The verb gustar – to like is used to talk about things that people enjoy or prefer. Unlike most Spanish verbs, gustar does not follow the typical subject-verb pattern used in English. Instead, the structure focuses on the thing that is liked rather than the person who likes it. In this module, you will learn how gustar works and how to use it to talk about preferences and interests.
The verb gustar is commonly translated as to like, but its literal meaning is closer to “to be pleasing.”
Because of this structure, the thing that is liked becomes the subject of the sentence.
Sample Sentences
Me gusta el café – I like coffee
Me gusta la música – I like music
Me gusta el chocolate – I like chocolate
Me gusta el cine – I like the movies
Me gusta la pizza – I like pizza
The verb gustar is used with indirect object pronouns that indicate who likes something.
Me gusta – I like
Te gusta – You like
Le gusta – He / she likes
Nos gusta – We like
Les gusta – They like
Sample Sentences
Te gusta el restaurante nuevo – You like the new restaurant
Le gusta la película – He or she likes the movie
Nos gusta la ciudad – We like the city
Les gusta la playa – They like the beach
Me gusta el parque – I like the park
The verb gustar changes depending on whether the thing being liked is singular or plural.
Gusta is used with singular nouns.
Gustan is used with plural nouns.
Sample Sentences
Me gusta el libro – I like the book
Me gustan los libros – I like the books
Te gusta la canción – You like the song
Te gustan las canciones – You like the songs
Nos gustan las montañas – We like the mountains
The verb gustar can also be used with verbs to talk about activities someone enjoys.
Sample Sentences
Me gusta viajar – I like to travel
Te gusta estudiar español – You like to study Spanish
Le gusta cocinar – He or she likes to cook
Nos gusta caminar en el parque – We like to walk in the park
Les gusta nadar en el océano – They like to swim in the ocean
Sometimes Spanish adds a phrase with a to clarify who likes something.
Sample Sentences
A María le gusta el café – María likes coffee
A Carlos le gusta el fútbol – Carlos likes soccer
A los estudiantes les gusta la clase – The students like the class
A mi hermano le gusta la música – My brother likes music
A nosotros nos gusta la ciudad – We like the city
In this module, you learned how the verb gustar works in Spanish. Unlike most verbs, gustar focuses on the thing that is liked rather than the person who likes it. You practiced structures such as me gusta, te gusta, and nos gusta, and you learned how the verb changes between gusta and gustan depending on whether the object is singular or plural. Understanding gustar will help you talk about your preferences and interests in Spanish conversations.