Clarifying use of dar a alguien por algo in 3rd person SINGULAR

Question

Thank you for clarifying that this expression functions similar to the verb gustar.  I believe that the gustar structure is sometimes used with 3rd person plural, such as "Me gustan las películas."  Is there ever a time that "dar a alguien por algo" is used with 3rd person plural when followed by a plural noun?  For example, if I wanted to say "Now that my friend has retired, she has taken up new hobbies," would I still say, "Ahora que mi amiga se ha jubilado, le ha dado pasatiempos nuevos"?  Thank you!

Accepted Answer

Hola AA
With darle a alguien por hacer algo you always need the verb in singular, actually, so for your sentence about the new hobbies it would be:
Ahora que mi amiga se ha jubilado, le ha dado por tener pasatiempos nuevos.
Other sentences could be for example:
A mi padre le dio por coleccionar sellos.
Últimamente a mi marido y a mí nos ha dado por las películas de suspense.
Le dio por llamar a todos sus amigos de la infancia.
Also note that when using darle a alquien por algo we normally talk about something more specific and you will most problably always find the article: "le dio por las películas de suspense"
Saludos