Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| me gustas | /me ˈɡustas/ | informal |
| me gusta | /me ˈɡusta/ | formal |
| me agradas | /me aɡɾadas/ (from spelling rules) | |
| me agrada | /me aɡɾada/ (from spelling rules) | |
| te quiero | /te ˈkjeɾo/ |
The phrase me gustas is used to express romantic or physical attraction toward someone. If you want to express a more platonic liking of someone's personality, you can use me agradas or me caes bien. To express a much stronger sense of affection or love toward friends, family or romantic partners, use te quiero.
Which one should you use?
While me gustas typically implies romantic or physical attraction, me agradas expresses a more platonic liking of a person. Te quiero is a stronger expression used to say 'I love you' or 'I care for you'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Me gustas is an informal way to express romantic interest or general liking. For formal situations, you may use me gusta.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people often use the phrase me caes bien both formally and informally to express that they like someone. In Argentina, it is common to use the form me caés bien to express that you like someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form me gustas uses the second-person singular conjugation to address one person informally.
How do you pronounce it?
/me ˈɡustas/
When do people say it?
The phrase me gustas como amigo is a common way to clarify that romantic attraction is not present, effectively 'friend-zoning' someone.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying me caes bien is a common way to 'like' someone's company without any romantic undertones, whereas English speakers might find the literal translation 'you fall well to me' confusing.
- The phrase me gustas literally translates to 'you are pleasing to me'. In Spanish, the person being liked is actually the subject of the sentence, acting upon the speaker.
- There is a significant distinction between te quiero and te amo. The latter is usually reserved for deep romantic love or intense passion and is far more serious than te quiero.
Examples in context
- Por eso me gustas.That's why I like you.This sentence shows how to give a reason for liking someone using me gustas.Tatoeba #3519655 by teskmon, translation #3519313 by CK
- Creo que me gustas.I think I like you.This sentence expresses a thought about liking someone using me gustas.Tatoeba #4554749 by swyter, translation #1887705 by CK
- Me gustas como amigo.I like you as a friend.This sentence is a way to clarify that there is no romantic attraction using me gustas.Tatoeba #4405154 by pchamorro, translation #2377626 by CK
- Me cae bien, señor LópezI like you, Mr. López.
- Me gustas muchoI really like you.
- Me caes bien, amigo/aI like you, my friend.
- Me gustas mucho como personaI really like you as a person.
- Me gustas desde el primer momento en que te viI've liked you since the first moment I saw you.
- Me caes bien, eres un buen amigo/aI like you, you're a good friend.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are walking in a park after a date.
- MateoElena, me gustas mucho.Elena, I like you a lot.
- Elena¿En serio, Mateo?Really, Mateo?
- MateoSí, me gustas de verdad.Yes, I really like you.
- Elena¡Qué lindo eres!You are so sweet!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I like you” translations and entries me gustas, me gusta, te quiero, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
