7 Ways to Reply to ‘mucho gusto’

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If you meet someone new in Spanish and introduce yourself it’s usual for people to reply “it’s a pleasure.”

In most Spanish-speaking countries you should reply politely as cultural differences can make you seem rude if you don’t. 

Using alternate expressions shows you care about your Spanish skills.

So, here are seven ways to reply to ‘mucho gusto’ and make yourself sound more native. 

 

Seven ways to reply to ‘mucho gusto’

1. Igualmente
2. Mucho gusto también
3. Encantado
4. Encantada
5. Encantade
6. El gusto es mío.
7. El gusto es mía.

 

1. Igualmente

When meeting someone and they say ‘mucho gusto’ the most common expression you can say is ‘igualmente.

‘Igualmente’ translates to “it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

The expression is more formal than not. You would never use this when speaking to a friend because it seems impersonal. 

Also, given the context of the situation it’s used makes it weird to say with a friend.

You can use the word ‘igualmente’ for other situations. 

‘Igualmente’ can mean “it’s a pleasure to meet you too” but it is more commonly used to mean “the same.”

‘Igualmente’ can mean “same” in this situation too, but when it is translated into English the more appropriate expression is “nice to meet you too.”

Nonetheless, you can feel free to use the expression when talking to anyone new whether in formal or informal situations. 

Example:

 

There are two verbs that mean “to know” in Spanish. The verb ‘saber’ means to know facts, information, or how to do something. 

When meeting someone you will not hear the verb ‘saber.’ Instead you will hear the verb ‘conocer.’

‘Conocer’ also means to know but it is used for people, places, and things. You should always use this verb when you are meeting someone. 

 

2. Mucho gusto también

In the expression ‘Mucho gusto también’ you are replying to someone telling you “it’s nice to meet you” by saying “it’s nice for me too.”

The word ‘también’ means “also in Spanish.” Yu can use the word ‘también’ for any situation where you need to say “also.”

The expression ‘mucho gusto también’ is formal and informal. You can use this in any setting where you are meeting someone. 

For context in the following example, you are meeting a business prospect for coffee. 

Example:

 

There are a variety of translations for ‘mucho gusto también’ in English. However, the essence of the expression is “it’s nice to meet you too.”

Please take note that you should only use this expression when someone says ‘mucho gusto conocerlo’ or ‘mucho gusto conocerte.’

If ‘mucho gusto’ is not said and you reply with ‘mucho gusto también.’ the situation can feel awkward. It’s strange because the speaker did not lead in a manner appropriate for the response given. 

‘Mucho gusto conocerlo’ is the formal version of saying “it is nice to meet you.” You know because you add the pronoun ‘lo’ at the end of the word ‘conocer.’

“Lo’ is not the same as ‘le’ when talking about pronouns. ‘Lo’ is a direct object pronoun and ‘le; is an indirect object pronoun. 

In the above example, you are meeting someone for a formal business meeting, so you must use the pronoun ‘lo.’

You can also use the expression in an informal setting but the greeting you hear will be different and have the pronoun ‘te.’

For context in the following example, you are meeting a friend of a friend for coffee. 

Your friend thinks you will get along well with their friend, whom you are meeting. 

Example:

 

As you can see, the only difference between the two examples in the context of the meeting and the change of ‘lo’ to ‘te’ for the verb ‘conocer.’ Still, in both examples, you can reply with ‘Mucho gusto también.’

 

3. Encantado

When you meet someone new the experience could be magical. Perhaps you feel your heart pounding as you meet someone with the potential to help your business grow. 

Or, you could be meeting the future love of your life and feel butterflies in your stomach.

You should want to reply to the person you are meeting with a powerful message if either of these things happens. 

For such situations you can reply with ‘ encantado’ when someone says ‘mucho gusto conocerte’ or ‘mucho gusto conocerlo.’ You should only reply with this if you are male. 

‘Encantar’ is a transitive and intransitive verb. A transitive verb always requires an object meanwhile an intransitive verb does not. 

If you use ‘encantar’ as an intransitive verb it is a very common way of saying “nice to meet you too.”

If you use the verb as an intransitive verb it means you are “casting a spell” or “enchanting” something.

If you use the verb to reply to someone after they say ‘mucho gusto conocerte’ or ‘mucho gusto conocerlo’ it means ‘nice to meet you too.’ Keep in mind it means that you “really like” someone. 

When using the verb ‘encantar’ to reply to someone you are meeting it becomes and adjective.

So, as with all verbs in Spanish, you must add the correct gender to the end of the word. 

As the example is ‘ecantado’ you replace the ‘ar’ with ‘ado’ if you’re male. 

In the following context, a man is meeting a woman for a date. She is very attractive and he is very excited to meet her. 

Example:

 

4. Encantada

As with the example of ‘encantado,’ ‘encantada’ can be used when you are meeting someone and are “extremely pleased” to make their acquaintance.

The meaning of ‘encantado’ and ‘encantada’ is the same, but ‘ecantada’ has the ending for females. 

When you are using adjectives in Spanish to describe a girl you need to use the ‘a’ at the end of the adjective. In the case of the verb ‘encantar’ you replace the ‘ar’ ending with ‘ada.’

In the following example, a woman is meeting a man for coffee. She fancies him and they are meeting for the first time. 

She has seen photos of him and talked online, but this is their first meeting. 

Example:

 

5. Encantade

The usual adjectives of gender in Spanish are ‘o’ for male and ‘a’ for female. But, Argentina is leading the Spanish-speaking world in gender-inclusive pronouns and adjective markers. 

So, if you feel that neither the ‘a’ or ‘o’ apply to you, nor feel more comfortable referring to yourself as male or female you can opt for the gender adjective ending ‘de.’

If you use this outside of Argentina people may not understand you, but it could lead to a conversation about gender-inclusive language. So, don’t be afraid to use this, but bear in mind the Real Academia Española does not recognize this as official.

In the following example, a non-binary person is meeting a potential business partner for lunch. They don’t feel comfortable saying ‘encantado’ or ‘encantada.’

Example:

 

6. El gusto es mío.

When you meet someone new and want to tell them you really enjoyed your meeting you do not always need to use the boring ‘igualmente.’
Instead you can give a similar response that tells someone you are really enjoying your meeting. 

You can opt to say, ‘el gusto es mío.’ When you say this it means “it’s my pleasure.” As with ‘encantado’ when you say, ‘el gusto es mío’ you must use the correct gender but for the possessive pronoun. 

The possessive pronouns in Spanish are ‘mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, and vuestro’ for males and ‘ mía, tuya, suya, nuestra and vuestra’  for females. 

There are currently no gender-inclusive possessive pronouns in Spanish. 

Possessive pronouns tell someone to whom something belongs. In the expression, ‘el gusto es mío’ ‘mío’ is masculine indicating a man is responding. 

The possessive pronoun is ‘mío’ and you know it is masculine because it ends with the letter ‘o.’

The expression is formal and informal. In the following example, a man is meeting a business partner for lunch. 

Example:

 

7. El gusto es mía

Using ‘El gusto es mía’ is no different from the above example of ‘El gusto es mío’ in that both mean “the pleasure is mine.”

Here the only difference is the possessive pronoun. When you say the expression ‘el gusto es mía’ it indicates a woman is saying the response. 

The verb ‘gustar’ means “to please” in Spanish. The verb works differently from English because when you want to say you “like something” you literally say “it pleases me.”

With the expression ‘el gusto es mía’ you are literally saying “the pleasure is mine” in that you own the pleasure. 

In the following example, a woman is meeting a man for lunch. They are meeting for the first time and she is enjoying the conversation and introduction he has given. 

Example:

 

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Seven ways to reply to ‘mucho gusto.’

We’ve included some gender-neutral responses in this article. Feel free to use them, but be aware that they are only used in Argentina.