A cheerful cartoon character giving a thumbs-up gesture towards a large, bright yellow sunflower, symbolizing approval or enjoyment.

gustado

goos-TAH-doh

Verb (Past Participle)A2regular ar

liked?Used with 'haber' to form perfect tenses, e.g., 'has liked',been pleasing?Literal translation in compound tenses

Also:enjoyed?When referring to an experience or object

Quick Reference

infinitivegustar

gerundgustando

past Participlegustado

📝 In Action

¿Te ha **gustado** el regalo que te di ayer?

Have you **liked** the gift I gave you yesterday?

Nunca me había **gustado** tanto la ópera hasta que escuché esa pieza.

I had never **liked** opera so much until I heard that piece.

Si hubieras venido, estoy seguro de que te habría **gustado** la fiesta.

If you had come, I'm sure you would have **liked** the party.

Word Connections

Synonyms

agradado (pleased)
encantado (delighted)

Antonyms

disgustado (displeased)

Common Collocations

Me ha gustado mucho – I have liked it a lot
Nos habría gustado saber – We would have liked to know

💡 Grammar Points

Part of a Team

As a past participle, 'gustado' must always join forces with a form of the helper verb 'haber' (to have) to create a perfect tense, like 'ha gustado' (has liked) or 'había gustado' (had liked).

Matching the Thing, Not the Person

The form of 'haber' (ha or han) must match the thing being liked, not the person. If you liked one thing, use 'ha gustado.' If you liked many things, use 'han gustado.'

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up the Pronoun

Mistake: "Yo he gustado la comida."

Correction: Me ha gustado la comida. ('Gustar' works backwards; the food is the subject, and the liking happens *to* me, requiring the 'me' pronoun.)

⭐ Usage Tips

The Key Structure for Perfect Tenses

To express 'I have liked X,' always use: [Me/Te/Le/Nos/Les] + [Ha/Han] + Gustado + [X].

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: gustado

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'gustado' to mean 'We had liked the concert'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

gustar(to like (to be pleasing)) - verb

gusto(taste, pleasure) - noun

gustoso(tasty, pleasing) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'gustado' always used with 'haber' and not 'ser' or 'estar'?

'Gustado' describes a completed action (pleasing someone) and is the past participle of an action verb. Spanish uses 'haber' (to have) as the universal helper verb for all perfect tenses, unlike some languages that use 'to be' for certain verbs.

Can 'gustado' ever function as a standalone adjective?

While grammatically possible, it is very rare. You are much more likely to use adjectives like 'favorito' (favorite) or 'apetecible' (desirable) instead of saying something is simply 'gustado'.