A1 · Verbs
Gustar
Gustar is not the verb to like, and treating it as one produces mistakes for years. It means to be pleasing to. The thing you enjoy is the subject and does the pleasing; you are the person it happens to. Every difficulty with this verb comes from that single inversion, and once it clicks, a dozen other verbs come free with it.
The shape of the sentence
A + person, then the pronoun, then gusta or gustan, then the thing. The verb agrees with the thing, never with you.
| Pronoun | Singular thing | Plural things |
|---|---|---|
| me | me gusta el arroz | me gustan las fresas |
| te | te gusta el arroz | te gustan las fresas |
| le | le gusta el arroz | le gustan las fresas |
| nos | nos gusta el arroz | nos gustan las fresas |
| les | les gusta el arroz | les gustan las fresas |
Only two forms most of the time
Because the subject is almost always a thing, you mainly need gusta for one thing and gustan for several. With an infinitive, always gusta, even with two verbs.
- Me gusta leer.I like reading.
- Me gusta leer y escribir.I like reading and writing. · still gusta
- Me gustan los domingos.I like Sundays.
Why a mí, a mi hermano
Le could mean him, her or you, so the a phrase says who. It also adds emphasis, which is why a mí me gusta sounds stronger than me gusta.
- A mi hermano no le gusta el pollo.My brother does not like chicken. · clarity
- A mí me gusta mucho.I really like it. · emphasis
Verbs that work the same way
Once you have gustar, you have a whole family for free.
- encantar: me encanta — I love it
- interesar: me interesa — it interests me
- importar: no me importa — I do not mind
- doler: me duele la cabeza — my head hurts
- faltar: me falta un sol — I am one sol short
- quedar: me quedan dos — I have two left
Read it backwards
Take me gusta el café and read it as the coffee is pleasing to me. Now the agreement makes sense: the verb matches el café because the coffee is the one doing something. Nothing in the sentence is about I.
| Spanish | Literal | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Me gusta el café | To me is pleasing the coffee | I like coffee |
| Me gustan los libros | To me are pleasing the books | I like books |
| A Marta le gusta leer | To Marta is pleasing to read | Marta likes reading |
Degrees of liking
Spanish does not stack adverbs the way English does. There is a small ladder of set expressions instead.
- no me gusta nada — I do not like it at all
- no me gusta mucho — I do not like it much
- me gusta — I like it
- me gusta mucho — I like it a lot
- me encanta — I love it
- me fascina — I am fascinated by it
- No me gusta nada el frío.I do not like the cold at all.
- Me encanta este texto.I love this text. · never me encanta mucho
Talking about people
Me gusta about a person is read as attraction. To say you like someone as a person, Spanish uses caer bien. This is worth knowing before you tell your teacher you like her.
- Me gusta María.I am attracted to María.
- María me cae bien.I like María, she is nice.
Agreeing and disagreeing
Because the grammar is inverted, so is the way you agree. A mí también for a positive, a mí tampoco for a negative.
- —Me gusta el ceviche. —A mí también.I like ceviche. — Me too.
- —No me gusta el frío. —A mí tampoco.I do not like the cold. — Me neither.
Examples
- Me gusta el arroz.I like rice. (one thing → gusta)
- Me gustan las fresas.I like strawberries. (several things → gustan)
- A mi hermano no le gusta el pollo.My brother does not like chicken.
- A mí me gusta mucho.I really like it.
Mistakes to avoid
Yo gusto el arroz.
Me gusta el arroz.
Yo gusto would mean I am pleasing to others.
Me gusta los domingos.
Me gustan los domingos.
The subject is plural, so the verb is plural.
A mí gusta mucho.
A mí me gusta mucho.
The a mí part never replaces the pronoun, it is added to it.
Watch out
Never yo gusto. And the a mí, a mi hermano part is only for emphasis or clarity, since le alone could mean him, her or you.
Try it
A mi abuela ___ cocinar los domingos.
___ las historias de Ayacucho.
A mi hermano no ___ el pollo.
¿___ el postre?
A nosotros ___ mucho este lugar.
—No me gusta el invierno. —___.
Mi jefe me ___ bien.