How to Master the Spanish Verb 'Gustar' (And Use It Like a Native!)
This tricky verb is not like the others, so it's important to understand that the rules you use to conjugate other verbs don’t apply to gustar or any verb similar to it. When we use verbs like gustar, we focus on what the person likes, not the person(s) who like it. Let me show you some examples to make it clearer:
- A mí me gusta el chocolate (I like chocolate) – we don't say "yo gusto el chocolate."
- A ella le gustan los chocolates (She likes chocolate).
- A mí me gustan los chocolates (I like chocolates).
As you can see, the verb gustar is not about who is expressing their preferences. So, the conjugation of gustar doesn't change according to the person. It changes based on the number of objects the person likes: gusta for singular and gustan for plural.
HOW TO USE GUSTAR IN SPANISH
The basic structure to talk about your preferences includes:
Indirect Object + Verb (gustar) + Object of preference
| To (a mí, a ti, etc.) | Indirect Object Pronoun | Verb (Gustar) | Example (Spanish) | Translation (English) |
| A mí | Me | Gusta | A mí me gusta el café. | I like coffee. |
| A ti | Te | Gusta | A ti te gusta el chocolate. | You like chocolate. |
| A él / A ella / A usted | Le | Gusta | A él le gusta la música clásica. | He likes classical music. |
| A nosotros/as | Nos | Gusta | A nosotros nos gusta bailar. | We like dancing. |
| A vosotros/as | Os | Gusta | A vosotros os gusta el arte. | You (plural) like art. |
| A ellos / A ellas / A ustedes | Les | Gusta | A ellos les gusta viajar. | They like traveling |
Indirect Object Pronouns indicate who likes something.
The verb gustar (singular) or gustan (plural) matches the object being liked, not the person.
Example: "Me gusta el chocolate" (I like chocolate) vs. "Me gustan los libros" (I like books).
The verb gustar (singular) is used to talk about singular objects that someone likes, or when we are talking about an action that someone likes to do.
The "to" column is not mandatory; the sentence is still correct if we say "Me gusta el café" instead of "A mí me gusta el café." The "to" column is used for more emphasis or clarity.
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
As you can see in the last column, the verb gustar doesn’t change depending on who is talking about their preferences, and this happens because gustar only changes depending on the tense and the number of objects the person likes.
| To (a mí, a ti, etc.) | Indirect Object Pronoun | Singular Example | Translation (Singular) | Plural Example | Translation (Plural) |
| A mí | Me | A mí me gusta el café. | I like coffee. | A mí me gustan los libros. | I like books. |
| A ti | Te | A ti te gusta el chocolate. | You like chocolate. | A ti te gustan las películas. | You like movies. |
| A él / A ella / A usted | Le | A él le gusta la música. | He likes music. | A ella le gustan las canciones. | She likes the songs. |
| A nosotros/as | Nos | A nosotros nos gusta el baile. | We like dancing. | A nosotros nos gustan los deportes. | We like sports. |
| A vosotros/as | Os | A vosotros os gusta el arte. | You (plural) like art. | A vosotros os gustan las pinturas. | You (plural) like paintings. |
| A ellos / A ellas / A ustedes | Les | A ellos les gusta viajar. | They like traveling. | A ellas les gustan los paisajes. | They like landscapes. |
SUMMARY OF USES
To summarise all we've seen, there are 3 possible uses:
| Form | Example in Spanish | Translation in English | Explanation |
| Singular (gusta + singular noun) | Me gusta el chocolate. | I like chocolate. | Gusta se usa cuando el objeto es un sustantivo singular. |
| Plural (gustan + plural noun) | Me gustan los chocolates. | I like chocolates. | Gustan se usa cuando el objeto es un sustantivo plural. |
| Infinitive (gusta + verb) | Me gusta comer chocolate. | I like eating chocolate. | Gusta se usa siempre antes de un verbo en infinitivo, sin importar su cantidad. |
MORE VERBS LIKE GUSTAR IN SPANISH
There are more verbs that work exactly like gustar. It's like replacing gustar with any of these, and the sentence will still be correct. These are some of the most common:
Verbs related to emotions or preferences:
- Encantar (I love it when people bring coffee. - Me encanta cuando la gente trae café.)
- Fascinar (He’s fascinated by astronomy. - Le fascina la astronomía.)
- Agradar (We enjoy spending time with them. - Nos agrada pasar tiempo con ellos.)
- Molestar (Loud noises bother them. - Les molestan los ruidos fuertes.)
- Disgustar (She dislikes dishonesty. - Le disgustan las mentiras.)
- Interesar (They are interested in art. - Les interesa el arte.)
- Apasionar (We’re passionate about soccer. - Nos apasiona el fútbol.)
- Aburrir (Long meetings bore him. - Le aburren las reuniones largas.)
Verbs related to needs or effects:
- Importar (Does it matter to you? - ¿Te importa?)
- Parecer (It seems odd to us. - Nos parece extraño.)
- Quedar (Those shoes look great on you. - Te quedan bien esos zapatos.)
- Doler (Her back hurts. - Le duele la espalda.)
- Faltar (We’re missing a chair. - Nos falta una silla.)
- Sobrar (They have extra food. - Les sobra comida.)
- Hacer falta (Do you need more help? - ¿Te hace falta más ayuda?)
Verbs related to social impressions:
- Caer bien/mal (I like your new coworker. - Me cae bien tu nuevo compañero.)
- Dar igual/lo mismo (It doesn’t matter to me. - Me da igual.)
- Resultar (Learning Spanish is hard for them. - Les resulta difícil aprender español.)
