Grammar confusion (from Palabra abierta)

[Queli]

In the 2001 edition ofthe textbook Palabra abierta, there appears the following--

En el español chicano existen frases como ¿Cómo te gustó la película? en vez de ¿Qué te pareció la película? donde la estructura del inglés (How do you like the movie?) se pasa al español.

This is confusing to me because the structure of ¿Cómo te gustó la película? to me seems to be correct according to Spanish rules, and doesn't sound like a borrowing or changing due to English influence. In fact the structure isn't like the English (you being subject in English and object in Spanish). Is this a misstatement or is there something I am missing?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

In Spanish, the verb "gustar" is a binary thing: either you like it or not: me gusta / no me gusta.

But for a nuance, you can measure some sort of degree:
no me gusta nada < me gusta poco < me gusta < me gusta mucho < me gusta muchísimo

...in that case, it's a matter of "cuánto", not "cómo".
This is an awkward question, but possible: "¿Cuánto te gustó la película?". However, it's not implying that I want your opinion on the movie; only whether you liked it and how much you liked it:
The answer would be something between "me gustó mucho" and "No me gustó."


If you ask: "¿Cómo te gustan las películas?", your question is likely to be understood as asking about the way in which movies shall be presented to you, and it wouldn't be asking about your opinion about the movie either. The answer could be something like:
- Me gustan en un cine grande y con pantalla 3D. -> I like them in a big theatre and with a 3D screen.
- Me gustan sangrientas y con mucha violencia. -> I like them bloody and full of violence.
...


If you want to ask for an opinion:
-- How do you like my new look? -> ¿Qué te parece mi nuevo look?
-- You look gorgeous! -> ¡Te ves hermosa!

-- How did you like the dinner? -> ¿Qué te pareció la cena?
-- It was delicious. You're a wonderful cook. -> Estuvo deliciosa. Eres un cocinero maravilloso.



Now I have a question. If you ask: "How do you like your coffee?" would there be a double meaning of the sentence?:
a) What do you think of the coffee you're drinking? ("¿Qué opinas del café que estás tomando?")
b) How do you (usually) like drinking your coffee? ("¿Cómo te gusta tomar el café?")

[Queli]

¡Mil gracias, Angelica! Now I understand! It is not a question of the verb but of the cómo--and your explanation is really helpful and completely clear. Thanks for the examples, too. I think that English speakers get confused with cómo because there are these instances in which we shorten "how much" to "how," such as "How I enjoyed that!" and other instances where we don't use "how" but in Spanish it should be "cómo," such as "What is your friend like?"

As for the question, "How do you like your coffee?" I absolutely think it has the two meanings you mention. And a lot of people say "How do you take your coffee?" to mean what do you like in it (sugar, cream, nothing) but that also has the meaning of how do you move it with you, for example, if you take it to work. I never thought of that--another great nuance in Spanish missing in English!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I'm glad I could help.

And thank you for the answer as well.