On page 145 of the beginner's book the following is stated, "A mi me gustan las pin^~as". I'm not sure what the "A mi" is for since it seems that if I said "Me gustan las pin^~as" this would also mean, " I like pineapples". Please explain.
Henk
A question on the use of Gustar

haroelant
April 30, 2008

nohablo
May 1, 2008
Hola Henk. You're right that "Me gustan las piñas" is a correct way to say "I like pineapples." However, "A mí me gustan las piñas" is also correct. People often add a mí, a ella, etc. for emphasis and/or clarity. I say "clarity" because if your sentence said "Le gustan las piñas," it might not be clear whether the person who liked the pineapples was he, she, or you (Usted). In the case of "Me gustan las piñas," there's no ambiguity, but people nonetheless often add "a mí," sometimes for emphasis (You may like grapefruit, but _I_ like pineapples) and sometimes just because. :D