STOP SAYING YO GUSTO! HOW TO USE GUSTAR IN SPANISH TOLLSPANISH
Stop Saying ‘Yo gusto’! Learn How GUSTAR Really Works in Spanish Confused about how to use «gustar» in Spanish? You’re not alone! In this video, you’ll finally understand how this tricky verb works. We break down how «gustar» is different from «like» in English, how to use it with indirect object pronouns, and give you plenty of examples so you can sound natural in Spanish. ?
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Welcome to Tollspanish – your space to learn Spanish in a clear, simple, and fun way.
Today’s topic: Why does the verb “gustar” feel so weird in English? Let’s break it down together.
explicación del verbo “gustar”]
In English, we say “I like chocolate.”
In Spanish, we don’t say “Yo gusto el chocolate.”
Instead, we say: “A mí me gusta el chocolate.”
So literally, it means:
“Chocolate is pleasing to me.”
That’s the first key difference.
In English, the person is the subject.
In Spanish, the thing that you like becomes the subject, and you are the one receiving the action.
Let’s compare:
English: I like coffee.
Spanish: Me gusta el café.
(Literally: Coffee is pleasing to me.)
So who “does” the liking? In Spanish… it’s the coffee! ?
Estructura gramatical]
The structure is:
[Indirect object pronoun] + gusta/gustan + [thing you like]
Examples:
- Me gusta el arte. → I like art.
- Nos gustan los perros. → We like dogs.
- Te gusta correr por las mañanas. → You like running in the mornings.
⚠️ Important:
The verb gusta agrees with the thing you like, not with you.
Pronombres de objeto indirecto]
Let’s review the indirect object pronouns:
- Yo → me
- Tú → te
- Él/Ella/Usted → le
- Nosotros → nos
- Vosotros → os
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes → les
Use these before the verb:
- Me gusta, te gustan, nos gusta, les gustan…
Comparación con like y please]
Let’s go one step further:
Here’s a comparison between “gustar,” “like,” and “please”.
| Language | Verb | Structure | Subject | Receiver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | gustar | [IO pronoun] + gusta/gustan + [thing] | The thing liked | The person |
| English | like | [Subject] + like(s) + [Object] | The person | The thing |
| English | please | [Subject] + please(s) + [Indirect Object] | The thing | The person |
This helps to understand why “gustar” feels so different—because it works more like please, but is used like like!
And that’s it! Now you know why gustar is a little upside-down from English.
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