Gustar is one of the first verbs that trips up Spanish learners because it works backwards compared to English. In English, you say “I like football.” In Spanish, the structure is closer to “Football pleases me” — Me gusta el fútbol.
How Gustar Works
The subject of gustar is the thing being liked — not the person who likes it. The person who likes it is the indirect object.
Me gusta el café. — Coffee pleases me. → I like coffee.
| Part | Role |
|---|---|
| Me | Indirect object (the person who likes it) |
| gusta | Verb (agrees with the subject: el café) |
| el café | Subject (the thing that “pleases”) |
Gustar agrees with the thing liked, not the person
- Me gusta el café. — I like coffee. (el café is singular → gusta)
- Me gustan los libros. — I like books. (los libros is plural → gustan)
- Te gusta la música. — You like music.
- Le gusta el fútbol. — He/She likes football.
- Nos gustan las películas. — We like films.
- Les gustan los animales. — They like animals.
With infinitives
When what you like is an action (verb), use the singular gusta + infinitive:
- Me gusta nadar. — I like swimming.
- Le gusta cocinar. — She likes cooking.
- Nos gusta viajar. — We like travelling.
The Indirect Object Pronouns
| Person | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| me / I | me |
| you (informal) | te |
| him / her / usted | le |
| us | nos |
| you (vosotros) | os |
| them / ustedes | les |
To add emphasis or clarify who you’re talking about, add a + person before the pronoun:
- A mí me gusta. — I like it. (emphatic)
- A Juan le gusta. — Juan likes it.
- A nosotros nos gustan. — We like them.
- A ellos no les gusta. — They don’t like it.
Other Verbs That Work Like Gustar
Many other common verbs follow the exact same pattern:
Encantar — to love (something)
- Me encanta el chocolate. — I love chocolate.
- Le encantan las series de televisión. — She loves TV series.
Molestar — to bother, annoy
- Me molesta el ruido. — Noise bothers me.
- Te molestan las interrupciones. — Interruptions bother you.
Interesar — to interest
- Me interesa la historia. — History interests me. / I’m interested in history.
- Le interesan los deportes. — Sports interest him.
Importar — to matter, to mind
- No me importa. — I don’t mind. / It doesn’t matter to me.
- ¿Te importa si abro la ventana? — Do you mind if I open the window?
- Le importa mucho su familia. — His family matters a lot to him.
Parecer — to seem
- Me parece bien. — It seems fine to me. / I think it’s fine.
- ¿Qué te parece? — What do you think? / How does it seem to you?
- Me parecen muy interesantes. — They seem very interesting to me.
Faltar — to be missing, to lack
- Me faltan cinco euros. — I’m five euros short. (Five euros are lacking to me.)
- Le falta experiencia. — He lacks experience.
Quedar — to remain, to have left
- Me quedan tres días. — I have three days left.
- No nos queda tiempo. — We have no time left.
Practice gustar and similar verb conjugations.
Hablito drills verb conjugations across all tenses until they become automatic — free, no account needed.
Common Mistakes
Wrong: Yo gusto el café. Right: Me gusta el café.
Gustar is not conjugated with “yo” — it’s conjugated with whatever is being liked.
Wrong: Me gusta los libros. Right: Me gustan los libros.
Gusta vs gustan depends on the noun (the subject), not on the person.
Quick Reference
| Singular thing | Plural things | Verb + infinitive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | me gusta | me gustan | me gusta + inf |
| You (informal) | te gusta | te gustan | te gusta + inf |
| He/She/Usted | le gusta | le gustan | le gusta + inf |
| We | nos gusta | nos gustan | nos gusta + inf |
| You (vosotros) | os gusta | os gustan | os gusta + inf |
| They/Ustedes | les gusta | les gustan | les gusta + inf |
Drill gustar until the backwards structure feels natural.
Hablito drills verb conjugations across all tenses until they become automatic — free, no account needed.