Gustar vs Encantar – Like vs Love
In Spanish, gustar and encantar work differently from English "like" and "love" because they focus on what pleases or delights you, and they use indirect object pronouns to show who is affected.
Gustar
Use gustar to express that something is pleasing to someone. The thing that is liked is the grammatical subject, and you use an indirect object pronoun for the person who likes it.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| me gusta | I like (it) |
| te gusta | you like (it) |
| le gusta | he/she/you like (it) |
| nos gusta | we like (it) |
| os gusta | you all like (it) |
| les gusta | they/you all like (it) |
| me gustan | I like (them) |
| te gustan | you like (them) |
| le gustan | he/she/you like (them) |
| nos gustan | we like (them) |
| os gustan | you all like (them) |
| les gustan | they/you all like (them) |
Encantar
Use encantar to express that something delights or strongly pleases someone, which often translates as "love" in English. It follows the same grammatical pattern as gustar with indirect object pronouns and agreement.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| me encanta | I love (it) |
| te encanta | you love (it) |
| le encanta | he/she/you love (it) |
| nos encanta | we love (it) |
| os encanta | you all love (it) |
| les encanta | they/you all love (it) |
| me encantan | I love (them) |
| te encantan | you love (them) |
| le encantan | he/she/you love (them) |
| nos encantan | we love (them) |
| os encantan | you all love (them) |
| les encantan | they/you all love (them) |
Indirect Object Pronouns
The indirect object pronouns tell you who is doing the liking or loving, and they must match the person for whom the thing is pleasing or delightful.
| Spanish Pronoun | English Equivalent |
|---|---|
| me | to me / I |
| te | to you / you |
| le | to him/her/you (formal) |
| nos | to us / we |
| os | to you all / you (Spain) |
| les | to them/you all |
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☝️ Me gusta la salsa de tomate para mis tacos. | I like the tomato salsa for my tacos. |
| 👈 Te gustan las empanadas de ese puesto. | You like the empanadas from that stall. |
| 👍 Le gusta el queso fresco en su enchilada. | He/She likes the fresh cheese on their enchilada. |
| 👐 Nos gusta compartir varias historias con la comida. | We like to share several stories with the food. |
| 👉 Les gustan las aguas frescas de diferentes sabores. | They like the aguas frescas of different flavors. |
Summary
Gustar and encantar require indirect object pronouns to show who likes or loves something, and the verb agrees with the thing that is liked or loved. Use gustar for general liking and encantar for strong liking or love.
Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025