A1 · The present tense
gustar and similar verbs
Not «I like the book» — «the book pleases me».
At a glance
- Remember
- Not «I like something» but «something pleases me» — and the verb counts the thing.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The present — What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.
- Form
- Me gusta el mar.one thing
- Signal words
- me gusta
- me gustan
- me encanta
- me duele
- me interesa
- Trap
- Wrong:Yo gusto los libros.Right:Me gustan los libros.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) person ending negation
| one thing | Me gusta el mar. |
| several things | Me gustan las montañas. |
| an activity | Me gusta nadar. |
| stressed, with a | A mí me gusta, a ella no. |
| negated | No me gusta nada este ruido. |
| another person | A Luis le gustan los perros. |
| gustar: I appeal | (yo) gusto |
| you appeal | (tú) gustas |
| he, she, it appeals; you (formal) appeal | (él, ella, usted) gusta |
| we appeal | (nosotros) gustamos |
| you (plural) appeal | (vosotros) gustáis |
| they appeal; you (formal) appeal | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) gustan |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The verb agrees with the thing, not with the person.
Nos gustan tus fotos.We like your photos.
Before an infinitive it is always singular.
Les gusta salir los viernes.They like going out on Fridays.
The pronoun says who is meant — the name is added only for clarity, with a.
A mi hermana le gusta el jazz.My sister likes jazz.
encantar, interesar, doler, faltar and parecer are built the same way.
Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
Example sentences
¿Te gusta la paella?Do you like paella?
A mis padres les encanta viajar.My parents love travelling.
Me faltan dos euros.I am two euros short.
No nos interesa esa película.That film does not interest us.
6 more example sentences
¿Qué te parece la idea?What do you make of the idea?
A mi abuelo le encantaba el ajedrez.My grandfather loved chess.
Nos falta tiempo, no ganas.We are short of time, not of willingness.
Le duelen las rodillas.His knees hurt.
¿Os interesa el arte moderno?Are you interested in modern art?
Me gusta más este que aquel.I like this one better than that one.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The verb gets conjugated for the person, because English says «I like»: Yo gusto los libros. That would mean «I am pleasing to the books». The right form is Me gustan los libros — the books please me, and that is why the verb is plural.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Spanish does not say «I like books», it says «books please me»: Me gustan los libros. Grammatically the thing is the subject and the person is the object — the exact reverse of English «like», though the same as the English «it appeals to me».
So the verb agrees with the thing, not with the person: Me gusta el café, but Me gustan los cafés. The person sits in the pronoun in front and nowhere else: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
With an infinitive after it, the verb stays singular even if several follow: Me gusta leer y escribir. Two activities are still grammatically one thing.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 28 · Object pronouns: lo, la, leBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: gustar · salir · viajar · faltar