantar is a gustar-like verb. It takes an indirect object pronoun to indicate who is pleased, while the thing that pleases is the subject of the sentence. For example, “Me encanta el chocolate” means chocolate pleases me. With people as the object, you can say “Encantó a la princesa” (The prince delighted the princess) or “Me encantó verlo” (I was delighted to see it). Common constructions use indirect object pronouns such as me, te, le, nos, os, les.

Conjugation: encantar is a regular -ar verb. Present: encanto, encantas, encanta, encantamos, encantáis, encantan. Preterite: encanté, encantaste, encantó, encantamos, encantasteis, encantaron. Imperfect: encantaba, encantabas, encantaba, encantábamos, encantabais, encantaban. Subjunctive present: encante, encantes, encante, encantemos, encantéis, encanten. Past participle: encantado. The verb can also appear in progressive forms as “estar encantando.”

Common nouns and adjectives related include encanto (charm, enchantment), encantador/a (charming), and encantado/a (delighted). Encantar is stronger than gustar and often conveys a sense of admiration or deep liking, whether describing beauty, experiences, or magical effects.