te gusta
/te ɡusta/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "do you like" is te gusta.
te gusta is a question used to ask if someone enjoys or finds something pleasing.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, te gusta means "it pleases you" rather than "you like it".
How does it change in a sentence?
Use te gustan instead of te gusta if the thing being liked is plural, such as ¿Te gustan los gatos? (Do you like cats?).
How do you pronounce it?
/te ɡusta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use a direct object pronoun like lo or la after the verb, but in Spanish, the subject is the thing being liked.
Did you know?
- The word te originates from the Latin word tē, which was the accusative form of tū.
- In some Latin American regions, you might hear people use te gusta to ask about someone's romantic preference for a person, rather than just an inanimate object.
- You can use this structure to express a much stronger feeling of 'to love' something by using the verb encantar, such as in me encanta.
Examples in context
- ¿Te gusta o no?Do you like it or not?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes something or not using te gusta.Tatoeba #5030087 by don_ramon, translation #5042310 by rmdas
- ¿Te gusta el té?Do you like tea?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes tea using te gusta.Tatoeba #1242953 by marcelostockle, translation #1098230 by cntrational
- ¿Te gusta el rap?Do you like rap?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes rap using te gusta.Tatoeba #1172680 by marcelostockle, translation #2310 by CK
- ¿Te gusta el fútbol?¿Do you like soccer?
- ¿Te gusta el verano?¿Do you like summer?
- 351 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are at a cafe looking at the menu.
- Sofía¿Te gusta el café de aquí?Do you like the coffee here?
- JavierSí, me encanta.Yes, I love it.
- Sofía¿Te gusta más el chocolate?Do you like chocolate more?
- JavierNo, prefiero el café.No, I prefer coffee.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
