Contents · A2
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At A1, gustar is used in the first person: me gusta, me gustan. A2 extends it to every person, adds a mí, a ti for emphasis or contrast, and introduces the verbs built in the same way: encantar, importar, molestar, doler. Gustar does not work like “to like”: the thing liked is the subject, and this is the main difficulty for an English speaker.
Gustar with every person, and verbs like it: encantar, importar, molestar, doler#
Formation
The person who likes is expressed by the indirect object pronoun placed before the verb: me, te, le, nos, os, les. The verb agrees with the thing liked, which is its subject: gusta before a singular noun or an infinitive, gustan before a plural noun. The verb therefore does not change with the person who likes: me gusta, nos gusta, les gusta. A noun used in a general sense takes the definite article: Me gusta el café (“I like coffee”).
| Person who likes | One thing, an infinitive | Several things |
|---|---|---|
| (a mí) | me gusta | me gustan |
| (a ti) | te gusta | te gustan |
| (a él, a ella, a usted) | le gusta | le gustan |
| (a nosotros, a nosotras) | nos gusta | nos gustan |
| (a vosotros, a vosotras) | os gusta | os gustan |
| (a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes) | les gusta | les gustan |
Verbs like gustar. Encantar (“to love” a thing), importar (“to matter”, “to mind” in a request), molestar (“to bother”), interesar (“to interest”) and doler (“to hurt”), whose o becomes ue: duele, duelen, are built in the same way. With doler, the part of the body is the subject and takes the definite article: A Juan le duele la espalda, Me duelen las rodillas. ¿Te importa + infinitive? is used to ask politely: ¿Te importa esperar un momento?
The person named. When the person who likes is named, the name is introduced by a, and the pronoun stays: A mi hermana le gustan los caballos; A mis padres les encanta viajar (“The pronoun and the noun together: le doy un libro a Ana”).
Use
Gustar expresses what a person likes, encantar what a person loves, molestar what bothers a person, doler pain. Encantar already expresses a high degree; it is usually used without mucho.
- ¿Te gusta cocinar con tu padre?Do you like cooking with your father?
- A mi padre le gustan las películas del oeste.My father likes westerns.
- Nos encanta bailar.We love dancing.
- ¿Os molesta la música?Does the music bother you?
- A mi abuela le duelen las piernas.My grandmother’s legs hurt.
Difference from English
With “to like”, the person who likes is the subject: “we like the theatre”. With gustar, as with “to please”, the subject is the thing liked: Nos gusta mucho el teatro, “the theatre pleases us a lot”. The verb is therefore singular or plural according to the thing: me gusta el libro, me gustan los libros. English “I like coffee” has no article; Spanish uses one: Me gusta el café. “I love the sea” is me encanta el mar; “my back has hurt since yesterday” is me duele la espalda desde ayer, with the article and not mi.
Common mistakes
Yo gusto el té.→ Me gusta el té.The person who likes is the pronoun me; the thing liked is the subject.Me gusta los perros.→ Me gustan los perros.The verb agrees with the plural subject los perros.Nos gustamos mucho el teatro.→ Nos gusta mucho el teatro.The verb agrees with the thing liked, el teatro.Me gusta café.→ Me gusta el café.A noun used in a general sense takes the definite article.Mi hermana le gusta bailar.→ A mi hermana le gusta bailar.The person named is introduced by a.Encanto el mar.→ Me encanta el mar.Encantar is built like gustar.Mi garganta duele.→ Me duele la garganta.With doler, the person is the pronoun and the part of the body takes the article.Me duele mi brazo derecho.→ Me duele el brazo derecho.The part of the body takes the definite article.
Remember
The thing liked is the subject: le gusta el té, le gustan las flores.
Practise
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Pronouns after a preposition: a mí, para ti, conmigo#
Formation
After a preposition (a, para, con, de, sin, en…), the stressed pronouns are used: mí, ti, él, ella, usted, nosotros, nosotras, vosotros, vosotras, ellos, ellas, ustedes. Only yo and tú change form: para mí, sin ti. Mí takes a written accent that distinguishes it from the possessive mi; ti is written without an accent. With con, the first and second persons singular are written as one word: conmigo, contigo.
Use
With gustar and the verbs like it, a + stressed pronoun emphasises the person or contrasts it with another: A mí me gusta el té, pero a ella le gusta el café. The pronoun before the verb is still compulsory. The answer takes up the same form: a mí también after an affirmative sentence, a mí tampoco after a negative one, a mí sí or a mí no to disagree.
| Sentence | Same opinion | Opposite opinion |
|---|---|---|
| Me gusta la música clásica. | A mí también. | A mí no. |
| No me gusta la música clásica. | A mí tampoco. | A mí sí. |
- A mí me encantan los perros, pero a mi hermano no.I love dogs, but my brother doesn’t.
- No me gusta el invierno. — A mí tampoco.I don’t like winter. — Neither do I.
- He comprado este libro para ti.I’ve bought this book for you.
- ¿Quieres pasear conmigo por el parque?Do you want to go for a walk in the park with me?
- Siempre pienso en vosotros.I always think of you.
Difference from English
English uses the object pronoun after a preposition: “for me”, “with you”. Spanish uses mí and ti, not me and te, and one word with con: “with me” is conmigo, “with you” contigo. After gustar, “me too” is a mí también and “me neither” a mí tampoco, not yo también, because the person who likes is not the subject.
Common mistakes
¿Vienes con mí?→ ¿Vienes conmigo?With con, the first person is written conmigo.Es para me.→ Es para mí.After a preposition, “me” is mí.Es para tí.→ Es para ti.Ti is written without an accent.A mí gusta el té.→ A mí me gusta el té.The pronoun me stays before the verb.Me gusta la música clásica. — Yo también.→ Me gusta la música clásica. — A mí también.After gustar, the answer takes up a + stressed pronoun.
In short
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gustar | pronoun + verb agreeing with the thing liked | te gusta, les gustan |
| a noun in general | definite article | Me gusta el café. |
| person named | a + noun + pronoun | A Ana le gusta leer. |
| encantar, importar, molestar, interesar | like gustar | Nos encanta. ¿Te molesta? |
| doler | o → ue; part of the body with the article | Me duelen las muelas. |
| emphasis | a mí, a ti, a él + pronoun | A mí me gusta. |
| answer | a mí también, a mí tampoco | A mí también. |
| after a preposition | mí, ti; conmigo, contigo | para mí, contigo |
Practise
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