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"To like" in Spanish
In Spanish, to express like or dislike we use the verb gustar.
This works differently to the way it's expressed in English.
For how to say "I like" and "You ["tú"] like" doing something see Using gustar in Spanish + verb to say like [doing something]
This lesson will teach you how to say:
"He likes", "She likes", "You ["usted"] like", "We like", "You ["vosotros"] like" and "They like" doing something.
Have a look at this table:
| LE | gusta | (He likes / She likes / You ["usted"]like) | ||
| NOS | gusta | (We like) | ||
| OS* | gusta | (You ["vosotros"] like) | ||
| LES | gusta | (They like / You ["ustedes"] like) |
*note that the pronoun "os" is only used in Spain, not Latin America, to refer to a informal plural you.
What the person likes doing is expressed with an infinitive (the verb in the -ar, -er, -ir form)
Notice how for he likes, she likes and you ["usted"] like doing something, we use the same pronoun "le".
Here are some examples:
Extra pronouns
In order to either clarify who we are talking about or emphasise who is liking doing something, we can add extra pronouns with "a" in front:
A mí
A ti
A él
A ella
A usted
A nosotros/-as
A vosotros/-as
A ellos/-as
A ustedes
These extra pronouns can be added at the beginning of the sentence if there is a need to clarify or emphasise who likes doing something:
For example:
When these pronouns are added, remember: you cannot omit the "short" ones.
It would be incorrect to say:
"A nosotras gusta tomar café."
Careful! it is a common mistake to use the reflexive pronoun "se" instead of "le", e.g "Se gusta mucho comer chocolate". Remember that the pronouns used with gusta are not reflexive pronouns; they are indirect object pronouns.
See also Using gustar in Spanish to say you like something
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