LiramiLirami

Gustar-type verbs · me gusta / me duele

Verbs that run backwards: with gustar ("to please"), the thing liked is the subject and the person who likes it is shown by me / te / le / nos / les ("to me", "to you" …).

Examples

  • Me gusta el café.I like coffee.
  • Nos gustan los libros.We like books.
  • Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.

How it works

Spanish "gustar" doesn't mean "to like" the way English does — it literally means "to be pleasing to". The grammatical subject is the THING; the person feeling it is shown by a "to whom" pronoun: me, te, le, nos, os, les.

Structure: (a + person) + me/te/le/nos/os/les + gusta or gustan + the thing:

(A mí) me gusta el café.

I like coffee. (lit: coffee is pleasing to me)

(A ti) te gustan los libros.

You like books. (lit: books are pleasing to you)

The thing liked keeps its article (el, la, los, las), even where English has none:

Me gusta el café. — I like coffee. (✗ Me gusta café.)

The verb agrees with what comes AFTER (the thing), not the person:

Me gusta el café. (sg subject) — I like coffee.
Me gustan los libros. (pl subject) — I like books.

When the "thing" is an action (an infinitive), gustar stays SINGULAR:

Me gusta cantar. — I like to sing.
Nos gusta leer y escribir.

We like to read and write.

Same pattern for many "feeling" verbs:

encantar — to love (Me encanta el chocolate.)
doler

to hurt (Me duele la cabeza. — My head hurts.)

faltar

to be missing / to need (Me faltan dos euros.)

parecer — to seem (Me parece bien.)
quedar

to fit / to remain (Me queda grande la camisa.)

importar — to matter (No me importa.)
interesar — to interest (Me interesa la historia.)

Use "a + name / pronoun" for clarity or contrast:

A Marta le gusta el cine. — Marta likes movies.
A mí me gusta, pero a él no.

I like it, but he doesn't.

What you'll practise

  1. 1. Pick the right pronoun (me/te/le/nos/os/les)

    Match the pronoun to the person who likes it.

    • Me gusta.I like it.
    • Les gusta.They like it.

  2. 2. gusta (sg) vs gustan (pl) — agree with the THING

    Verb agrees with what comes after, not the person.

    • Me gusta el libro.I like the book.
    • Me gustan los libros.I like the books.

  3. 3. Singular when the subject is an infinitive

    gusta + infinitive(s) — even multiple infinitives stay sg.

    • Me gusta cantar.I like to sing.
    • Nos gusta leer y bailar.We like to read and dance.

  4. 4. Same pattern for encantar / doler / faltar / parecer

    All these verbs use the gustar construction.

    • Me encanta este libro.I love this book.
    • Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.

Practise it until it sticks

Short drills built on these 4 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.

Practise thisCreate a free account