Verb · works backwards, like gustar

gustar

to like

The thing that catches people out

gustar works backwards: the thing you like is the subject, and you are the one it pleases. Me gusta el café is the coffee pleases me. With more than one thing the verb goes plural: me gustan los perros.

Present

What happens, and what is happening now.

to me	me gusta
to you	te gusta
to him, her, you (usted)	le gusta
to us	nos gusta
to them, you all	les gusta
to you all, Spain only	os gusta

Preterite, the finished past

Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.

to me	me gustó
to you	te gustó
to him, her, you (usted)	le gustó
to us	nos gustó
to them, you all	les gustó
to you all, Spain only	os gustó

Imperfect, the background past

What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.

to me	me gustaba
to you	te gustaba
to him, her, you (usted)	le gustaba
to us	nos gustaba
to them, you all	les gustaba
to you all, Spain only	os gustaba

Future

Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.

to me	me gustará
to you	te gustará
to him, her, you (usted)	le gustará
to us	nos gustará
to them, you all	les gustará
to you all, Spain only	os gustará

Present perfect

Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.

to me	me ha gustado
to you	te ha gustado
to him, her, you (usted)	le ha gustado
to us	nos ha gustado
to them, you all	les ha gustado
to you all, Spain only	os ha gustado

Other forms

The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.

-ing form	gustando
participle	gustado

No command form in everyday use.

In a sentence

me gusta mucho

I like it a lot

¿te gustan los tacos?

do you like tacos?

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