～のが好き・～のが上手

How it works

好き (like), 嫌い (dislike), 上手 (skilful) and 下手 (unskilful) are な-adjectives, not verbs. They describe a state, and the thing you like or are good at is the grammatical subject of that state, so it is marked with が: 音楽が好きです.

To like or be good at an action, the verb first has to become a noun. Put the verb in its dictionary form and add の: 聞く → 聞くの. Then the ordinary pattern applies: 聞くのが好きです.

Spanish speakers have a head start here: me gusta la música already makes the music the subject, exactly as が does. French j'aime and English I like do not, and that is where the mistakes come from.

• Topic + は + verb (dictionary form) + のが + 好き／嫌い／上手／下手 + です
• Negative and past follow the な-adjective pattern: 好きじゃないです, 好きでした, 上手じゃありませんでした.
• In writing, こと can replace の (本を読むことが好きです); with 上手 and 下手 the spoken の is far more common.

One social rule: 上手 is a compliment you pay to other people; for your own strengths say 得意（とくい）. 下手 is fine about yourself (私は歌うのが下手です is ordinary modesty), and 苦手（にがて） is the alternative when you mean it's not my thing.

Examples

• 私は音楽を聞くのが好きです。（わたし は おんがく を きく の が すき です）— I like listening to music.
• 兄は料理を作るのが上手です。（あに は りょうり を つくる の が じょうず です）— My older brother is good at cooking.
• 私は歌うのが下手です。（わたし は うたう の が へた です）— I am bad at singing.
• 朝早く起きるのが嫌いです。（あさ はやく おきる の が きらい です）— I hate getting up early in the morning.
• 週末は友達と映画を見るのが好きです。（しゅうまつ は ともだち と えいが を みる の が すき です）— On weekends I like watching films with friends.
• 田中さんは人の名前を覚えるのが上手ですね。（たなか さん は ひと の なまえ を おぼえる の が じょうず です ね）— You are good at remembering people's names, Tanaka.

Compare with

Noun + が好き

No の when the subject is already a noun: 映画が好きです (I like films) versus 映画を見るのが好きです (I like watching films).

～たい

～たい is a wish for right now; ～のが好き is a standing preference. 寿司が食べたい (I want to eat sushi) versus 寿司を食べるのが好き (I like eating sushi).

Potential form

日本語が話せます says you can speak Japanese; 日本語が上手です says you speak it well. Both mark 日本語 with が, and both are states rather than actions.

Traps for Spanish, English and French speakers

• French j'aime la musique and English I like music make liking a transitive verb, so learners produce ✗ 音楽を好きです. 好き is an adjective and the liked thing is its subject, just as la música is the subject of Spanish me gusta la música: ✓ 音楽が好きです.
• English lets a bare verb follow like (I like to swim), which yields ✗ 泳ぐが好きです. A verb cannot carry a particle; nominalize it first: ✓ 泳ぐのが好きです.
• Spanish and French conjugate the verb for the negative (no me gusta, je n'aime pas), so learners invent ✗ 好きません; and because 嫌い ends in い, they treat it as an い-adjective: ✗ 嫌くないです, ✗ 嫌かったです. Both are な-adjectives: ✓ 好きじゃないです, ✓ 嫌いじゃないです, ✓ 嫌いでした.
• Saying soy bueno en or je suis bon en about yourself is normal, but ✗ 私は日本語が上手です sounds boastful in Japanese. Use ✓ 日本語が得意です, and keep 上手 for complimenting others.