The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Gustar and Verbs Like It

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Gustar is how you say to like, but it works backwards from English. The thing you like is the subject, and the person who likes it is an indirect object.
  • EnglishI like coffee.
    SpanishMe gusta el café.
  • EnglishDo you like dogs?
    Spanish¿Te gustan los perros?
  • EnglishMy sister likes to dance.
    SpanishA mi hermana le gusta bailar.
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How gustar works

Gustar really means to be pleasing. Me gusta el café is literally coffee is pleasing to me. English puts the person first as the subject. Spanish makes the thing the subject, so the verb matches the thing, not the person.

  • EnglishI like coffee.
    LiterallyCoffee is pleasing to me.
    SpanishMe gusta el café.
  • EnglishWe like dogs.
    LiterallyDogs are pleasing to us.
    SpanishNos gustan los perros.

Gusta or gustan?

Since the thing is the subject, the verb matches it. One thing takes gusta. More than one thing takes gustan. Who likes it makes no difference.

  1. One thing or an action: gusta
    Me gusta el chocolate.

    I like chocolate.

    More than one: gustan
    Me gustan las fresas.

    I like strawberries.

  2. One thing or an action: gusta
    ¿Te gusta esta canción?

    Do you like this song?

    More than one: gustan
    ¿Te gustan estas canciones?

    Do you like these songs?

  3. One thing or an action: gusta
    Nos gusta viajar.

    We like to travel.

    More than one: gustan
    Nos gustan los viajes largos.

    We like long trips.

Me gusta, te gusta, le gusta…

The person changes the pronoun in front. These are the indirect object pronouns.

Gustar with each person, for one thing and for more than one
Who likes itOne thingMore than one
Ime gustame gustan
youte gustate gustan
he, she, you (usted)le gustale gustan
wenos gustanos gustan
you all (Spain)os gustaos gustan
they, you allles gustales gustan

  • Le gusta mucho el fútbol.

    He really likes soccer.

  • ¿Os gusta la comida mexicana?

    Do you all like Mexican food?

  • A mis padres no les gustan las ciudades grandes.

    My parents don’t like big cities.

A María le gusta

To name who likes something, put a + the person at the start. The pronoun stays too, even though it repeats the same person. It's the same redundant pronoun as with other indirect objects.

  • EnglishMaría likes tea.
    SpanishA María le gusta el té.
  • EnglishMy kids love dinosaurs.
    SpanishA mis hijos les encantan los dinosaurios.

A mí, a ti, a él… work the same way. Add them for emphasis or contrast, always on top of the pronoun:

  • A mí me gusta el campo, pero a mi novio le gusta la ciudad.

    I like the countryside, but my boyfriend likes the city.

  • ¿Y a ti? ¿Te gusta?

    What about you? Do you like it?

A mí también, a mí tampoco

To agree with someone, English says me too or me neither. With gustar, the person is a mí, not yo, so it's a mí también and a mí tampoco. More in negatives.

  • Me encanta el jazz. —A mí también.

    I love jazz. —Me too.

  • No me gusta madrugar. —A mí tampoco.

    I don’t like getting up early. —Me neither.

  • Me gusta el cilantro. —¿Sí? A mí no.

    I like cilantro. —Really? I don’t.

Liking people

Be careful with gustar and people. Me gustas means I like you, but usually in a romantic way. To say you like someone as a person, use caer bien, which also works like gustar.

  1. Gustar: attraction
    Me gustas mucho.

    I really like you (romantically).

    Caer bien: as a person
    Me caes muy bien.

    I really like you (as a person).

  2. Gustar: attraction
    Creo que le gusta Marta.

    I think he has a crush on Marta.

    Caer bien: as a person
    Marta le cae bien a todo el mundo.

    Everyone likes Marta.

Verbs like gustar

Many common verbs work exactly like gustar: the thing is the subject, and the person is an indirect object.

  • encantarto love (things)

    Me encanta esta ciudad.

    I love this city.

  • interesarto interest

    ¿Te interesa la historia?

    Are you interested in history?

  • importarto matter, to mind

    No me importa.

    I don’t mind.

  • molestarto bother

    Le molesta el ruido.

    The noise bothers her.

  • dolerto hurt

    Me duelen los pies.

    My feet hurt.

  • faltarto be missing, to lack

    Nos falta sal.

    We need salt.

  • quedarto have left

    Solo me quedan diez euros.

    I only have ten euros left.

  • parecerto seem, to think of

    ¿Qué te parece?

    What do you think?

  • preocuparto worry

    A mi madre le preocupa todo.

    My mom worries about everything.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Saying yo gusto

    Incorrect:Yo gusto el café.
    Correct:Me gusta el café.

    The person who likes something is an indirect object: me, te, le… Yo gusto would mean I am pleasing.

  2. Using gusta with a plural

    Incorrect:Me gusta los perros.
    Correct:Me gustan los perros.

    The verb matches the thing you like. Los perros is plural, so it's gustan.

  3. Leaving out the a

    Incorrect:María le gusta bailar.
    Correct:A María le gusta bailar.

    When you name the person, put a in front of them.

  4. Leaving out the pronoun

    Incorrect:A María gusta bailar.
    Correct:A María le gusta bailar.

    The pronoun stays even when you name the person.

  5. Saying yo también

    Incorrect:Me gusta el jazz. —Yo también.
    Correct:Me gusta el jazz. —A mí también.

    With gustar, the person is a mí, so it's a mí también.

Questions about gustar

How does gustar work in Spanish?

Gustar means "to be pleasing." The thing you like is the subject, and the person who likes it is an indirect object: Me gusta el café is literally "Coffee is pleasing to me." So the verb matches the thing, not the person.

Is it gusta or gustan?

Gusta with one thing or with an action (an infinitive): Me gusta el café, Me gusta bailar. Gustan with more than one thing: Me gustan los perros.

What are some verbs like gustar?

Encantar (to love), interesar (to interest), importar (to matter), molestar (to bother), doler (to hurt), faltar (to be missing), quedar (to have left), parecer (to seem), and apetecer (to feel like). They all work the same way: Me duele la cabeza.

How do you say "I like you" in Spanish?

Me gustas means "I like you," but usually romantically. To say you like someone as a person, use caer bien: Me caes bien.

Is it "yo también" or "a mí también"?

With gustar, it's a mí también ("me too") and a mí tampoco ("me neither"), because the person is a mí, not yo: Me gusta el jazz. —A mí también.

What is the difference between me gusta and me encanta?

Me encanta is stronger, like "I love it." Me gusta mucho is somewhere in between. Don't add mucho to encantar: it's already as strong as it gets.

Next upReflexive verbsMe lavo, te levantas: the reflexive pronouns, daily routine verbs, ir vs. irse, and "each other."

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