gustar und Verben mit umgekehrtem Satzbau

Spanish has no ordinary verb for "to like". Gustar means "to please", and the sentence is built from that angle: the thing you like is the subject, and you are the person it pleases. Me gusta el café is, word for word, "Coffee pleases me".

Gusta or gustan?

The verb agrees with the thing liked, not with the person who likes it. That gives you only two everyday forms:

• one thing: Me gusta el chocolate. Nos gusta la tortilla de patatas.
• several things: Me gustan las películas de Almodóvar. ¿Te gustan los pimientos de Padrón?
• an activity, or several: Me gusta bailar. Me gusta cocinar y comer. Infinitives take the singular gusta, even when there are two of them.

Who likes it: the pronoun, and the extra a mí

The person is shown by the indirect object pronoun me, te, le, nos, os, les, and that pronoun cannot be left out. To stress or clarify the person, add a + name or pronoun: A mí me gusta el té, pero a Pablo le gusta el café. The doubling (a mí me...) is correct and very common; *A mí gusta is not.

The short replies follow the same pattern: - Me encanta Sevilla. - A mí también. / - No me gusta el pulpo. - A mí tampoco.

Same pattern, other verbs

• encantar - to love (things): Me encanta la paella. It is already strong, so it rarely needs mucho.
• interesar - to interest: ¿Te interesa la historia?
• molestar - to bother: Me molesta el ruido.
• doler - to hurt: Me duele la cabeza. Me duelen los pies.
• importar - to matter: No me importa. - I don't mind.
• parecer - to seem: ¿Qué te parece? - What do you think?

Where English speakers slip

• Building it like "like": *Yo gusto el café. Yo gusto exists, but it means "I am pleasing (to someone)".
• Making the verb agree with the person: *Nos gustamos la música should be Nos gusta la música.
• Dropping the article: Spanish says Me gusta el café, "the coffee", where English says just "coffee".
• Using gustar for people: Me gusta Ana means you fancy her. For friends and family, say Ana me cae bien or Quiero a mi abuela.