# No me gusta mucho el dulce



## Tin

_No_ _me_ _gusta_ _mucho_ _el_ _dulce_
How would you say this?

My attempts:
I don't really like sweet.
I don't really like the sweet.
I don't really like the sweetness.
I don't really like sweet stuff.
I don't really like sugary stuff.

_Nota de moderadora 
La frase del título debe aparecer también en el primer aporte.  Gracias 
Bevj_


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## BLUEGLAZE

Tin said:


> I don't really like sweet.
> I don't really like the sweet.
> I don't really like the sweetness.
> I don't really like sweet stuff.
> I don't really like sugary stuff.


I don't like the sweetness can be used in response to a question like -
How do you like X dessert?


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## Ferrol

Besides those marked green by Blue

I don't have (much of) a sweet tooth


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## The Newt

Tin said:


> _No_ _me_ _gusta_ _mucho_ _el_ _dulce_
> How would you say this?
> 
> [...]


It all depends on what you mean by "el dulce". Can you explain the situation?


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## pollohispanizado

O: _I don't like sweet*s*_.


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## Bevj

pollohispanizado said:


> O: _I don't like sweet*s*_.


That would be 'los dulces', I think.


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## pollohispanizado

Bevj said:


> That would be 'los dulces', I think.


Maybe it's just a personal ideosyncracy, but I would answer this way if somebody offered me sweet bread or something non-dessert-y (yet sweet). It's shorter and less weird sounding than "sweet things".


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## pollohispanizado

The Newt said:


> It all depends on what you mean by "el dulce". Can you explain the situation?


_El dulce_ is sweetness (_el salado_ is saltiness). You could also say "lo dulce", but that refers more to sweet things and not sweetness (the flavour/tongue sensation) itself.

From Wiki:


> El *dulce* es uno de los cinco sabores básicos y de los únicos que es aceptado de manera global por todas las culturas y etnias de la tierra como uno de los sabores más placenteros


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## The Newt

pollohispanizado said:


> _El dulce_ is sweetness (_el salado_ is saltiness). You could also say "lo dulce", but that refers more to sweet things and not sweetness (the flavour/tongue sensation) itself.
> 
> [...]


Yes, but "el dulce" can mean other things, which is why the OP needs to explain his or her intention. From the DRAE:

7. m. Alimento preparado con azúcar; p. ej., el arroz con leche, las natillas, etc.

8. m. Fruta o cualquier otra cosa cocida o preparada con almíbar o azúcar. Dulce de membrillo.


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## Ferrol

Bevj said:


> That would be "los dulces" , I think


¿Como sabeis que quien dice eso (I don't like sweets) no se refiere a "los caramelos" y no a "los pasteles" o "las tartas", o "los bombones , galletas, pastas o chocolate" que lo que entiendo por "dulces"?. La mayoria de la imágenes en Google cuando tecleas "sweets" son de "caramelos", o de lo que hoy llaman. "chuches". ¿No es mejor para evitar malentendidos usar "sweet food/things ...,"?


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## pollohispanizado

The Newt said:


> Yes, but "el dulce" can mean other things, which is why the OP needs to explain his or her intention. From the DRAE:
> 
> 7. m. Alimento preparado con azúcar; p. ej., el arroz con leche, las natillas, etc.
> 
> 8. m. Fruta o cualquier otra cosa cocida o preparada con almíbar o azúcar. Dulce de membrillo.



Yes, un "alimento preparado con azúcar" is _un dulce_; and if you don't like _el dulce_ (el sabor) you won't eat said _alimentos. _Otherwise one would say: _Normalmente no me gusta el/lo dulce, pero me encanta la natilla_.

_No me gusta el dulce_ (I don't like sweetness, regarless of the food)
_No me gustan los dulces_ (I don't like sweets/desserts)
_No me gusta este dulce_ (this sweet thing in particular)


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## Tin

"El dulce", at least in Spain, means the same as "lo dulce". Sweet/sugary food, basically. Just like "el/lo salado" means the opposite. It doesn't just mean "sweets" which I think in BE means "candy", but all sweet food.


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## The Newt

pollohispanizado said:


> Yes, un "alimento preparado con azúcar" is _un dulce_; and if you don't like _el dulce_ (el sabor) you won't eat said _alimentos. _Otherwise one would say: _Normalmente no me gusta el/lo dulce, pero me encanta la natilla_.
> 
> _No me gusta el dulce_ (I don't like sweetness, regardless of the food)
> [...]


I think "I don't like sweet things" would be more idiomatic than "I don't like sweetness," which is correct enough but seems a bit stiff.


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## pollohispanizado

The Newt said:


> I think "I don't like sweet things" would be more idiomatic than "I don't like sweetness," which is correct enough but seems a bit stiff.


I only worded it that way to show how generic the Spanish is (pasta sauce can be sweet, for example, but I wouldn't classify it as "something sweet").


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## The Newt

pollohispanizado said:


> I only worded it that way to show how generic the Spanish is (pasta sauce can be sweet, for example)


You could say "I don't like sweetness / sweet tastes _in things_ / _in food_."


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## pollohispanizado

Sure, though where else would I be tasting sweetness if not in things/food?


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## The Newt

pollohispanizado said:


> Sure, though where else would I be tasting sweetness if not in things/food?


True, but "sweetness" seems too abstract (and of course it could be used metaphorically).


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## pollohispanizado

I don't disagree. However, it was an explanation in _this_ specific context. In my example, I don't think it was ambiguous.


> (I don't like sweetness, *regarless of the food*)


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## Ferrol

"Sweet/sugary stuff" , como propuso. Blue


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## pollohispanizado

Ferrol said:


> "Sweet/sugary stuff" , como propuso. Blue


  or "sweet/sugary food" (less informal sounding).


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## gengo

Tin said:


> _No_ _me_ _gusta_ _mucho_ _el_ _dulce_
> How would you say this?



You've received some good replies, but I agree that we need some specific context, because how I would word this in English depends on the exact situation.  Is this sentence said, for example, when someone offers you a box of chocolates?  When you are asked what kind of birthday cake you want?  When you are asked what your favorite dessert is?  And so on.

The above discussion between native English speakers shows that we don't have a single, set translation for "el dulce."  That's why we need context.


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## iribela

Interesting. This probably varies from one place to another. In my experience, if someone says "no me gusta _*el*_ dulce" they're likely referring to a specific sweet food: No me gusta el dulce _de leche/de membrillo/de zapallo_. If someone doesn't like sweets in general, no le gusta _lo_ dulce/no le gustan las cosas dulces. Sweet foods stand in contrast to savory foods, what we generally refer to as 'algo salado', for example, a _tarta dulce_ would contain jam, preserves, fruit..., whereas a _tarta salada_ (savory) might have ham, cheese, vegetables, etc. For more context, if you're invited to a potluck, you might ask "¿llevo (algo) dulce o salado?" (sweet or savory). Yes, context would help.


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## Magazine

Tin said:


> _No_ _me_ _gusta_ _mucho_ _el_ _dulce_
> How would you say this?


I would go with:

_*I don't have a sweet tooth.*_

Probably very British.




pollohispanizado said:


> _I don't like sweet*s*_.



Esto lo entendería como que no me gustan los caramelos.


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## Ferrol

Magazine said:


> I would go with:
> 
> _*I don't have a sweet tooth.*_
> 
> Probably very British.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Esto lo entendería como que no me gustan los caramelos.


👍👍


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## gengo

Magazine said:


> pollohispanizado said:
> 
> 
> 
> _I don't like sweet*s*_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Esto lo entendería como que no me gustan los caramelos.
Click to expand...


Not in AmEn.  Here, sweets refers to candy, cake, pie, pudding, cobbler, ice cream, and all other sweet desserts.  Parents often warn their children not to eat too many sweets, which includes all of the above.


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## Magazine

gengo said:


> Not in AmEn.  Here, sweets refers to candy, cake, pie, pudding, cobbler, ice cream, and all other sweet desserts.  Parents often warn their children not to eat too many sweets, which includes all of the above.


Indeed! 

Sweets means something totally different in the two countries. 

One question: Would "I have a sweet tooth" be understood in AmE?


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## gengo

Magazine said:


> One question: Would "I have a sweet tooth" be understood in AmE?



Yes.  It's common here, too.


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## pollohispanizado

Magazine said:


> Sweets means something totally different in the two *continents*.


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## gengo

Pollo, I guess you Canadians are doomed to be overlooked.  Which isn't always a bad thing.   

It's important for us foreros to remember that, just as there are many other kinds of Spanish besides what is spoken in Spain and Mexico, there are also other kinds of English besides what is spoken in the UK and the US.  We often give short shrift to our colleagues in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and so on.


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## pollohispanizado

gengo said:


> I guess you Canadians are doomed to be overlooked.


If only _estadounidense_ were an adjective in English...


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