Love and Language (06/08/18)

Let's talk about love and language. In Spanish, to say you like something, you would say "me gusta". While the words "like" and "gusta" mean the same thing, there is no way to translate it with the correct inflection because in English, the verb is directed at the object whereas in Spanish, you are being affected by the object. A more literal translation of "me gusta" would be "it amuses me" or "it pleasures me" (without the sexual implication).
Love, on the other hand, does have the same inflection both in English and Spanish. "I love you" and "te amo" are both directed from you to the other person.
I think it's an important distinction. In English, often times, we use "love" as an elevated form of "like". You can walk out of a theater and say you liked the movie or you loved the movie. In Spanish, it wouldn't make sense to say you loved a movie because that word is almost exclusively used for people. You could say "me gusto" (I liked it), "me encanto" (it enchanted me), or "me agrado" (it amused me). In Spanish, each of those examples involves the person being affected by the thing.
On the other hand, when talking to a person, you can say "me gustas" (you interest me) or "yo te amo" (I love you). The difference is that you're going from "you affect me" to "I affect you". One is a reaction and the other is a choice.
How would it affect our vocabulary and mindset if we started making that distinction in English?

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