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Gustar and similar verbs

Gustar is almost always used with an indirect object pronoun. In English we use it to express "to like," but the syntax of the verb in Spanish is always "to be pleasing (to someone)." Therefore, "I like" is expressed as "It is pleasing to me," or Me gusta. Study the table below to see how the verb is used in the singular and plural.

If the expression is ambiguous for lack of an adequate antecedent, or if one wishes to be more emphatic, a prepositional phrase should be added in either of the two locations indicated below.

Several other verbs function exactly like gustar, and a short list follows:

See also

Indirect object pronouns
Verbs