ANTE TODO You have learned that the expressions me gusta(n) and te gusta(n) express the English concepts of I like and you like. You will now learn more about the verb gustar and other similar verbs. Observe the examples on the next slide.

Me gusta ese champú. LITERAL MEANING ENGLISH EQUIVALENT I like that shampoo. Me gusta ese champú. LITERAL MEANING That shampoo is pleasing to me. Did you like the classes? ¿Te gustaron las clases? LITERAL MEANING Were the classes pleasing to you?

To whom is the shampoo pleasing? As the examples show, the construction me gusta(n) does not have a direct equivalent in English. The literal meaning of this construction is to be pleasing to (someone), and it requires the use of an indirect object pronoun. INDIRECT OBJECT DIRECT PRONOUN SUBJECT SUBJECT OBJECT Me gusta ese champú. I like that shampoo. In the diagram above, observe how in the Spanish sentence the object being liked (ese champú) is really the subject of the sentence. The person who likes the object, in turn, is an indirect object because it answers the question: To whom is the shampoo pleasing?

The forms most commonly used with gustar and similar verbs are the third person (singular and plural). When the object or person being liked is singular, the singular form gustar is used. When two or more objects or persons are being liked, the plural form gustan is used. gusta la película SINGULAR me, te, le gustó el concierto PLURAL nos, les gustan las vacaciones gustaron los museos de Lima

A ella le gustan las toallas verdes, pero a él no le gustan. The construction a + [pronoun] (a mí, a ti, a usted, a él, etc.) is used to clarify or to emphasize who is pleased. A ella le gustan las toallas verdes, pero a él no le gustan. She likes green towels, but he doesn’t like them. A ti te gusta cenar en casa, pero a mí no me gusta. You like to eat dinner at home, but I don’t like to.

No nos gusta comer a las nueve. To express what someone likes or does not like to do, gustar is followed by an infinitive. No nos gusta comer a las nueve. We don’t like to eat at nine o’clock. Les gusta cantar y bailar en las fiestas. They like to sing and dance at parties.

¡ATENCIÓN! Mí (me) has an accent mark to distinguish it from the possessive adjective mi (my).

A los turistas les gustó mucho Machu Picchu. The construction a + [noun] can also be used before the indirect object pronoun to clarify or to emphasize who is pleased. A los turistas les gustó mucho Machu Picchu. The tourists liked Machu Picchu a lot. A Juanita le gustaron mucho los mercados al aire libre. Juanita liked the open-air markets a lot.

Other verbs like gustar aburrir to bore encantar to like very much; to love (inanimate objects) faltar to lack; to be missing fascinar to fascinate importar to be important to; to matter interesar to be interesting to; to interest molestar to bother; to annoy quedar to be left over; to fit (clothing)

¡ATENCIÓN! Me falta una página. Nos quedan tres pesos. Faltar expresses what is lacking or missing. Me falta una página. I’m missing one page. Quedar expresses how much of something is left. Nos quedan tres pesos. We have three pesos left. Quedar means to fit. It’s also used to tell how something looks (on someone). Estos zapatos me quedan bien. These shoes fit me well. Esa camisa te queda muy bien. That shirt looks good on you.

¡INTÉNTALO! Indica el pronombre del objeto indirecto y la forma del tiempo presente adecuados en cada frase. gustar 1. A él ____ viajar. 2. A mí ____ bailar. 3. A nosotras ____ cantar. 4. A ustedes ____ leer. 5. A ti ____ correr. 6. A Pedro ____ gritar. 7. A mis padres ____ caminar. 8. A usted ____ jugar tenis. 9. A mi esposo y a mí ____ dormir. 10. A Alberto ____ dibujar. 11. A todos ____ opinar. 12. A Pili no ____ ir de compras. 1 of 2

¡INTÉNTALO! Indica el pronombre del objeto indirecto y la forma del tiempo presente adecuados en cada frase. encantar A ellos ____ los deportes. A ti ____ las películas. A usted ____ los viajes. A mí ____ las revistas. A Jorge y a Luis ____ los perros. 6. A nosotros ____ las vacaciones. 7. A ustedes ____ las fiestas. 8. A Marcela ____ los libros. 9. A mis amigos ____ los museos. 10. A ella ____ el ciclismo. 11. A Pedro ____ el limón. 12. A ti y a mí ____ el baile.  2 of 2