gustan

Gustan is the present indicative third-person plural form of the Spanish verb gustar, meaning to be pleasing or to like. It is used when the thing that is liked is plural.

In gustar constructions, the subject of the sentence is the thing that is liked, and the person who likes it is indicated by an indirect object pronoun: me, te, le, nos, os, or les. The verb agrees with the thing that is liked, not with the person who likes it. For example: Me gustan las manzanas (I like the apples), Te gustan los libros (You like the books), A ella le gustan las películas (She likes the movies).

When the thing liked is singular, the corresponding form is gusta: Me gusta la manzana, Le gusta el cine. The full pronoun can be emphasized with a phrase like A mí, A ti, A ellos, etc., for clarity or emphasis: A mí me gustan las bebidas.

Gustan appears in different tenses and moods just like other Spanish verbs (gustó for the preterite with a singular object, gustaron for the preterite with plural objects, gustaba for the imperfect, etc.). It is commonly used to express preferences and opinions about plural items or ideas.

Gustar behaves similarly to related verbs such as encantar, interesar, and aburrir, which also take indirect object pronouns and have the subject-verb relationship reversed from many other Spanish verbs. The construction is an important feature of everyday Spanish and is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions.

Examples:

- Me gustan las manzanas.

- A ustedes les gustan las películas.

- ¿Te gustan los libros?