"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 like" see Using gustar in Spanish to say you like something
This lesson will teach you how to say:
"He likes", "She likes", "You [usted] like", "We like", "You [vosotros] like" and "They like".
Have a look at this table:
LE | gusta /-an | (He likes / She likes / You [usted] like) | ||
NOS | gusta /-an | (We like) | ||
OS | gusta /-an | (You [vosotros] like) | ||
LES | gusta /-an | (They like / You [ustedes] like) |
Notice how for he likes, she likes and you [usted] like, we use the same pronoun "le".
Here are some examples:
Remember that:
- we use the definite article with the thing/s that one likes, unless we're talking about a place or a specific person, e.g. "Nos gustan las matemáticas."
not "Nos gustan matemáticas."
not "Le gusta la Carmen." - we use "gusta" when what someone likes is singular, and "gustan" when it's plural, e.g. "Le gusta la jardinería" but "Le gustan los plátanos."
Extra pronouns
In order to either clarify who we are talking about or emphasise who is liking 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 something:
For example:
When these pronouns are added, remember: you cannot omit the "short" ones.
It would be incorrect to say:
"A nosotras gusta el café."
"A ellos gustan las manzanas."
Careful! it is a common mistake to use the reflexive pronoun "se" instead of "le", e.g "Se gusta mucho el chocolate". Remember that the pronouns used with gusta/-n are not reflexive pronouns; they are indirect object pronouns.
See also Using gustar in Spanish to say you like something
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