Gustar and similar verbs
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
A mí el pan.
I love bread.
The rule
In English you say "I like coffee." In Spanish the sentence flips: me gusta el café, literally "coffee pleases me." The thing you like is the subject, and you are the object, the one on the receiving end. Several other common verbs follow the same pattern, including encantar, doler, importar, and faltar.
The pattern
With gustar, the thing liked is the grammatical subject. It usually comes after the verb.
Me gusta el café. = Coffee pleases me.
Me gustan los perros. = Dogs please me.
Use gusta with a single thing or an action (el café, la música, bailar). Use gustan with more than one thing (los perros, las películas).
The person goes before the verb as an indirect object pronoun, the form for whoever the action lands on; these pronouns have their own lesson later:
me gusta / te gusta / le gusta / nos gusta / les gusta
Le can mean "to him," "to her," "to you (formal)," or "to them." Add a + person to clarify: A ella le gusta el café. A mis amigos les gustan los perros.
Other verbs that work the same way: encantar (to love), molestar (to bother), importar (to matter), interesar (to interest), faltar (to lack), doler (to hurt), parecer (to seem), quedar (to remain). The verb always agrees with the thing, not the person.
Examples
- Me gustan los perros.I like dogs.
- Te gusta la música.You like music.
- A ella le encanta bailar.She loves dancing.
- Nos falta tiempo.We lack time.
- Les interesan los deportes.Sports interest them.
- Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
- A mí me importan mis amigos.My friends matter to me.
Watch out
- Yo gusto café. Me gusta el café.Gustar does not work like English "like"; the coffee is the subject.
- Me gusta los perros. Me gustan los perros.Los perros is plural, so the verb must be gustan.
- A ella gusta el café. A ella le gusta el café.Keep le even when you add a ella for clarity.
- Le gusta el café. (context unclear). A él le gusta el café.Add a él, a ella, or another person when le could refer to more than one person.