GUSTAR By: Elizabeth Ferguson

Definition In English we say:  “I like…” In Spanish we say:  “To me…is pleasing” … 2 …

Sentence Structure  In Spanish, the order of the sentence is backwards.  Here is the “new” structure: Add No first if making negativeAdd No first if making negative Indirect Object (me)Indirect Object (me) Verb (gusta or gustan)Verb (gusta or gustan) Subject (…)Subject (…)  Example: Le gusta la raña.  English - She likes the frog.  Spanish - To her, the frog is pleasing.

New Indirect Pronouns Me(I)Nos(We) Te (You informal) Os (You all informal) Le (She, he, you formal) Les (They masculine and feminine, you all formal) With new verbs come new pronouns. The order of 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd person is still the same, but there are now different pronouns.

When and How to use GUSTAR  Unlike verbs in the past, GUSTAR is only used in 3 rd person when conjugating. Here is how to conjugate it: N/AN/A N/AN/A Le gusta or gustanLes gusta or gustan

Using GUSTAR  The verb doesn’t rely on the indirect object to tell which of the two verbs to use. It relies on the subject.  There are two verbs used for GUSTAR. They are gusta (singular nouns and infinitives), and gustan (plural nouns).

Tricky with GUSTAR  Just because your indirect object is plural, does not mean that your verb will be plural!  So, if you are using “les”, do not automatically make your verb plural without looking at the subject. The subject is what answers your question.

Using Gusta  Gusta is used when the subject is a singular noun or an infinitive. Example: Le gusta un perro.  In this case you would use gusta because you are only liking one dog. You are liking a dog.

Examples of Gusta  Le gusta el gato ananranjado y blanco.  Os gusta un perro amarillo.  Nos gusta la vaca negro y blanco.

Using Gustan  Gustan is used when the subject is plural. Example: Le gustan los perros.  In this scenario, you would use gustan because you are liking more than one dog. You are liking the dogs.

Examples of Gustan  Les gustan los perros blancos.  Te gustan los osos grandes.  Me gustan los gatos timidos.

Making Negative  It is as easy as this. To make a sentence negative, all you have to do is add a “No” in front of the sentence. It will usually be the first word in the sentence. Example: No le gustan los cabillos.

Examples of Negative  No nos gustan el pez.  No me gusta el gato negro.  No te gustan los perros limpios.

How to say “it” and “them”  If the thing that is being liked is a pronoun, here is how to say it:  Me gusta. – I like it.  Me gustan. – I like them.  It is the same for all the other indirect objects.

Getting Specific  Sometimes in a sentence, you would like to be more specific, especially with le and les.  In the sentence: Le gusta cocinar, you do not know if it is a boy or a girl who likes to cook.

Here is Our Help!  All you have to do is add “A ella” if it is about a girl, and “A él” if it is about a boy.  Your sentence will now look like this: A ella le gusta cocinar. OR A él le gusta cocinar.

Taking Negatives a Step Further  To make the sentence “A ella le gusta cocinar” negative, all you have to do is add a no before the le.  Your sentence should now look like this: A ella no le gusta cocinar.

Examples of Specifying  A ella no le gustan gatos.  A ella le gustan perros.  A él le gustan los osos fuertes.

Clarification Chart Me = a mí Nos= a nosotros Te= a ti Os= a vosotros Le= a él a ella a ella a usted a usted Les= a ellos a ellas a ellas a ustedes a ustedes

REMEMBER… Here are some important reminders about GUSTAR:  A + el = al  There can’t be two conjugated verbs next to each other, so if you are using GUSTAR, the verb after it CAN’T be conjugated.

Are you ready for a BIG review? Here we go…

Review “Problem” Questions and Answers Translate in Spanish:  He likes cats. Le gustan gatos.  To her, a dog is pleasing. A ella le gusta un perro.  We don’t like ugly horses. No nos gustan cabillos feos.

Review “Problem” Questions and Answers Continued Translate in Spanish:  They (masculine) don’t like green frogs. A ellos no les gustan rañas verdes.  She likes to sing. A ella le gusta cantar.

Review “Problem” Questions and Answers Continued Pick True or False for each question. Pick true if it has the correct grammar, and false if it does not. If false, tell why.  Les gustan el perro. FALSE – Les gusta el perro.  Te gusta los gatos. FALSE – Te gustan los gatos.  Me gustan los cabillos. TRUE

Review “Problem” Questions and Answers Continued  A el niño no le gustan las rañas. FALSE – Al niño no le gustan las rañas.  Me gusta canta. FALSE – Me gusta cantar.

Challenge Question (translate into Spanish)  My pretty and happy sister doesn’t like the milk and the chicken.

Challenge Answer  Mi hermana bonita y contenta no le gustan el leche y el pollo.

GREAT JOB!!!