Basic prepositions

Prepositions are used to indicate a relationship between two words, linking them together. These words usually show location, direction, or time. As preposition suggests, these words precede the word or words it links. There are simple prepositions, which consist of only one word, and compound prepositions, which consist of multiple words.

Simple prepositions

Below you will find a list of the most common simple prepositions in Spanish.

a to, at desde from, sincedetrás de

behind

antebefore, in the presence of

en in, on, at según according to

bajo under entrebetween, among

sin without

con with hacia until, toward sobreabout, on, upon, above, over, around

contra against hasta until, toward tras after, behind

de of, from por for, by para for, in order to

Uses

In most cases, prepositions are used the same way in Spanish as they are used in English and you will find their placements fairly logical. There are a few, however, that warrant a little extra attention. For each preposition below you will find the occasions it is used most commonly as well as several examples with translations since one preposition in Spanish can have many different translations in English.

A 

This is a very common preposition that can mean to, at, by, or for depending on the manner it is used. It can be used to:

indicate motion (to)

Fuimos a España. (We went to Spain.) Iremos al museo el martes. (We will go to the museum on Tuesday.)

connect one verb to an infinitive (not translated directly)

Vamos a bailar. (We are going to dance.) Empecé a leer. (I began to read.)

indicate manner, how something is done (on, by, with)

Vamos a pie. (We went on foot.) Lo hice a mano. (I did it by hand.) Escribe a lápiz. (He writes with a pencil.)

introduce a person as a direct object - “Personal a” (not translated directly)

¿Conoces a Isabela? (Do you know Isabela?) Veo a mi madre. (I see my mother.)

introduce an indirect object (to, for)

Le di el regalo a Celia. (I gave the gift to Celia.) Compré los tomates a Anita. (I bought the tomatoes for Anita.)

express time (at, is)

Cenamos a las seis. (We eat dinner at six o'clock.) Estamos a martes. (It is Tuesday.)

De 

This preposition can mean of or from,  depending on the use. It can be used to:

indicate possession (of)

Atlanta es la capital de Georgia. (Atlanta is the capitol of Georgia.) El café de Manuel (Manuel's cafe)

indicate cause (from, with)

Estoy cansada de correr. (I am tired from running.) Estamos contentos de nuestro hijo. (We are happy with our son.)

indicate origin (from, of)

Ella es de Uruguay. (She is from Uruguay.) Sonia es la más inteligente de la familia. (Sonia is the most intelligent of the family.)

describe a noun with another noun or infinitive (of)

Un vaso de vino (A glass of wine) El jugo de naranja (Orange juice)

compare (than)

Juan es el más grande de todos los estudiantes del quinto grado. (Juan is the biggest of all 5th grade students.)

Hay más de 10 personas en la clase de historia. (There are more than 10 people in the history class.

and also in idioms

De ahora en adelante (From now on) De pie (Standing)

En

This common preposition can mean in, on, at, about, or by depending on the context. It can be used to:

indicate location (in, on, at)

Está en mi mochila. (It is in my backpack.) Pon el cuadro en la pared. (Put the painting on the wall.) Ellos están en la iglesia. (They are at church.)

to indicate time (in)

Fui a Perú en el verano. (I went to Peru in the summer.) Vienen en una hora. (They are arriving in one hour.)

to indicate manner, how something is done (by)

Vamos a Italia en tren. (We go to Italia by train.) Me voy al doctor en coche. (I go to the doctor by car.)

idioms (see compound prepositions below)

En broma (As a joke) En serio (Seriously) En vivo (Live)

EJERCICIOS:

Fuimos (to)_______ Perú este verano.

Es el más alto (of) ________ todos en la clase.Veo (personal indicator) _________mi amiga Anita.Pon la silla (in) ________ el comedor.Viajamos por Italia (by) ________ tren.Vamos (to) ________ la fiesta (at) ________ las ocho.Vi mi asiento (in) ________ la clase turística.Habló (in the presence of) ________ sus abuelos.Este regalo es (for) ________ mi madre.Es delicioso (according to) ________ mi madre.(Until) ________ no me des el dinero, no recibirás nada.Fuimos (on) ________ pie.Anita es (from) ________ Argentina.Me voy a la oficina (by) ________ autobus.Madrid es la capital (of) ________ España.Albus es el perro (of) ________ Paralee.Quería un vaso (of) ________ agua.Siempre escribo (with) l ________ ápiz.Mis padres están (at) ________ la iglesia.El baño está (between) ________ las dos puertas rojas.Levanté a mi hija (into) ________ el carrito de equipaje.El perro está (behind) ________ la sillaLo hice (by) ________ mano.El libro está (in) ________ mi mochila.Quiero arroz (with) ________ pollo.Empecé (no direct translation) ________ cocinar la cena.El libro está (under) ________ el sofá.Llegué a la fiesta (without) ________ un regalo.Vamos (not translated directly) ________ cenar a las seis.Adolfo es el más amistoso (of) ________ mi grupo de amigos.(From) ________ ahora, comeré mejor.

List of Spanish Prepositionsa (to, at) en vez de (instead of)al (upon) en (in, at)al lado de (beside) encima de (above, on top)ante (before) enfrente de (in front of)antes de (before) entre (between, among)bajo (under) fuera de (outside) cerca de (near) hacia (towards)como (like) hasta (until)con (with) lejos de (far from)contra (against) menos (except)de (from, of, about) para (for)debajo de (under, beneath) por (for, on account of)delante de (in front of) salvo (except)dentro de (inside) según (according to)

desde (since) sin (without)después de (after) sobre (about, above/on)detrás de (behind) tras (after)

 

These are some common prepositions used in a sentence to understand their meaning and the position they take better:

 

Examples of Spanish Prepositionsa (to, at)  : voy a Marruecos y las Islas canarias (I’m going to Morocco & Canaries Islands)a personal: espero a mi hermano (I’m waiting for my brother) busca a alguien (I’m looking for someone)al (upon)  : Al llegar a mi casa, voy a dormir  (Upon arriving home, I'll go to sleep)al lado de (beside, by): Vivo al lado del río (I live by the lake)antes de (before): bebo agua antes de dormir (I drink water before sleeping)bajo (under): juega bajo la lluvia(he plays under the rain), busque bajo la mesa!(look under the table)cerca de (near) : trabajo cerca del banco (I work near the bank)como (like, as): dormir como un tronco (to sleep like a log), como postre tomo...( as a dessert I will take...)con (with) : salgo con Maria (I’m going out with Maria), huevos con queso (eggs with cheese)contra (against):  estoy contra la Guerra (I’m against war)de (from, of, about): compré una mesa de mármol (I bought table made of marble)debajo de (under, beneath): los hombres por debajo de los 30 años (men under 30 years old)delante de (in front of): Delante de Dios (in front of God). Creo que Atlantis está delante de Gibraltar.dentro de (inside): tengo sentimientos dentro de mí (I have feelings inside me)desde (since): trabajo en la biblioteca desde 1998 (I work in the library since 1998)después de (after): la vida después de la muerte (the life after death)detrás de (behind): el campo de fútbol está detrás de la escuela (the football field is located behind the school)en vez de (instead of): en vez de enfadarte, deberías perdonarlos (instead of getting mad, you should forgive them)en (in, at) : estoy en cama ahora(I´m in bed now). Vivo en argentina (I live en argentina).encima de (above, on top): las cartas están encima de la mesa (the letters are on the top of the table)enfrente de (in front of): el hombre enfrente de mí es un héroe (the man in front of me is a hero)entre (between, among): vive en la frontera entre los EE.UU y mexico (he lives at the border between the U.S & Mexico)fuera de (outside): comes fuera de casa mucho( you eat outside the house a lot)

hacia (towards):  busco la carretera hacia Madrid (I'm looking for the road towards Madrid)hasta (until): ayer trabajé hasta las diez (I worked until 10 o’clock yesterday)lejos de (far from):  ¿está muy lejos de aquí? (is it far from here?)para*(for): trabajo para Global7 (I work for Global7). para prendir un idioma es necesario praticar (to learn a language...)por * (for, on account of): por eso no quiero hablar con él ( for this reason I don't want to talk to him)según (according to): según la previsión del tiempo, brillará el sol todo el día (according to the forecast,...)sin (without): ¡eh! ¡cuánto tiempo sin verte! (hey, it´s be a while, literally: long time without seeing you)sobre (about, on):colecciono todo sobre las monedas (I collect everything about coins),sobre la mesa(on the table)

 

Some prepositions rules:

Preposition + noun: Sin corazón (without heart). Sobre la mesa (on the table).

Preposition + pronoun: cómo yo (like me). para mí (for me).

Preposition + infinitive: para variar (just for a change). para empezar (first...)

Verb + preposition: trabajé hasta las ocho (I worked until 10). trabajo para la embajada (I work for the embassy)

Sometimes it's hard to pick which preposition to use in certain cases, that's why we're going to go through examples of prepositions that you may have hard time to chose, like (por and para), they both mean the same thing in English, but still in Spanish each one of them is used in a certain situation.

A: -connects a verb of motion + infinitive: voy a bailar (I'm gonig to dance) -joins any verb (except tener) + a person: busco a mi hijo (I'm looking for my son).

De: descriptively links two nouns: el héroe de la historia (the hero of the story) expresses possession: el perro de perdo (Pedro’s dog).

En (in, on): Estoy en Madrid. (I'm in Madrid). empeczo en 30 minutos. (I'll start in 30 minutes). la tarjeta en la mesa (the letter on the table).

Para vs Por: por is more common than para, so to make it easy, try to learn the rules of para and for the rest you can just use por. In most cases para refers to a goal or destination.

Para: (in order to + infinitivo): Para aprender, hay que practicar (in order to learn, we must practice). (For: for the benefit of, to be given to): eso es para tí (this is for you). (For: by (deadline): Hay que hacerlo para el jueves (it must be done by thursday). (for:

towards, in the direction of): voy para la escuela (I'm going to school). (For: to be used for): una taza para café. (For: in one's opinion, compared to others): Para mí, no me gusta el jamón (I don´t like pork) (for: like to work for): Trabajo para Lingualogy Inc.

Por: (by, via, by means of):Viajé por tren.(I traveled by train) (through, along): Voy a NY por Washington DC ( I go to NY through DC). (Because of, due to): no lo hice por dinero (I didn´t do it for money). (During, in (time of day). estudio por la mañana. (For: in exchange for): Pagué 40 dólares por el libro. (For: for a period of time: estudié por 6 horas. (For: for the sake of, on behalf of) Lo hizo solo por ella (I only did it for her).

Por is also used in idiomatic expressions; here are the most common ones:

 

Spanish Idioms¡por supuesto! Of course!¿por qué? Why? For what reason?día por día Day by dayestar por To be in the mood topalabra por palabra Word for wordpor adelantado In advancepor ahora For nowpor allí Around there, that waypor amor de Dios For the love of Godpor aquí Around here, this waypor casualidad By chancepor ciento Percentpor cierto Certainlypor completo Completelypor correo By mail/postpor dentro Insidepor desgracia Unfortunatelypor Dios For heaven's sakepor ejemplo For examplepor eso Therefore, that's whypor favor Pleasepor fin Finallypor la mañana, tarde In the morning, afternoonpor la noche At nightpor las buenas o por las malas Whether you like it or notpor lo común Usuallypor lo demás Furthermorepor lo general Generally, in generalpor lo menos At leastpor lo mismo For that very reasonpor lo que a mí me toca As far as I'm concernedpor lo tanto Thereforepor lo visto Apparently

por medio de By means ofpor mi parte For my partpor motivo de On account ofpor ningún lado Nowherepor orden In orderpor otra parte On the other handpor poco Almostpor primera/última vez For the first/last timepor separado Separatelypor si acaso Just in casepor su propio mano By one's own handpor suerte Fortunatelypor supuesto Of coursepor teléfono On the phone, by phonepor todas partes Everywherepor todos lados On all sidespor último Finallypor un lado, por otro On one hand, on the other handuna vez por todas Once and for all

Preposition para:

estar para To be about topara entonces By that time¿para qué? Why? For what purpose? What for?para siempre Foreverpara variar Just for a change

 

Some Compound prepositions:

 

a causa de (because of, due to) después de (alter)a excepción de (with exception of) detrás de (behind, in back of)a fuerza de (by dint of) en frente de (in front of)a menos de (without (with infinitive) en vez de (instead of)a pesar de (in spite of) en virtud de (by virtue of)acerca de (concerning) frente a (before, in front of)además de (moreover) fuera de (outside of)adversamente a (adverse to) junto a (next to, beside)al través de (across from) lejos de (far from)alrededor de (around) por causa de (by cause of, because)antes de (before) por parte de (on account of)cerca de (close to) por razón de (by reason of)contrario a (contrary to) relativamente a (relative to)correspondiente a (corresponding to) respeto a (with respect to)

debajo de (under, beneath) sin embargo de (however)delante de (in front of) tocante a (about, concerning)dentro de (in, inside of)  

 

Comparisons of InequalityIf two things are not equal, they are unequal.

We are not the same height.You are taller than I.

The two items do not cost the same.The camera is more expensive than the television.

In Spanish, inequality is expressed by using one of the following formulae:

más (menos) + adjective + quemás (menos) + adverb + quemás (menos) + noun + que

Here are some examples:

Tú eres más alto que yo.You are taller than I.

Mónica habla más lentamente que Carmen.Monica speaks more slowly than Carmen.

Tengo menos libros que Arsenio.I have fewer books than Arsenio.

If the comparative is followed by a number, use de rather than que.

Hay menos de veinte alumnos en la clase.There are less than twenty students in the class.

Él tiene más de noventa años.He is more than ninety years old. (Literally: He has more than ninety years.)

Note that when the sentence is negative, que is used even with numbers, to convey the meaning "only."

Tengo más de cinco dólares.(I have more than five dollars.)

but

No tengo más que cinco dólares.(I only have five dollars.)

Hay más de veinte estudiantes en la clase.(There are more than twenty students in the class.)

but

No hay más que veinte estudiantes en la clase.(There are only twenty students in the class.)

1. There are fewer girls than boys.Hay ________ chicas que chicos.

2. You are taller than Emilio.Tú eres más alto ________ Emilio.

3. She is less than 18 years old.Ella tiene menos ________ dieciocho años.

4. He is over 40 years old.Él tiene más ________ cuarenta años.

5. There are only twenty students in the class.No hay más _______ veinte alumnos en la clase.

6. I have more homework than you.Tengo más tarea ________ tú.

7. He runs less quickly than I.Él corre ________ rápidamente que yo.

8. I earn less money than she.Gano ________ dinero que ella.

9. Your uncle is fatter than mine.Tu tío es más gordo ________ el mío.

10. The cat is less intelligent than the dog.El gato es ________ inteligente que el perro.

11. I only have ten dollars.No tengo más ________ diez dólares.

12. There are more than twenty students in the class.Hay más ________ veinte estudiantes en la clase.

13. He only has two brothers.No tiene más ________ dos hermanos.

14. We only have one house.No tenemos más ________ una casa.

15. There are fewer horses than cars.Hay ________ caballos que coches.

B. Combine the two sentences into one.

Model:

Yo estoy cansado.Tú estás más cansado.Yo estoy menos cansado que tú.

16. La película es interesante.El libro es más interesante.

La película es ________ interesante que el libro.

17. El japonés es difícil.El español es menos difícil.

El español es ________ difícil que el japonés.

18. La casa blanca es cara.La casa roja es más cara.

______________________________________

19. La carne es deliciosa.La sopa es más deliciosa.

______________________________________

20. El libro de Miguel es largo.El libro de Ernesto es menos largo.

______________________________________

Comparisons of EqualityWhen things being compared have equal characteristics, the comparison of equality is used.

The book is as good as the movie.The boy is as tall as the girl.

To form the comparisons of equality using adjectives or adverbs, use the following formula:

tan + adjective (adverb) + como

El libro es tan bueno como la película.(The book is as good as the movie.)

El chico es tan alto como la chica.(The boy is as tall as the girl.)

To form comparisons of equality with nouns, use the following formula:

tanto(-a,-os,-as) + noun + como

Juan tiene tanto dinero como María.(as much money as)

Él tiene tanta paciencia como ella.(as much patience as)

Tiene tantos libros como ella.(as many books as)

Tiene tantas plumas como ella.(as many pens as)

Choose the form of tanto to agree with the noun it modifies.

tanto dinerotanta pacienciatantos librostantas plumas

When actions (not things) are being compared, and there is no adjective, use the following formula:

verb + tanto + como

Sus estudiantes aprenden tanto como mis estudiantes.(learn as much as)

Rosario cocina tanto como Josefina.(cooks as much as)

Las naranjas cuestan tanto como las manzanas.(cost as much as)

When actions (not things) are being compared, and there is an adjective, use the following formula:

verb + tan + adjective (masculine form) + como

Aquí se trabaja tan duro como ahí.(work as hard as)

El niño juega tan poco como la niña.(plays as little as)

Ellos duermen tan poco como ella.(sleep as little as)

A. Combine the two sentences into one.

Model:

Yo tengo una pluma.Tú tienes una pluma.Yo tengo tantas plumas como tú.

1. Ricardo es viejo.Rita es vieja también.Rita es tan vieja _________ Ricardo.

2. El perrito es travieso.La gatita es traviesa también.______________________________________

3. El chico escribe dos cartas.La chica escribe dos cartas también.______________________________________

4. El español es difícil.El inglés es difícil también.______________________________________

5. Diego compra siete sombreros.Enrique compra siete sombreros también.______________________________________

6. Mi primo bebe dos vasos de leche.Mi prima bebe dos vasos de leche también.______________________________________

7. El señor es rico.La señora es rica.______________________________________

8. El café es bueno.El agua es buena.______________________________________

9. La carne de vaca es deliciosa.La carne de cerdo es deliciosa también.______________________________________

10. Tengo dos hermanos.Tienes dos hermanos.______________________________________

SuperlativesThere are two types of superlative: relative and absolute.

Relative: John is the smartest boy in the class.Absolute: John is very smart.

The relative superlative describes a noun within the context of some larger group.

John is the smartest boy in the class.Mary is the youngest person in the room.Of the three, Moe is the meanest.

The absolute superlative does not describe the noun in the context of a larger group.

John is very smart.The book is extremely expensive.The food is indescribably tasty.

In English, the relative superlative is formed by using the word "most" or the ending "-est."

John is the most intelligent boy in the class.Mary is the smartest girl in the class.

In Spanish, the relative superlative construction is similar to the comparative.

definite article + noun + más (menos) + adjective + de

Here are some superlative examples.

Juan es el chico más inteligente de la clase.John is the smartest boy in the class.

Bill Gates es el hombre más rico de los EEUU.Bill Gates is the richest man in the U.S.

Just like in English, the noun can be omitted. All of the following are correct.

María es la chica más delgada de la clase.Mary is the thinnest girl in the class.

María es la más delgada de la clase.Mary is the thinnest in the class.

The absolute superlative for adjectives has three possible forms.

muy + adjectivesumamente + adjectiveadjective + ísimo (-a, -os, -as)

The following translations are somewhat arbitrary. Each superlative statement is a little stronger than the one that precedes it.

muy guapovery handsome

sumamente guapoextremely handsome

guapísimoindescribably handsome

Translate the following sentences.

1. Emilio is the tallest boy in the school.Emilio es ___________ chico más alto de la escuela.

2. She is the oldest one of us.Es ___________ más vieja de nosotras.

3. Paul is the shortest in the family.Pablo es el más ___________de la familia.

4. Mr. Gómez is the most important man in the city.El señor Gómez es el hombre más importante de la ___________

5. Sugar is the most important product of Cuba.El azúcar ___________ el producto más importante de Cuba.

6. Mate is the most popular beverage of ArgentinaEl mate es la bebida más popular de ___________ Argentina.

7. Cervantes is the most famous writer of Spain.Cervantes es el escritor más famoso ___________España.

8. Elaine and Teresa are the tallest of the group.Elena y Teresa son las más altas ___________ grupo.

B. Choose the best answer.

9. Carmen is very pretty.

Carmen es muy guapa.

Carmen es sumamente guapa.

Carmen es guapísima.

10. The food is indescribably delicious.

La comida es muy rica.

La comida es sumamente rica.

La comida es riquísima.

Irregular ComparativesTú eres más alto que yo.You are taller than I.

Juan es el chico más inteligente de la clase.John is the smartest boy in the class.

The following adjectives have irregular forms for the comparative and the superlative:

Adjective: bueno (good)Comparative: mejor (better)Superlative: el/la mejor (best)

Adjective: malo (bad)Comparative: peor (worse)Superlative: el/la peor (the worst)

Note that the words más and menos are not used with the irregular comparatives.

Correct:Este libro es bueno, pero ese libro es mejor.

Correct:Esta película es mala, pero esa película es peor.

With the irregular superlatives, the definite article is used.

Este libro es bueno.This book is good.

Ese libro es mejor.That book is better.

Aquel libro es el mejor.That book over there is the best.

Here are two more adjectives with irregular comparatives and superlatives:

Adjective: grande (big)Comparative: mayor (older; greater)Superlative: el/la mayor (the oldest; the greatest)

Adjective: pequeño (small)Comparative: menor (younger; less)Superlative: el/la menor (youngest; least)

Note that when referring to size, grande and pequeño follow the normal rules for comparative and superlative forms. That is, they do not use the irregular forms menor and mayor.

Esta casa es grande.This house is big.

Esa casa es más grande.That house is bigger.

Aquella casa es la más grande.That house over there is the biggest.

When referring to age, use the irregular forms mayor and menor.

Juan es menor que María.Juan is younger than Maria.

María es la mayor de la familia.Maria is the oldest of the family.

When referring to the concepts "less" or "greater", use the irregular forms mayor and menor.

El agua es de mayor importancia que la comida.Water is more important than food.

La comida es de menor importancia que el agua.Food is less important than water.

The words joven and viejo are used for non-comparative descriptions of age.

El niño es joven.The boy is young.

El abuelo es viejo.The grandfather is old.

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative forms.

1. María es ___________que Juan.María is older than Juan.

2. Ella es la___________de la familia.She is the youngest of the family.

3. Esta película es ___________que la otra.This movie is worse than the other.

4. Ese auto es el ___________ .That car is the best.

5. La niña es ___________The little girl is young.

6. La abuela es ___________The grandmother is old.

7. Aquella casa es la más ___________de todas.That house over there is the biggest one of all.

8. Aquel auto es ___________ que éste.That car over there is better than this one.

9. Aquéllos son los más ___________ de todos.Those over there are the biggest of all.

10. La niña es ___________ que el niño.The girl is younger than the boy.

Verbs Like GustarThis is a good time to discuss the verb "gustar" because using it requires use of the IO pronouns.

Me gusta el cuarto.I like the room.

Nos gustan los libros.We like the books.

In English, the following sentences are correct:

I like the room.We like the books.

Examine the same sentences more closely.

I like the room.

I = subject of sentencelike = verbthe room = direct object

We like the books.

We = subject of sentencelike = verbthe books = direct object

In English, it is correct to construct a sentence that has the subject "liking" a direct object. In Spanish, this never occurs. In Spanish, a different construction is used.

English: I like the room.Spanish: The room is pleasing to me.

English: We like the books.Spanish: The books are pleasing to us.

The first thing you need to notice is that both versions really mean the same thing. They are merely different expressions of the same idea.

Idea: My feelings with regard to the book are positive.

English Way: I like the book.Spanish Way: The book is pleasing to me.

The second thing to notice is that in English, the subject of the sentence is the person (I, we) while in Spanish the subject of the sentence is the object (room, books).

The room is pleasing to me.Subject: The room

I like the room.Subject: I

Finally notice that while the English sentence has a direct object, the Spanish sentence has an indirect object.

The room is pleasing to me.me = Indirect Object

I like the room.room = Direct Object

Let's study the following example:

Me gustan los libros.

Literal Translation: To me are pleasing the books.Actual Translation: I like the books.

Notice that gustar is conjugated as "gustan" not "gusto." A common mistake is to say "Me gusto los libros." This is incorrect because the subject of the sentence is "los libros" even though it comes at the end. Remember, the verb is conjugated to agree with the subject of the sentence.

Me gustan los libros. (I like the books.)

Notice that the conjugation of gustar changes to "gusta" when the subject of the sentence is singular.

Me gusta el libro. (I like the book.)

Since the subject of the sentence must be either singular (book) or plural (books), the only forms of gustar you will use are "gusta" and "gustan." This is true regardless of what IO pronoun appears in the sentence.

Me gusta el libro.I like the book.

Te gusta el libro.You like the book.

Nos gusta el libro.We like the book.

Me gustan los libros.I like the books.

Te gustan los libros.You like the books.

Nos gustan los libros.We like the books.

Remember, gustar becomes either gusta or gustan, depending upon whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural. It has nothing to do with which IO pronoun is used.

Subject is singular - use gusta

Me gusta el libro.Te gusta el libro.

Subject is plural - use gustan

Me gustan los libros.Te gustan los libros.

Remember, the IO pronoun is not the subject of the sentence!

Nos gustamos ... incorrect!Te gustas ... incorrect!

Here are some examples of the correct use of gustar. Notice that the only forms of gustar that appear are gusta and gustan, even though each of the IO pronouns is used.

Singular Subject Plural SubjectMe gusta la casa. Me gustan las casas.

Te gusta el cuarto. Te gustan los cuartos.Le gusta la silla. Le gustan las sillas.Nos gusta el hotel. Nos gustan los hoteles.Os gusta la comida. Os gustan las comidas.Les gusta el reloj. Les gustan los relojes.

Look more closely at one example:

Le gusta la silla.

It is impossible to tell whether this means:

1. He likes the chair.2. She likes the chair.3. You (usted) like the chair.

For purposes of clarification, the sentence will often begin with a prepositional phrase that clarifies just who the IO pronoun refers to.

A él le gusta la silla.He likes the chair.

A Juan le gusta la silla.John likes the chair.

A ella le gusta la silla.She likes the chair.

A María le gusta la silla.Mary likes the chair.

A usted le gusta la silla.You (formal) like the chair.

As you can see, by adding a prepositional phrase, we remove the ambiguity of the "le" form.

You can also use a prepositional phrase to add emphasis, even if there is no ambiguity.

1. A Juan le gusta el café.John likes coffee.

2. A mí me gusta el té.I like tea.

In the first example, "a Juan" clarifies the ambiguous pronoun "le." In the second example, there is no ambiguity. "Me gusta el té" can only mean "I like tea." In this case,

"a mí" adds emphasis, drawing attention to the fact that tea is what I like (as contrasted with what Juan likes).

Another way to look at it:

John likes coffee. Me, I like tea.A Juan le gusta el café. A mí me gusta el té.

Now that you know how to correctly use the verb gustar, here is a list of verbs that operate in the same manner:

aburrirto bore

fascinarto be fascinating to

bastarto be sufficient

importarto be important to

caer bien (mal)to (not) suit

interesarto be interesting to

dar ascoto be loathsome

molestarto be a bother

disgustarto hate something

parecerto appear to be

doler (o:ue)to be painful

picarto itch

encantarto "love" something

quedarto be left over, remain

faltarto be lacking something

volver (o:ue) locoto be crazy about

The practice exercises focus on 5 useful verbs:

gustarfaltarmolestar

parecerdisgustar

Note that all of the other verbs listed above behave in the same fashion as the five practice verbs.

Let's add a flashcard for the special verb "gustar":

A. Select the correct form of gustar.

1. Me___________ la comida.I like the food.

2. Te ___________las pinturas.You like the paintings.

B. Select the correct form of faltar.

3. Me ___________el dinero para comprar el anillo.I'm lacking the money to buy the ring.

4. Nos ___________el dinero para comprar los boletos.We're lacking the money to buy the tickets.

C. Select the correct form of disgustar.

5. Les___________ los deportes.They hate sports.

6. Les ___________la televisión.They hate television.

D. Select the correct form of parecer.

7. La película me ___________bien.The movie seems good to me.

8. La casa nos ___________cara.The house seems expensive to us.

E. Select the correct form of molestar.

9. A veces la humedad le___________ .Sometimes, the humidity bothers her.

10. Los borrachos me ___________en la calle.The drunks bother me in the street.