Gustar (to like) and similar inverted-structure verbs
Can express likes and dislikes with gustar and similar verbs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Me gusta la música.
I like music.
Me gustan los animales.
I like animals.
A mi hermana le encanta bailar.
My sister loves to dance.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Gustar funciona de forma especial: el sujeto gramatical es la cosa que gusta, no la persona.
| Persona | Con singular | Con plural |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me gusta el café | me gustan los gatos |
| tú | te gusta | te gustan |
| él/ella/usted | le gusta | le gustan |
| nosotros/as | nos gusta | nos gustan |
| vosotros/as | os gusta | os gustan |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | les gusta | les gustan |
Reglas:
Verbos similares: encantar (love), interesar (interest), molestar (bother), doler (hurt), importar (matter), parecer (seem).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesMe gusta la música.
I like music.
Literally: 'Music pleases me.' 'La música' is the subject (singular) → gusta (not gustan).
Me gustan los animales.
I like animals.
'Los animales' is plural → gustan (not gusta). The verb agrees with the thing liked.
A mi hermana le encanta bailar.
My sister loves to dance.
Encantar = to love (stronger than gustar). With infinitive → singular: encanta. 'A mi hermana' for emphasis.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises