Lesson 11A1 Beginner
El Verbo GUSTAR
Wordplay A1 Spanish Course
Lesson 11 · A1 Level · 60 min · English → Spanish
What We'll Cover Today
- How GUSTAR Works~10 min
- GUSTAR + Nouns (gusta vs gustan)~10 min
- GUSTAR + Infinitives~10 min
- Emphasis (A mí, a ti)~10 min
- Asking & Answering~10 min
- Review Quiz~10 min
Pronombres para GUSTAR
In Spanish, we don't say "I like". We say "It is pleasing to me." We use INDIRECT object pronouns.
| Pronoun | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| me | to me |
| te | to you (informal) |
| le | to him / to her / to you (form.) |
| nos | to us |
| les | to them / to you all |
El verbo GUSTAR (Singular Nouns)
If you like a SINGULAR thing, use gusta.
Formula
[Pronoun] + gusta + [Singular Noun]
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me gusta el perro. | I like the dog. |
| Te gusta la playa. | You like the beach. |
| Le gusta la comida. | He/She likes the food. |
| Nos gusta el libro. | We like the book. |
El verbo GUSTAR (Plural Nouns)
If you like PLURAL things, use gustan. The verb matches what you like, not who likes it!
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me gustan los perros. | I like dogs. (Lit: The dogs are pleasing to me.) |
| Te gustan los libros. | You like the books. |
| Le gustan los gatos. | He/She likes cats. |
Quick Check — Gusta vs Gustan
Choose the correct form!
1. Me (gusta / gustan) la fruta.
gusta
2. Te (gusta / gustan) los coches. (cars)
gustan
3. Nos (gusta / gustan) las películas. (movies)
gustan
4. Les (gusta / gustan) la música.
gusta
Spot the Mistake
Click the incorrect word in this sentence:
A
mí
me
gusta
las
manzanas.
'manzanas' is plural, so the verb MUST be 'gustan', no matter who likes them!
Pasatiempos (Hobbies)
Click to see the English translation of these verbs.
leer[to read]
correr[to run]
nadar[to swim]
viajar[to travel]
bailar[to dance]
cantar[to sing]
GUSTAR + Infinitive
To say you like DOING something, use gusta + the infinitive verb.
Rule
Even if there are multiple verbs, ALWAYS use singular "gusta"!
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me gusta leer. | I like to read. |
| ¿Te gusta correr? | Do you like to run? |
| Le gusta nadar. | He/She likes to swim. |
| Nos gusta cantar y bailar. | We like to sing and dance. |
Build the Sentence
Drag words to build: I like to read and travel.
Emphasis & Clarification
Since "le gusta" can mean he likes, she likes, or you formal like, we often add "A [person]" for clarity or emphasis.
| Emphasis Phrase | Main Sentence |
|---|---|
| A mí | me gusta... (As for me, I like...) |
| A ti | te gusta... (As for you, you like...) |
| A él / A ella / A Juan | le gusta... (To him/her/Juan...) |
| A nosotros | nos gusta... (As for us...) |
Example: A Juan le gusta correr, pero a mí me gusta nadar.
Quick Check — Emphasis
Translate using the emphasis phrases.
1. (As for me) I like music.
A mí me gusta la música.
2. Maria likes to dance. (To Maria, it is pleasing)
A María le gusta bailar.
3. (As for us) We like dogs.
A nosotros nos gustan los perros.
Negative GUSTAR
To say you don't like something, simply put "no" before the pronoun.
Formula
(A mí) NO + me + gusta + [Thing/Infinitive]
- ◆No me gusta nadar. (I don't like to swim.)
- ◆A ella no le gustan los gatos. (She doesn't like cats.)
- ◆No nos gusta la lluvia. (We don't like the rain.)
Hangman — Pasatiempos
Guess the hobby: "To travel"
Misses: 0
Image Prompt — Pasatiempos
Answer based on the picture and your own preferences!
¿A ellos les gusta correr?
(Answer yes/no based on the image.)
Y a ti, ¿te gusta correr?
(Answer for yourself!)
Conversación — ¿Qué te gusta?
A: Hola, ¿qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre? (Hello, what do you like to do in your free time?)
B: A mí me gusta mucho leer y viajar. ¿Y a ti? (I like to read and travel a lot. And you?)
A: A mí me gusta correr y escuchar música. (I like to run and listen to music.)
B: ¡Qué bien! A mí no me gusta correr nada. (How nice! I don't like running at all.)
Review Quiz (1/2)
1. How do you say 'I like to travel'?
2. What does 'le gusta' mean?
Review Quiz (2/2)
3. Choose the correct verb: Me (gusta/gustan) los perros.
4. How do you say "Juan likes to swim"?
¡Fin de la Lección 11!
You can now talk about what you like and don't like!
Notes
← → arrow keys