What are common mistakes with Gustar y verbos similares?

Conjugating gustar like a regular verb (*Yo gusto el café → Me gusta el café). The subject is the THING liked, not the person. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'I like coffee' = subject-verb-object. Spanish flips it: 'Me gusta el café' = to-me pleases the-coffee. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian 'Мне нравится' uses dative + verb, very similar to Spanish 'me gusta'. This transfers well! 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech 'Líbí se mi' is similar (dative + verb). Good transfer from Czech.

Gustar y verbos similares | Spanish Grammar A1

Gustar y verbos similares

A1 — Pronombres

Gustar (to like) and similar inverted-structure verbs

Can express likes and dislikes with gustar and similar verbs

Gustar (to like) and similar inverted-structure verbs

Examples

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.

PronombresA1

Gustar y verbos similares

Gustar (to like) and similar inverted-structure verbs

Learning Goal

Can express likes and dislikes with gustar and similar verbs

Exam Skills:Comprensión auditivaExpresión oral

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:

Con infinitivo: siempre gusta (singular): Me gusta bailar.
Con sustantivo singular: gusta: Me gusta el chocolate.
Con sustantivo plural: gustan: Me gustan las películas.
Para enfatizar: A mí me gusta, a ti te gusta...

Verbos similares: encantar (love), interesar (interest), molestar (bother), doler (hurt), importar (matter), parecer (seem).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Conjugating gustar like a regular verb (*Yo gusto el café → Me gusta el café). The subject is the THING liked, not the person. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'I like coffee' = subject-verb-object. Spanish flips it: 'Me gusta el café' = to-me pleases the-coffee.

Me 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

A1 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Gustar y verbos similares used?: Gustar funciona de forma especial: el sujeto gramatical es la cosa que gusta, no la persona.
How is Gustar y verbos similares formed?: Verbos similares: encantar (love), interesar (interest), molestar (bother), doler (hurt), importar (matter), parecer (seem).
What are common mistakes with Gustar y verbos similares?: Conjugating gustar like a regular verb (*Yo gusto el café → Me gusta el café). The subject is the THING liked, not the person. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'I like coffee' = subject-verb-object. Spanish flips it: 'Me gusta el café' = to-me pleases the-coffee. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian 'Мне нравится' uses dative + verb, very similar to Spanish 'me gusta'. This transfers well! 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech 'Líbí se mi' is similar (dative + verb). Good transfer from Czech.