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. See the Spanish pronouns guide for the wider pronoun system.
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.
A pattern learners often miss
With gustar, the verb agrees with the person or thing that causes the feeling. That is why Me gustas tú uses gustas: tú is the grammatical subject.
Me gusta esta canción.
I like this song.
esta canción is singular → gusta.
Me gustas tú.
I like you.
tú is the subject → gustas.
Te gusto yo.
You like me.
yo is the subject → gusto.
Listen for Me gustas tú: the verb agrees with tú.
Beyond the basic pattern
Use an infinitive for a general action, but que + subjunctive when you react to another person or situation.
Me gusta viajar.
I like travelling.
Me gusta que estés aquí.
I like that you are here.
No me gusta que llegues tarde.
I do not like you arriving late.
Meaning nuance
With people, gustar can suggest attraction. Caer bien is often the safer choice when you mean that you like someone's personality.
Me gusta Ana.
I like Ana. / I am attracted to Ana.
Ana me cae bien.
I like Ana as a person.
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 be someone's turn / have to
Te toca a ti.
It is your turn.
TOCAR in context
In this pattern, tocar often means that something is someone's turn, responsibility or task.
Aún no me toca.
It is not my turn yet.
Te toca a ti.
It is your turn.
Hoy me toca trabajar.
I have to work today. / It is my turn to work today.
Listen for Aún no me toca.
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.
¿Qué te pasa?
What is wrong? / What is happening to you?
No me importa.
I do not mind. / I do not care.