Gustar verbs
Foreign LanguagesDefinition
Gustar verbs are a category of Spanish verbs that work 'backwards' compared to English — the thing being liked is the grammatical subject. Instead of saying 'I like pizza,' Spanish says 'Pizza is pleasing to me' (Me gusta la pizza). Other verbs that follow this pattern include encantar, molestar, importar, and fascinar.
Examples
- 'Me gusta el chocolate' — I like chocolate (literally: chocolate pleases me)
- 'Les encantan los deportes' — They love sports
- 'Nos importa la educación' — Education matters to us
Key Fact
Structure: indirect object pronoun (me/te/le/nos/os/les) + gusta/gustan + subject
Study This Concept
Practice gustar verbs with free review games in these units: