Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 7

CEFR A1-B1

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Test yourself (24 questions)

Gustar in Spanish and Verbs Like It (encantar, faltar)

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Spanish says "I like it" back to front. The thing you like is the subject, and you are the person it pleases:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

the verb ending (it agrees with the thing)What do the colours mean?
  • . - I like coffee. (coffee is pleasing to me)
  • . - I like books. (books are pleasing to me)

The construction: the thing liked is the subject

the verb ending (it agrees with the thing)What do the colours mean?

In English, I like the coffee. In Spanish the coffee does the pleasing, so it is the subject, and the verb agrees with it:

Who it pleases
Verb
The thing (subject)
.
.
.
¿
?

There is no anywhere, because you are not the subject. The small word in front (, , ...) says who is pleased.

The table

Every sentence has the same three parts: the pronoun for the person, the verb, and the thing.

PersonOne thingMore than one
me (I)
(you)
(he, she)
(we)
(you all)
(they)

The pronouns are the indirect object pronouns from Spanish object pronouns. and also cover formal you (, ).

The agreement rule: gusta vs gustan

The verb agrees with the thing liked, never with the person. One thing takes ; more than one takes :

one book, then several: only the verb ending changes
On a table, a single smiling apple sits on a plate on the left, and three smiling apples share a plate on the right.
  1. .
  2. .

I like the apple (one, gusta); I like the apples (several, gustan). The person liking them never changes the verb.

Going from "I like" to "we like" changes the pronoun, not the ending:

  • . - We like the house.
  • . - We like the houses.

An action (an infinitive) takes , even when there are several:

  • . - I like reading.
  • . - I like cooking and reading.

A mí me gusta: emphasis and clarity

You will hear , , María . The phrase adds nothing new, because already says who likes it. It does two jobs:

JobSpanishEnglish
Contrast , .I like tea, but he doesn't.
Emphasis¿ ?Do you like it?
Who is María .María likes dancing.
Who is .My parents like cats.

can mean him, her or formal you, so a name after says who you mean. The pronoun stays even then:

  • María . - María likes dancing. (never a María )

The stressed forms after are the prepositional pronouns.

How much you like it

the verb ending (it agrees with the thing)What do the colours mean?

From hating it to loving it, every step uses the same construction:

Hate itLove it
  1. no me gusta nada
  2. no me gusta
  3. me gusta
  4. me gusta mucho
  5. me encanta
SpanishEnglish
.I don't like it at all.
.I like it a lot.
.I love the cinema.

is already the top of the scale. never goes with a verb, so never (or ); is the word for a verb.

The rest of the family

These verbs are not exceptions to learn one by one. They are the same construction with another verb:

VerbSpanishEnglish
.I love chocolate.
.I'm two short.
.History interests me.
.I don't mind.
.I have three days left.
.It seems fine to me.

The thing is the subject every time: because is plural, for one thing left. A question about an opinion uses the same way: ¿ ? - What do you think of the idea?

Doler: the body part is the subject

Pain works like liking: the part that hurts is the subject, and you are the person it hurts.

A friendly full-length figure standing with arms held out: a round smiling head with orange hair, a green top, blue trousers and black shoes.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

My head hurts, my eyes hurt, my hand hurts, my feet hurt: one part takes duele, two or more take duelen.

  • . - My head hurts.
  • . - My feet hurt.

Spanish says the head, not my head: already says whose it is.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
Yo . .you are not the subject
Me . .the verb agrees with the thing
Me . .things in general take
. .an infinitive takes
A Ana . Ana .the stays
Me . . never goes with a verb
. . works like

One more: (you are pleasing to me) usually means "I fancy you". For a friend, say - I like you.

What to do next

  1. Find the thing liked, then choose or to match it.
  2. Do the sort and story drills below.
  3. Then pronoun order, for me, and next to other pronouns.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

Me gusta or me gustan? Which goes in front of each?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the form that agrees with the thing liked.

Lucía's family

A mi hermana le los perros, pero no le nada los gatos. A mí me el cine, y a ella le leer. Mi padre camina mucho, y le los pies.

Gap 1 of 5

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the mistake.

Fill in the blank

0/6

Fill the gap with the form of the verb in brackets that agrees with the thing.

  1. Me la cabeza. (doler) (one thing: la cabeza)

  2. Me los pies. (doler) (plural: los pies)

  3. Me dos euros. (faltar) (plural: dos euros)

  4. Nos la historia. (interesar) (one thing: la historia)

  5. No me el dinero. (importar) (one thing: el dinero)

  6. Me tres días. (quedar) (plural: tres días)

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Spanish · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The table
  3. A mí me gusta: emphasis and clarity
  4. How much you like it
  5. The rest of the family
  6. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

Does 'to like'?
Not grammatically. means 'to be pleasing'. The thing liked is the subject and the person who likes it is the indirect object: is 'coffee is pleasing to me'. That is why there is no yo in the sentence.
When do you use and when ?
The verb agrees with the thing liked, never with the person. One thing takes ( ); more than one takes ( ). An infinitive, or several, takes : . So , never .
Why do Spanish speakers say 'a '?
The a adds emphasis or contrast: a , a no (I like it, but he doesn't). With and it also says who you mean, because can be him, her or you: a María . The me, , , , or stays even when the a phrase is there.
How do you say 'I love' with ?
works exactly like : , . It is already the top of the scale, and like any verb it never takes : is wrong (so is ). is one step below it; in speech you will also hear for extra warmth.
Which verbs work like ?
(to love), (to hurt), (to be missing), (to interest), (to matter), (to be left) and (to seem). In each one the thing is the subject: , my head hurts; euros, I'm two euros short.