"le gusta" or "le gustan"?

Question

How do I say this sentence in Spanish--"She is a vet because she likes the animals"? I use the translator of SpanishDict and get the following two versions: 1. Es veterinaria porque le gusta los animales. 2. Es veterinaria porque le gustan los animales. Is it because the words "animals" is plural, we have to use "gustan" instead of "gusta"?

Good question! - --Mariana--, Mar 19, 2013

Answer 1

Yes, and knowing the reason will help you understand how gustar (and similar words) are used.This is one of the most discussed topics on this forum I think because of a a basic difference between English and Spanish. In Spanish the idiom is not that "she likes animals"; it is that the animals are pleasing to her. The animals are the subject of the sentence, i.e., what is doing the action of the verb, to please. Since the subject is plural, the verb, gustan, must be also. Incidentally, "she' is the indirect object.

Perfect answer. - --Mariana--, Mar 19, 2013

I got it! Many thanks! - joygogo, Mar 20, 2013

Answer 2

Because you are saying that she likes animals, the word 'animals" is plural so therefore, gustan would be the correct usage. If it was "she was a vet, and she liked a cat", then it would be singular.

Answer 3

Yes animales is plural and that is why gustan is used,

Answer 4

Yes, it should be gustan because the word "animals" is in the plural.