Gustar Conjugation

Question

I need help conjugating the word gustar in (past/future forms). My teacher said technically its only gusta and gustan. Can anyone please elaborate

Answer 1

My teacher said technically its only gusta and gustan. Can anyone please elaborate

This statement is only correct if you want to say "Someone likes someTHING(s)." If the someTHING is one item, you use gusta:

Me gusta la cámara nueva. (I like the new camera).

If the someTHINGS are more than one item, you use gustan: Le gustan las galletas. (He likes cookies).

Of course, the conjugation of gusta/gustan has to change according to the tense.

However, when you want to say "Someone is attracted to someONE else," gustar can be conjugated in all the conjugated forms. For example:

Le gusto mucho. (I like him a lot/ I am quite attracted to him.)

You can find more examples here.

Very nice, Jasmine! - Noetol, Dec 18, 2012

Answer 2

Gustar is conjugated in all tenses just like any other verb:

FORMAS NO PERSONALES

Infinitivo

gustar

Participio

gustado

Gerundio

gustando INDICATIVO

SUBJUNTIVO

Presente

gusto gustas / gustás gusta gustamos gustáis / gustan gustan

Futuro simple o Futuro

gustaré gustarás gustará gustaremos gustaréis / gustarán gustarán

Presente

guste gustes guste gustemos gustéis / gusten gusten

Pretérito imperfecto o Copretérito

gustaba gustabas gustaba gustábamos gustabais / gustaban gustaban

Condicional simple o Pospretérito

gustaría gustarías gustaría gustaríamos gustaríais / gustarían gustarían

Pretérito imperfecto o Pretérito

gustara o gustase gustaras o gustases gustara o gustase gustáramos o gustásemos gustarais o gustaseis / gustaran o gustasen gustaran o gustasen

Pretérito perfecto simple o Pretérito

gusté gustaste gustó gustamos gustasteis / gustaron gustaron

Futuro simple o Futuro

gustare gustares gustare gustáremos gustareis / gustaren gustaren

IMPERATIVO

gusta (tú) / gustá (vos) gustad (vosotros) / gusten (ustedes)

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Very inclusive. Thanks! :)) - Noetol, Dec 18, 2012

Answer 3

As Jasmine said, your teacher must be referring to the pronominal (reflexive) form of the verb, in which the verb form must agree with what would be in English the object of the sentence. In her example "I like the new camera", "camera" is the object of the verb "like". The Spanish sentence is translated to that, but is structurally different. If you think of "Me gusta la camera nueva" in terms of "the new camera is pleasing to me", you would see that the subject is now "the camera", and it is easier to understand why the verb must agree with the third person singular, "gusta".

Conversely, if the sentence spoke of more than one camera, "I like the new cameras", and employed the same logic, you will find that the verb must be conjugated to the third person plural, "gustan".

Again, as Jasmine stated, when you are talking about people and not things, it becomes more complex. Follow her link for more on that.

Answer 4

Le gusto mucho. (I like him a lot/ I am quite attracted to him.)

This is why the verb gustar is so confusing to people learning Spanish, especially phrases like "I am quite attracted to him." With gustar it´s easier to think of it as the direct translation, ie "le gusto mucho"...... "I please him a lot."

Exactly! It amazes me that Spanish instructors still inflict the definition of "like" on their students, insuring years of confusion on this topic! :)) - Noetol, Dec 18, 2012

I agree, sometimes, I think the teachers do more harm than good ;-). - JazSpanish, Dec 19, 2012

Answer 5

Actually, in Spanish we usually do not say that we or someone likes things. In Spanish we say that those things are pleasing. The thing that is pleasing is the subject of the sentence and the one or ones being pleased are the recipients and therefore the indirect objects. Thus the phrase "me gusta" (indirect object pronoun). Generally only he, she, it, this, that, these or those (él o el, ella, ellos, ellas, este, ese, estos o aquellos) can do the pleasing and are the subject so the verb gustar is pretty much always used in the third person singular or plural, gusta or gustan.