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SpanishConjugationPresent

Gustar (to please) · Present

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Gustar in the Spanish present (presente) is: yo gusto, tú gustas, él/ella/usted gusta, nosotros/as gustamos, vosotros/as gustáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes gustan. The present of gustar is regular as an -ar verb, but in practice the gusta/gustan forms cover ~95% of real-world use. The structure: 'me/te/le/nos/os/les' + gusta (singular thing or infinitive) or gustan (plural things). 'Me gusta el café' = I like coffee. 'Me gustan las películas' = I like movies.

gustar conjugation in the Present (Presente)
To LikeGustar
I like
yo gusto
you like
tú gustas
he/she likes
él/ella/usted gusta
we like
nosotros/as gustamos
you like
vosotros/as gustáis
they like
ellos/ellas/ustedes gustan
Examples

Gustar (to please) in context

Sentences that use gustar in the present. Tap each to hear it.

Sé que gusto a mis nuevos compañeros.

I know my new coworkers like me. (lit. I please my new coworkers.)

Me gustas mucho.

I really like you. (lit. You please me a lot.)

Esa canción me gusta muchísimo.

I like that song very much. (lit. That song pleases me very much.)

Gustamos a los clientes por nuestro servicio.

The customers like us because of our service. (lit. We please the customers...)

Gustáis mucho a la gente.

People like you a lot. (lit. You please people a lot.)

Esos cuadros me gustan muchísimo.

I really like those paintings. (lit. Those paintings please me a lot.)

Tip

Working with the present

Spanish uses the present tense more broadly than English does. "Estudio español" can mean "I study Spanish," "I am studying Spanish," or "I do study Spanish" — context decides. The biggest stumbling block for English speakers is the yo form of irregular verbs (hago, tengo, doy, voy, soy). Memorise those individually; the other persons usually follow regular patterns.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate gustar in the present tense?
Gustar in the present is: yo gusto, tú gustas, él/ella/usted gusta, nosotros/as gustamos, vosotros/as gustáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes gustan. Grammatically it follows the regular -ar pattern. In real Spanish usage, however, the gusta/gustan forms dominate because gustar takes its grammatical subject from the thing being liked, not from the liker.
Why is gustar 'backwards' compared to English?
Spanish 'gustar' doesn't mean 'to like' — it means 'to please' or 'to be pleasing to'. The thing being liked is the grammatical subject; the person who likes it is an indirect object: 'Me gusta el café' literally = 'Coffee pleases me' = 'I like coffee'. Because the subject is the THING (singular or plural), only gusta (singular) and gustan (plural) appear in most sentences. About a dozen verbs work this way: encantar, doler, faltar, interesar, parecer, importar, molestar, sobrar, fascinar — all use the same 'pleases me' structure.
When do I use 'gusta' vs 'gustan'?
Use 'gusta' when the thing being liked is singular or is an infinitive: 'Me gusta el café' (I like coffee — singular), 'Me gusta nadar' (I like swimming — infinitive). Use 'gustan' when the thing being liked is plural: 'Me gustan las películas' (I like movies), 'Me gustan los gatos' (I like cats). The verb agrees with the SUBJECT (the thing), not with 'me' — which is why English speakers often miss the plural and say 'me gusta las películas' (incorrect).
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More tenses of Gustar (To Please)

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Gustar (to please) · Preterite

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Gustar (to please)
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