Verbs like gustar - Comprehensive study notes

Verbs like gustar: overview

  • Gustar and related verbs express how pleasing or displeasing something is to someone, not directly who likes it. The construction translates literally as "to be pleasing to (someone)".

  • Key idea: the thing being liked is the grammatical subject, while the person who experiences the liking is the indirect object.

  • Indirect object pronouns used with gustar and similar verbs: me, te, le, nos, os, les.

  • The basic pattern:

    • Indirect object pronoun + verb + subject (the thing liked)

    • Example: Me gusta ese champú.

    • English: I like that shampoo. Literal meaning: That shampoo is pleasing to me.

  • When the object being liked is plural, the form changes to the plural:

    • Example: Me gustan los cafés que tienen música en vivo.

    • English: I like the coffees that have live music. Literal: The coffees that have live music are pleasing to me.

  • The person who is pleased is indicated with an indirect object pronoun (and can be clarified/emphasized with a + [pronoun]).

    • Examples: ¿Te gusta Juan Carlos? (Do you like Juan Carlos?)

    • Me gustan los cafés que tienen música en vivo. (I like the cafés that have live music.)

Constructions and key ideas

  • The object being liked is conceptually the subject of the sentence, while the person who likes it is the indirect object.

    • Diagrammatic idea (simplified):

    • INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN: Le/Me/etc.

    • VERB: gusta/gustan

    • SUBJECT (grammatical object being liked): ese champú / los cafés

  • The a + [pronoun] construction:

    • Used to clarify or emphasize who is pleased, bored, etc.

    • Examples: A los turistas les gustó mucho Machu Picchu. (The tourists liked Machu Picchu a lot.)

    • A ti te gusta cenar en casa, pero a mí me aburre. (You like to eat at home, but I get bored.)

  • Accent note:

    • Mi (me) carries an accent to distinguish from mi (my).

    • Example: mí (with accent) vs mi (my) in other contexts.

Common verbs like gustar

  • The following verbs behave like gustar in that they agree with the object (singular/plural) and use an indirect object pronoun:

    • aburrir — to bore

    • importar — to be important to; to matter

    • encantar — to like very much; to love (inanimate objects)

    • interesar — to be interesting to; to interest

    • faltar — to lack; to need

    • molestar — to bother; to annoy

    • fascinar — to fascinate

    • quedar — to be left over; to like very much; to fit (clothing)

  • Important notes about meanings:

    • Faltar expresses what is lacking or missing.

    • Example: Me falta una página. (I’m missing one page.)

    • Quedar expresses how much of something is left, and can also mean to fit or suit someone.

    • Example: Nos quedan tres pesos. (We have three pesos left.)

    • Example: Estos zapatos me quedan bien. (These shoes fit me well.)

    • Example: Esa camisa te queda… (That shirt fits you …)

Conjugation pattern and pronouns

  • The most commonly used verb forms of gustar and similar verbs are the 3rd person singular and plural.

    • If the object (or the thing liked) is singular, use the singular form: gusta.

    • If two or more objects are being liked, use the plural form: gustan.

  • Subject-verb agreement is with the object, not with the person who likes:

    • Me gusta la película. (The movie is pleasing to me.)

    • Nos gustan las fiestas. (The parties are pleasing to us.)

  • The pronoun set to express interests/pleasures: me, te, le, nos, os, les.

  • Clarifying/Emphasizing with a + pronoun: see above in the a + pronoun section.

Infinitive constructions after gustar and similar verbs

  • To express what someone likes or dislikes doing, place the verb in infinitive after the verb:

    • Nos molesta comer a las nueve. (It bothers us to eat at nine o’clock.)

    • Les encanta bailar y cantar en las fiestas. (They love to dance and sing at parties.)

  • Note: the singular form is used even if there is more than one infinitive.

  • The a + [pronoun] construction can also be used before the indirect object pronoun to emphasize who is pleased:

    • A los turistas les gustó mucho Machu Picchu. (The tourists liked Machu Picchu a lot.)

    • A ti te gusta cenar en casa, pero a mí me aburre. (You like to dine at home, but I get bored.)

Important orthography and usage notes

  • Accents:

    • mi (my) vs mí (me) – ensure accent on mí when used as a pronoun.

  • When the subject is a pronoun or noun phrase, place the indirect object pronoun accordingly and keep the base infinitive or conjugated form after gustar-like verbs.

INTÉNTALO! (Practice) — pronoun and present tense forms

  • In this exercise, you indicate the indirect object pronoun and the appropriate present tense form for each sentence.

  • Example item from the exercise (as seen in the transcript):

    • 1. A el le fascina viajar.

  • Note: The transcript contains additional items that are garbled or unclear in the source text; only the clearly legible item is reproduced here for study purposes. If you have the original source, fill in the remaining items with the correct indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) and the appropriate verb forms (gusta/gustan, encanta/interesa, etc.) to match the subject.

Quick reference recap

  • Structure: INDIRECTOBJECTPRONOUN + (gusta/gustan/etc.) + SUBJECT (the thing liked)

  • Use gusta for singular things; gustan for plural things

  • Use a + pronoun to emphasize who is pleased (A + [pronoun])

  • Common verbs like gustar: aburrir, importar, encantar, interesar, faltar, molestar, fascinar, quedar

  • Faltar = to be lacking; Quedar = to be left over; to fit

  • Infinitive after gustar-like verbs is allowed; the form stays singular when the subject is a single entitiy (even if multiple infinitives)

  • Distinguish mí vs mi with accent; mi (my) does not carry an accent

  • If you want, I can convert the garbled exercise portion into a clean, fully legible set of items once you provide a clearer source or confirm the exact prompts you want included.