Gustar and similar verbs

What you’ll learn

• Identify what determines gusta or gustan.
• Use me/te/le/nos/os/les to show whose preference it is.
• Clarify or contrast a person with a mí, a ti or a named phrase.

The thing liked drives the verb

Spanish gustar is organized differently from English like. In Me gusta el café, the coffee is what pleases the speaker. Use gusta with one thing or an infinitive activity and gustan with plural things: Me gusta leer; me gustan los cuentos. The verb follows the thing or activity, not the number of people who enjoy it.

The pronouns me, te, le, nos, os and les identify the experiencer. Nos gusta el café means several people like one thing, so gusta stays singular. Los libros and el café commonly keep their articles when talking about these categories generally. Build the sentence by choosing the pronoun, then checking the subject's number.

Clarify whose preference it is

Because le and les do not name a person, add a phrase when needed: A Julia le gusta leer. The clarifying phrase does not replace the pronoun. A mí and a ti can add contrast: A mí me gusta, pero a ti no. Write mí with an accent after the preposition a; ti has no written accent.

Encantar and interesar use similar patterns in these examples: Me encanta la música; nos interesan los idiomas. To negate, put no before the pronoun: No me gusta madrugar. Keep the distinction between liking an activity and performing it; me gusta cocinar says a preference, not that the person is cooking right now.

Useful vocabulary

encantar

to delight / love

interesar

to interest

madrugar

to get up early

Common mistakes

• Do not choose gustan merely because the people liking something are plural.
• Keep the pronoun in a Ana le gusta.
• Use gusta with an infinitive activity such as leer.

Keep these ideas

• The thing or activity determines the verb's number.
• The object pronoun identifies the experiencer.
• A named phrase can clarify le or les without replacing it.

Use it in your life

Compare two characters' preferences with gustar. Include one singular thing, one plural group and one activity.

Read it in context

Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.