Spanish grammar pattern
Learn the Spanish pattern behind me gusta, me encanta, me duele, me importa, me falta and other expressions that English speakers often translate too literally.
me / te / le
The person receives the feeling, opinion or effect.
gusta / gustan
The verb agrees with the thing or action, not with the person.
el café / viajar
Nouns can be singular or plural; infinitives behave like singular ideas.
The core pattern
person + verb + thing / action
me / te / le / nos / os / les + gusta / gustan + noun or infinitive
Me gusta el café.
I like coffee.
Me gustan los libros.
I like books.
Nos encanta viajar.
We love travelling.
A Marta le interesa la historia.
Marta is interested in history.
Pronouns
to me
me
to you
te
to him/her
le
to us
nos
to you all
os
to them
les
Useful clarification
A mí, a ti, a Juan, a mis padres can be added for emphasis or clarity. The short pronoun still stays in the sentence.
A mis padres les gusta esta ciudad.
My parents like this city.
Singular vs plural
Singular noun
Me gusta esta canción.
I like this song.
Plural noun
Me gustan estas canciones.
I like these songs.
Infinitive
Me gusta cantar.
I like singing / to sing.
Le duele la cabeza.
His / her head hurts.
Le duelen los pies.
His / her feet hurt.
Tense comparison
| Tense / form | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Me gusta esta película. | I like this movie. |
| Preterite | Me gustó la película. | I liked the movie. |
| Imperfect | De niño me gustaban los mapas. | As a child, I used to like maps. |
| Present perfect | Me ha gustado mucho la clase. | I have really enjoyed the class. |
| Future | Te encantará este lugar. | You will love this place. |
| Conditional | Me gustaría hablar contigo. | I would like to talk with you. |
Daily usage tip
In real conversation, predicting someone else's reaction is very common: Te gustará, Le encantará, A mis amigos les va a gustar.
High-frequency verbs
to like
Me gusta aprender español.
I like learning Spanish.
to love / really like
Nos encanta esta ciudad.
We love this city.
to hurt / ache
Me duelen las piernas.
My legs hurt.
to matter / care
No me importa el precio.
The price does not matter to me.
to be missing / lack
Me faltan cinco minutos.
I need five more minutes.
to have left / fit
Te queda muy bien esa camisa.
That shirt looks very good on you.
to seem / appear
Me parece una buena idea.
It seems like a good idea to me.
to feel like
¿Te apetece un café?
Do you feel like having a coffee?
to bother / annoy
Me molesta mucho el ruido.
The noise bothers me a lot.
to be hard / cost
Me cuesta pronunciar esta palabra.
It is hard for me to pronounce this word.
to interest
Me interesa la cultura mexicana.
I am interested in Mexican culture.
to happen to someone
¿Qué te pasa?
What is wrong? / What is happening to you?
Daily expressions
Prueba esto, te encantará.
Try this, you will love it.
Haz lo que quieras, me da igual.
Do what you want; it makes no difference to me.
¿Qué te parece si vamos al cine?
What do you think about going to the movies?
Hoy no me apetece salir.
Today I do not feel like going out.
A Juan le falta experiencia.
Juan lacks experience.
Esta explicación me parece clara.
This explanation seems clear to me.
¿Te importa si abro la ventana?
Do you mind if I open the window?
Al principio te costará, pero vale la pena.
At first it will be hard for you, but it is worth it.