For most students of Spanish, saying that you either like or dislike a particular thing in Spanish involves using one of the most basic and common Spanish phrases:

Me gusta or No me gusta

Although these common Spanish phrases do the job, let's now add some really cool yet common Spanish phrases used by native Spanish speakers to help you express your enjoyment and appreciation of things and your disapproval of things that you don't like. Now there's nothing wrong with using "me gusta", but it's a bit dull and predictable so we're going to burst-out from these bland phrases and introduce a vibrant, authentic flair to your spoken Spanish!

Our initial cool expression isn't only good to state that you like something, it's also a very canny phrase to use for those happy times when someone gives you a lovely present.

Es la bomba translates as: It's fantastic! It's terrific! To be exact: It's the bomb!

For example, you receive a very nice present:

Mil gracias por tu regalo, el collar ¡es la bomba! - Many thanks for your gift, the necklace is fabulous!

You can also use it to express that you like to watch a certain sport:

Disfruto mucho de ver MotoGP, ¡es la bomba! - I really enjoy watching MotoGP, it's brilliant!

Really useful Spanish phrases to add to your Spanish vocabulary and much better options than me gusta.

OK, you know how to say you like something without using me gusta, now let's look at how to express that you don't like something.  There's two common Spanish phrases that I really like and I use them often.

The first is: Irritarse - To get irritated.
 
For example, you notice an individual tossing litter onto the pavement

Me irrita cuando la gente tira basura en las calles - It irritates me when people throw rubbish onto the streets

That's a phrase I say regularly as litterbugs are one of my bugbears! The second smart Spanish expression is a peach and will give your Spanish an authentic polished edge. Just as we say: It gets on my nerves in English when we don't like something, the equivalent in Spanish is:

Me Toca Las Narices - It Gets On My Nerves Lit: It Touches My Nostrils.

Por ejemplo:

La música clásica me toca las narices - Classical music gets on my nerves

Nice and easy phrases aren't they?

You can easily break-free from basic Spanish such as me gusta by introducing all of these canny Spanish phrases into your vocabulary and give your Spanish an authentic flair. Using me gusta is alright for sure, however, it is very overused so it can be a bit plain and boring. Sprinkle in each of the common Spanish phrases above and you'll give your Spanish a vibrant, polished edge and a touch of realism that will earn you great respect from the locals wherever you are in the Spanish-speaking world.