The basic idea
gustar does not mean to like. It means to be pleasing to. Instead of I like the coffee, Spanish says the coffee is pleasing to me.
The building plan
Here is what it sounds like
Me gusta el café.
I like coffee. (Literally: the coffee is pleasing to me.)
Me gustan los libros.
I like books. (Literally: the books are pleasing to me.)
gusta or gustan?
It depends only on what is liked: one thing or an activity (infinitive) → gusta, several things → gustan. Where English uses -ing (I like dancing), Spanish uses the plain infinitive. And Spanish keeps the article: I like cats is los gatos, not bare gatos.
Singular against plural
gusta
Me gusta la música.
I like music.
Me gusta bailar.
I like dancing. (Literally: dancing is pleasing to me.)
gustan
Me gustan las películas.
I like films.
Me gustan los gatos.
I like cats.
Who is it pleasing to? me, te, le …
The pronoun tells you who the thing is pleasing to. It sits directly in front of gusta / gustan and changes with the person, never with the thing. me, te, le, nos, os, les mean to me, to you …, not I, you …: learn the six as fixed building blocks.
The pronouns
| Person | Pronoun | Means |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | to me |
| tú | te | to you |
| él / ella / usted | le | to him / her / you (formal) |
| nosotros | nos | to us |
| vosotros | os | to you (plural, Spain) |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | les | to them / to you (plural) |
The pronouns in a sentence
Te gusta el chocolate.
You like chocolate.
Nos gusta viajar.
We like travelling.
Les gusta la playa.
They like the beach.
Naming the person with a
le and les are ambiguous (to him, to her, formal to you). With a + person you say exactly who is meant, and the pronoun stays: Spanish says the person twice. A mí, a ti adds emphasis, like stressing I with your voice. After a preposition it is a mí, not a yo.
A María le gusta bailar.
María likes dancing.
A mí me gusta el té, pero a ti no.
I like tea, but you don't.
Negatives and questions
Spanish has no helper do. Negation is a single no in front of the pronoun, and a question keeps the same word order: only the ¿ … ? marks change.
No me gusta el café.
I do not like coffee.
No nos gusta el frío.
We do not like the cold.
¿Te gustan los perros?
Do you like dogs?
¿Qué te gusta hacer?
What do you like doing?
