gustan
/GOOS-tahn/
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Me gustan los gatos.
A1I like cats.
¿Te gustan las verduras?
A1Do you like vegetables?
A mis amigos les gustan los videojuegos.
A2My friends like video games.
Nos gustan las mañanas tranquilas.
B1We like quiet mornings.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'Backwards' Verb
Think of 'gustan' as meaning 'are pleasing to'. The things being liked are the stars of the sentence. If you like dogs (plural), the dogs are 'pleasing' you, so you use the plural form: gustan.
Gusta vs. Gustan
It's simple: use gusta when you like ONE thing ('Me gusta el libro'). Use gustan when you like MORE THAN ONE thing ('Me gustan los libros').
Who is Doing the Liking?
You show who likes the things with a little word before 'gustan': me (I), te (you), le (he/she/you formal), nos (we), os (you all, Spain), les (they/you all).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Matching the Wrong Word
Mistake: "Yo gustan los perros."
Correction: Me gustan los perros. The verb `gustan` must match the things you like ('los perros'), not the person who likes them ('yo').
Using 'Gusta' for Plural Things
Mistake: "Me gusta los tacos."
Correction: Me gustan los tacos. Because 'tacos' is plural, the verb must also be plural: `gustan`.
⭐ Usage Tips
Adding Emphasis
To add emphasis or be extra clear, you can add 'A mí', 'A ti', 'A ella', etc. to the beginning. For example, 'A mí me gustan las fresas' means 'As for me, I like strawberries.'
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: gustan
Question 1 of 1
How do you correctly say 'She likes the flowers' in Spanish?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I use 'gustan' for plural things? Why doesn't the verb match the person?
Because 'gustar' doesn't mean 'to like' directly. It means 'to be pleasing to'. So, when you say 'Me gustan los libros', you're really saying 'The books are pleasing to me'. The books are doing the 'pleasing', so the verb matches them.
Can I just say 'Gustan los deportes' without 'me', 'te', or 'le'?
Not usually. A sentence with 'gustan' almost always needs a word like 'me', 'te', 'le', etc., to say *who* finds the things pleasing. Without it, we don't know who likes the sports!