Verbs Like Gustar in Spanish: A1 Grammar Guide

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Key Takeaways

• Understand why “me gusta” doesn’t mean “I like” literally
• Master the pattern for using gustar, doler, encantar, and similar verbs
• Learn how to use me, te, le, nos, os, les with these special verbs
• Practice forming positive, negative, and question sentences correctly
• Avoid common mistakes with this essential Spanish grammar concept

Understanding Spanish’s “Backwards” Verbs

If you’ve ever been confused about why “me gusta” seems to work backwards, you’re not alone! Verbs like gustar (to be pleasing), doler (to hurt), and encantar (to love) follow a different pattern than regular verbs. Instead of “I like pizza,” think “Pizza is pleasing to me.”

The Basic Pattern

These verbs use indirect object pronouns + verb + subject.

English Structure	Spanish Structure	Literal Meaning
I like the book.	Me gusta el libro.	The book is pleasing to me.
You love music.	Te encanta la música.	Music is loved by you.
He hurts the arm.	Le duele el brazo.	The arm hurts to him.

Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish

Pronouns for Verbs Like Gustar

English	Spanish	Example Sentence
To me	me	Me gusta el café. (I like coffee.)
To you (informal)	te	Te duele la cabeza. (Your head hurts.)
To him/her/you (formal)	le	Le encanta bailar. (He/She loves to dance.)
To us	nos	Nos gusta viajar. (We like to travel.)
To you all (Spain)	os	Os importa el precio. (You all care about the price.)
To them/you all	les	Les interesa el arte. (They are interested in art.)

Most Common Verbs Like Gustar

Essential A1 Verbs That Follow This Pattern

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
gustar	to be pleasing (to like)	Me gusta el chocolate.	I like chocolate.
doler	to hurt	Me duele el estómago.	My stomach hurts.
encantar	to love (really like)	Me encanta esta canción.	I love this song.
importar	to matter	¿Te importa si llegamos tarde?	Do you mind if we arrive late?
interesar	to be interesting	Nos interesa la historia.	We’re interested in history.
faltar	to lack/need	Me faltan dos dólares.	I need two more dollars.
quedar	to have left	Nos quedan tres manzanas.	We have three apples left.
fascinar	to fascinate	Les fascina el fútbol.	They are fascinated by soccer.

Singular vs. Plural Forms (Formas Singulares y Plurales)

The verb changes based on what comes AFTER it:

Use GUSTA (singular) when:

• A singular noun follows: “Me gusta el libro“
• An infinitive verb follows: “Me gusta correr“

Use GUSTAN (plural) when:

• A plural noun follows: “Me gustan los libros“

More Examples:

• Me duele la pierna. (My leg hurts.) – singular
• Me duelen las piernas. (My legs hurt.) – plural
• Te encanta el cine. (You love movies.) – singular
• Te encantan las películas. (You love movies.) – plural

Making Negative Sentences

Simply add “no” before the indirect object pronoun:

Positive	Negative	Translation
Me gusta	No me gusta	I don’t like
Te duele	No te duele	It doesn’t hurt you
Le importa	No le importa	It doesn’t matter to him/her

Examples:

• No me gusta el té. (I don’t like tea.)
• No nos duelen los pies. (Our feet don’t hurt.)
• No les importa el dinero. (They don’t care about money.)

Asking Questions (Haciendo Preguntas)

Yes/No Questions:

• “¿Te gusta el café?” (Do you like coffee?)
• “¿Le duele la espalda?” (Does your back hurt?)
• “¿Les interesa el proyecto?” (Are they interested in the project?)

Information Questions:

• “¿Qué te gusta hacer?” (What do you like to do?)
• “¿Cuánto le duele?” (How much does it hurt?)
• “¿Por qué no les importa?” (Why don’t they care?)

Putting It All Together: Daily Conversations

Conversation 1: Talking About Likes
Ana: ¿Te gusta la comida mexicana?
Carlos: Sí, me encanta. Especialmente me gustan los tacos.
Ana: ¿Y te gusta cocinar?
Carlos: No, no me gusta cocinar, pero me gusta comer.

Translation:
Ana: Do you like Mexican food?
Carlos: Yes, I love it. I especially like tacos.
Ana: And do you like to cook?
Carlos: No, I don’t like to cook, but I like to eat.

Conversation 2: At the Doctor’s Office
Doctor: Buenos días, ¿qué le pasa?
Paciente: Me duele mucho la cabeza y me duela la garganta.
Doctor: ¿Le duelen también los músculos?
Paciente: Sí, me duelen los brazos y las piernas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don’t use “yo gusto” – Say “me gusta” instead
2. Match singular/plural correctly – “Me gusta el libro” vs “Me gustan los libros”
3. Don’t forget the indirect object pronoun – Always include me/te/le/nos/les
4. Place “no” correctly – Before the pronoun: “No me gusta”
5. Use “a mí” for emphasis only – “A mí me gusta” (I like it – emphasizing that I do, even if others don’t)

Quick Reference Chart

Category	Spanish Examples
Basic Pattern	Indirect Object + Verb + Subject
Key Pronouns	me, te, le, nos, os, les
Common Verbs	gustar, doler, encantar, importar, interesar
Singular Form	gusta, duele, encanta, importa, interesa
Plural Form	gustan, duelen, encantan, importan, interesan
Negative	no + pronoun + verb
Questions	¿pronoun + verb + subject?

Practice Exercise: Translate to Spanish

1. We like Spanish class.
2. Her feet hurt.
3. Do you care about the weather?
4. They don’t like vegetables.
5. My back hurts a lot.

Answers:

1. Nos gusta la clase de español.
2. Le duelen los pies.
3. ¿Te importa el tiempo?
4. No les gustan las verduras.
5. Me duele mucho la espalda.

💡 Grammar Tools
Practice conjugating verbs like gustar: Spanish Verb Conjugation Tool

Ready to Practice?

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What’s Next in Your A1 Spanish Journey?

◄ Reflexive Verbs | Direct Object Pronouns ►

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