Expressing "I like to <do something>"


I was trying to express the idea of "Like + _do something_ ", as in " _I like
to drink tea_ " or " _I like to eat pasta_ ".

After a quick search I found that you can express it like this, omitting the
parts _to drink/to eat_ :

> **1a.** (私は)パスタが好きです。  
>  **2a.** (私は)お茶が好きです。

But couldn't this be seen simply as "I like tea/pasta"? While being more or
less the same meaning, it doesn't have the same nuance.

And if I wanted to make it clearer, would they be something like this?

> **1b.** (私は)パスタを食べる好きです。  
>  **2b.** (私は)お茶を飲む好きです。

I've used numbers and letters so it's easier to refer to the single sentences.




パスタが好きです means “I like pasta,” and お茶が好きです means “I like tea.”

You cannot use 1b or 2b. The …が好きだ is “I like …,” and “…” must be a noun and
you need が.

How should you specify a verb? The answer is by using nominalizer particle の,
which turns a verb (or a verb phrase) into a noun phrase.

> **パスタ** が好きです。 I like **pasta**.  
>  **パスタを食べるの** が好きです。 I like **to eat pasta**.  
>  **パスタを作るの** が好きです。 I like **to cook pasta**.

(As you can see, this is exactly analogous to what happens in English grammar;
we use to-infinitive to turn a verb phrase into a noun phrase.)

Here nominalizer の turns a verb representing some action into a noun phrase
meaning the abstract notion of doing that action. There are other uses of
nominalizer の (for example, it can also attach to an adjective), but I will
omit them for this answer.

(Just in case, this is about “I like to do something,” not “I’d like to do
something,” which is a completely different thing.)




パスタが好きです means “I like pasta,” and お茶が好きです means “I like tea.”

You cannot use 1b or 2b. The …が好きだ is “I like …,” and “…” must be a noun and
you need が.

How should you specify a verb? The answer is by using nominalizer particle の,
which turns a verb (or a verb phrase) into a noun phrase.

> **パスタ** が好きです。 I like **pasta**.  
>  **パスタを食べるの** が好きです。 I like **to eat pasta**.  
>  **パスタを作るの** が好きです。 I like **to cook pasta**.

(As you can see, this is exactly analogous to what happens in English grammar;
we use to-infinitive to turn a verb phrase into a noun phrase.)

Here nominalizer の turns a verb representing some action into a noun phrase
meaning the abstract notion of doing that action. There are other uses of
nominalizer の (for example, it can also attach to an adjective), but I will
omit them for this answer.

(Just in case, this is about “I like to do something,” not “I’d like to do
something,” which is a completely different thing.)

