Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Likes in Spanish: Gustar
Gustos · noun (masculine) · GOOS-tohs
Likes in Spanish uses the verb gustar, which literally means to be pleasing to—the thing liked is the subject, not the person.
Gustar is goos-TAHR; gustos (noun: likes/tastes) is GOOS-tohs.
A ella le gustan los perros más que los gatos.
She likes dogs more than cats.
Likes in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for likes, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| gustos | likes | GOOS-tohs | Default, widely understood |
| me gusta | likes | verb form: he/she likes | |
| le gusta | likes | verb form: likes (third person) |
How Native Speakers Use Gustos
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Expressing preferences
Le gusta mucho la música clásica.
He likes classical music a lot.
Standard gustar construction.
Plural likes
Me gustan las películas de ciencia ficción.
I like science fiction movies.
Gustan with plural subject.
Talking about tastes
Tenemos gustos muy diferentes en cuanto a comida.
We have very different likes when it comes to food.
Gustos as a noun meaning tastes/preferences.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Gustos
Wrong word order
Incorrect: Yo gusto el chocolate.
Correct: Me gusta el chocolate.
Gustar works backwards from English: the liked thing is the subject, the person liking is the indirect object.
Forgetting plural agreement
Incorrect: Me gusta los libros.
Correct: Me gustan los libros.
When the liked thing is plural, gustar becomes gustan.
Lock in Likes Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Gustos used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using gustos in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear A ella le gustan los perros más que los gatos. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Likes in Spanish
- How do you say likes in Spanish?
- The verb gustar is used—me gusta means I like (one thing), me gustan means I like (multiple things), following an inverted structure where the liked item is the grammatical subject.
- Why does gustar seem backwards?
- Gustar literally means to be pleasing to, so me gusta el café actually means coffee is pleasing to me—the thing liked acts as the subject of the sentence.
- How do you say he likes or she likes?
- Use le gusta for one thing (le gusta el fútbol) or le gustan for multiple things (le gustan los deportes), with le representing him or her.