The Verb 'Gustar' in Spanish: Your Ultimate Guide to Expressing Likes

Table of Contents

• The Golden Rule: 'Gustar' = 'To Be Pleasing To'
• The 3-Part Recipe for a 'Gustar' Sentence
  • 1. The Indirect Object Pronoun (Who likes it?)
  • 2. The Verb 'Gustar' (The action)
  • 3. The Subject (What is liked?)
• Adding Emphasis: The Optional 'A' Phrase
• Let's Practice!
• Negatives and Questions
  • Negating 'Gustar'
  • Asking Questions with 'Gustar'
• Beyond 'Gustar': Other "Backward" Verbs
• You've Mastered 'Gustar'!

Have you ever tried to say "I like Spanish" and said, "Yo gusto español"? It's a super common mistake for English speakers, and it usually gets a confused look or a gentle correction from native speakers.

If this sounds familiar, don't worry! You've just met gustar, one of Spanish's most famously "backward" verbs. But here's the secret: it's not backward at all. You just need to change your perspective.

This guide will completely demystify gustar for you. By the end, you'll be expressing your likes and dislikes like a pro. ¡Vamos!

The Golden Rule: 'Gustar' = 'To Be Pleasing To'

The biggest hurdle with gustar is trying to make it mean "to like." It doesn't. It means "to be pleasing to."

Once you get this, everything clicks into place. Think about it this way:

• In English, we say: "I like the music." (Subject = I, Verb = like, Object = the music)
• In Spanish, we say: "The music is pleasing to me." (Subject = The music, Verb = is pleasing, Object = to me)

Let's see that in action.

In the correct version, la música is the subject of the sentence, and me is the indirect object—the person who receives the "pleasing" action.

The 3-Part Recipe for a 'Gustar' Sentence

Think of building a sentence with gustar as a simple recipe with three ingredients.

1. The Indirect Object Pronoun (Who likes it?)

This is the most crucial part. You must always include a pronoun to say who finds something pleasing. These little words are non-negotiable! You can learn more about them in our guide to indirect object pronouns.

Pronoun	English Meaning	Example Sentence
me	(to) me	Me gusta el café.
te	(to) you (informal)	Te gusta el té.
le	(to) him, her, you (f)	Le gusta la pizza.
nos	(to) us	Nos gusta bailar.
os	(to) you all (Spain)	Os gusta leer.
les	(to) them, you all	Les gustan los perros.

2. The Verb 'Gustar' (The action)

Here’s the best news you'll hear all day. You only need to learn two forms of gustar for the present tense 99% of the time.

• gusta (singular)
• gustan (plural)

How do you know which one to use? It’s simple: look at the thing being liked.

• If the thing you like is singular or a verb, use gusta.

  • Me gusta la playa. (The beach - singular)
  • Me gusta nadar. (To swim - verb/infinitive)

• If the things you like are plural, use gustan.

  • Me gustan los tacos. (Tacos - plural)
  • Me gustan las montañas. (The mountains - plural)

3. The Subject (What is liked?)

This is the noun or verb that is "pleasing" to the person. This is the part of the sentence that determines whether you use gusta or gustan.

Let's combine all three parts:

[Indirect Object Pronoun] + [gusta/gustan] + [The Thing You Like]

• Me + gusta + el chocolate. -> Me gusta el chocolate.
• Te + gustan + los gatos. -> Te gustan los gatos.
• Nos + gusta + viajar. -> Nos gusta viajar.

Adding Emphasis: The Optional 'A' Phrase

Sometimes you'll see sentences that start with a mí, a ti, a él, etc.

A mí me gusta el helado. A ella le gustan los libros.

What's this a phrase for? Two reasons: clarification and emphasis.

1. Clarification: Le and les are ambiguous. Le gusta could mean "he likes," "she likes," or "you (formal) like." Adding the a phrase clears it up:

   • A él le gusta el fútbol. (He likes soccer.)
   • A ella le gusta el fútbol. (She likes soccer.)

2. Emphasis: You can add it to any gustar sentence to add a little punch, similar to saying "Well, I like..." in English.

   • "No me gusta el frío." - "I don't like the cold."
   • "Pues, a mí me gusta el frío." - "Well, I like the cold."

Let's Practice!

Time to put your knowledge to the test. Unscramble the following sentence.

Negatives and Questions

Making gustar negative or asking a question is incredibly simple.

Negating 'Gustar'

Just add no directly before the indirect object pronoun (me, te, le...). That's it!

Asking Questions with 'Gustar'

To ask a simple yes/no question, just raise the intonation of your voice and add question marks. The word order doesn't change.

• Statement: Te gusta el quesocheese. (You like cheese.)
• Question: ¿Te gusta el queso? (Do you like cheese?)

To ask an open-ended question, add a question word like ¿Qué...? (What...?) to the beginning.

• ¿Qué te gusta hacer? (What do you like to do?)

Beyond 'Gustar': Other "Backward" Verbs

The gustar structure isn't a one-hit-wonder. Many other Spanish verbs follow the exact same pattern. Learning this structure opens up a whole new world of expression! Check out our detailed guide on gustar and similar verbs to learn more.

Here are a few common ones:

• encantarto love/delight: For things you love.
  • Me encanta esta canción. (I love this song.)
• interesarto interest: For things that interest you.
  • Nos interesa la historia. (History interests us.)
• doler (o:ue)to hurt: For aches and pains, which you might discuss at the doctor's office.
  • Me duele la cabeza. (My head hurts / is hurting me.)
• importarto matter/be important: For things that matter to you.
  • A mis padres les importa mi futuro. (My future matters to my parents.)
• parecerto seem: For expressing opinions.
  • Me parece una buena idea. (It seems like a good idea to me.)

You've Mastered 'Gustar'!

See? Not so "backward" after all. The key is to stop translating directly from English and embrace the Spanish structure: The thing being liked is the star of the show.

Key Takeaways:

1. Think "to be pleasing to," not "to like."
2. Always use an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les).
3. Match the verb (gusta or gustan) to the thing being liked, not the person.
4. Add no before the pronoun to make it negative.

Keep practicing, and soon using gustar will feel completely natural. You'll be sharing your opinions, tastes, and preferences with confidence. A great way to practice is by reading our short stories in Spanish and seeing gustar in action. ¡Qué bien!