Spanish grammar
Gustar and friends
Spanish says "I like it" by turning the sentence around, so the thing you like is the subject. Learn me gusta and me gustan, and other verbs that work the same way, like encantar, doler, faltar and importar.
In English, the person does the liking: "I like coffee". In Spanish, the thing is the subject, and it is pleasing to the person. Me gusta el café literally means "coffee is pleasing to me".
Gusta or Gustan
The verb agrees with the thing you like, not with you. Almost always you need just two forms:
- gusta for one thing: Me gusta el café. - I like coffee.
- gustan for several things: Me gustan los perros. - I like dogs.
With an action (an infinitive), always use gusta, even with more than one: Me gusta leer. - I like to read. Me gusta cantar y bailar. - I like to sing and dance.
Notice that the noun takes the article, even where English has none: el café, los perros.
Who Likes It: The Pronouns
The pronoun in front tells you who likes the thing:
| Pronoun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| me | Me gusta la música. | I like music. |
| te | ¿Te gusta la música? | Do you like music? |
| le | Le gusta la música. | He / she likes music. You (usted) like music. |
| nos | Nos gusta la música. | We like music. |
| les | Les gusta la música. | They like music. You all (ustedes) like music. |
To say "I don’t like", put no before the pronoun: No me gustan las películas de terror. - I don’t like horror movies.
A Mí Me Gusta: Emphasis and Clarity
You can add a plus a pronoun at the start: a mí, a ti, a él, a ella, a usted, a nosotros, a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes. It does two jobs:
- Emphasis or contrast: A mí me gusta el té, pero a ti te gusta el café. - I like tea, but you like coffee.
- Clarity, because le and les can mean several people: A ella le gusta el chocolate. - She likes chocolate.
This is also how you reply briefly: A mí también. - Me too. A mí tampoco. - Me neither.
With a Name or a Noun
To say who likes something, use a before the name or noun, and keep the pronoun too:
- A María le gusta bailar. - María likes to dance.
- A mis padres les gusta la playa. - My parents like the beach.
- ¿A tu hermano le gustan los gatos? - Does your brother like cats?
Leaving out le or les here sounds wrong to native speakers, even though it seems to repeat the person.
Other Tenses
The same pattern works in every tense. Only the verb ending changes, and it still agrees with the thing:
- Me gustó la película. - I liked the movie.
- ¿Te gustaron los tacos? - Did you like the tacos?
- De niño me gustaba el chocolate. - As a kid I liked chocolate.
- Te va a gustar la ciudad. - You’re going to like the city.
Encantar and Interesar
Encantar: To Love
Encantar is a stronger gustar, for things you love: Me encanta la pizza. - I love pizza. Nos encantan tus fotos. - We love your photos. It is already strong, so never put muy with it. For people you love, use querer: Te quiero. - I love you.
Interesar: To Interest
Me interesa la historia. - I’m interested in history. ¿Te interesan los deportes? - Are you interested in sports?
Doler, Faltar and Importar
Doler: To Hurt
The body part is the subject. Use the article, not "my": Me duele la cabeza. - My head hurts (I have a headache). Me duelen los pies. - My feet hurt. Doler has a stem change, o → ue: duele, duelen.
Faltar: To Be Missing, To Lack
Me falta dinero. - I don’t have enough money. Nos faltan dos sillas. - We’re two chairs short. Without a person, it talks about what is left: Faltan cinco minutos. - There are five minutes left.
Importar: To Matter
No me importa. - I don’t care (it doesn’t matter to me). ¿Te importa si abro la ventana? - Do you mind if I open the window?
Be Careful With People
When a person is the subject, gustar changes form to match them, and it usually means you find them attractive:
- Me gustas. - I like you (I’m into you).
- Le gusto a Pedro. - Pedro likes me.
For simply getting along with someone, say caer bien, which works the same way: Pedro me cae bien. - I like Pedro (he’s nice).