A1 · The present tense
gustar and the verbs where the thing does the acting
Not «I like the book» — «the book pleases me».
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.
Die Form
| 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. |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
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.
Woran man es erkennt
- me gusta
- me gustan
- me encanta
- me duele
- me interesa
Beispielsätze
¿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.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
¿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.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
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.
Not «I like something» but «something pleases me» — and the verb counts the thing.
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