Gustar: How to Use Gustar with Infinitives in Spanish
The Spanish verb gustar is one of the most important verbs to learn, as it is used to express liking or disliking something. However, it can be tricky to use correctly, especially when it comes to infinitives.
In this post, we will take a look at how to use gustar with infinitives in Spanish. We will cover the basics, as well as some more advanced concepts. By the end of this post, you will be able to use gustar with infinitives confidently in your own Spanish conversations and writing.
Gustar with infinitives
We always use Gusta with infinitives, not gustan. For example:
Me gustan los deportes (I like sports) BUT Me gusta jugar al tenis (I like to play tennis).
Because jugar is an infinitive, we need to use gusta, not gustan!
Key takeaway: when we talk about someone likes something, we are always going to use gustar, not gustan.
Now let us add some verb infinitives and make Spanish sentences with Gustar.
Spanish | English |
A él le gusta la naranja. | He likes the orange. |
A Agustín le gusta la naranja. | Agustin likes the orange. |
A ella le gusta la naranja. | She likes the orange. |
A John le gusta la naranja. | John likes the orange. |
A usted le gusta la naranja. | You (formal) like the orange. |
How to use Gustar with infinitives
Infinitives are verbs that have not been conjugated. Infinitives are the ‘to verbs’ in English. For instance, to dance, to sing, to speak, etc. Now the question arises that how to use these infinitives in Spanish.
If you Haven Learned about Gustar please check out Gustar before you continue Gustar
Gustar With infinitives video lesson
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How to use Gustar with infinitives
Infinitives are verbs that have not been conjugated. Infinitives are the ‘to verbs’ in English. For instance, to dance, to sing, to speak, etc. Now the question arises that how to use these infinitives in Spanish.
Verbs in Spanish that are in the infinitive form are always going to end in ‘ar’, ‘er’, and ‘ir’.
Just like nouns, infinitives can be used after a verb like gustar to say what you and others like to do.
For instance,
Me gusta la musica (I like music).
Me gusta cantar (I like to sing).
If we find any ambiguity or confusion in the sentence, we can use the prepositional phrase to sort it out. A prepositional phrase can be used to add emphasis. For example:
- A Katherine le gusta el helado.
- A mí no me gusta el helado.
In the example, “a Katherine” clarifies the ambiguous pronoun “le,” whereas “a mí” emphasizes the second sentence. It emphasizes how much I dislike ice cream in comparison to Katherine.
Now that we have understood the Spanish verb Gustar and its use with infinitives, we will highlight some other verbs that work in the same way. Following is the list of some Spanish verbs that function in the same way as gustar:
- interesar (to interest)
- aburrir (to bore)
- fascinar (to fascinate)
- importar (to matter or to be important)
- dar asco (to be gross out)
- bastar (to be sufficient)
- picar (to itch)
- parecer (to appear to be)
- quedar (to be leftover)
- doler (to be painful)
- volver loco (to drive crazy)
In order to build command on these verbs and infinitives, practice using these verbs in your daily conversations. You will master the Spanish verb gustar and its use with infinitives gradually, once you start using them in your conversations and you can also try observing them in written Spanish content. This activity will minimize your confusion with this concept (if any).