te gusta
/te ɡusta/from spelling rules
In Spanish, te gusta is the way to say 'you like'.
The phrase is used to state that someone finds something pleasant or appealing. The verb gustar is the standard way to express both likes and dislikes.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, te gusta translates to 'it pleases you'. This is because the verb functions with the thing being liked as the subject of the sentence, while the pronoun te represents 'you' as the person experiencing the pleasure.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the verb must agree with the noun being liked rather than the person. While te gusta is used for singular items, you must change the form to te gustan if the things being liked are plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/te ɡusta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say te gusta yo to mean 'I like you'. Because gustar describes the effect a person or thing has on you, 'I like you' is actually expressed as te gusto.
Did you know?
- Because gustar means 'to be pleasing', you can say me gustas to tell someone you are romantically attracted to them. In English, 'I like you' can be platonic, but this Spanish phrasing often implies a deeper attraction.
- To emphasize that you really like something, you can add me encanta, which literally means 'it enchants me'. This is used far more frequently in daily Spanish conversation than the word 'enchant' is used in English.
- The word te is a direct descendant of the Latin accusative pronoun tē, which was used to mark the object of a verb in ancient speech.
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.You like soccer.
- Te gusta leer.You like reading.
- 617 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are at a clothing store.
- DanielEsta chaqueta, ¿te gusta?This jacket, do you like it?
- SofíaSí, me encanta el color.Yes, I love the color.
- DanielA ti te gusta mucho el azul.You like blue a lot.
- SofíaEs mi color favorito.It is my favorite color.
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.
