The short version
- Me gusta means "I like". Me encanta means "I love", for things and activities.
- The verb matches the thing you like, not you: me gusta el café, me gustan los perros.
- To agree, say a mí también or a mí tampoco, not yo también.
Your friend's mum hands you a plate of her homemade croquetas. You try one and say Me gusta. It's correct, and it's polite. But it's a bit like saying "It's nice" about something she's spent the afternoon making. ¡Me encantan! is what she was hoping for.
That's the basic difference in me gusta vs me encanta: one is "like", the other is "love". The strength matters, but most learners' problems with these verbs come from somewhere else. They don't work like English "like" at all, and once that clicks, a whole set of mistakes disappears.
How strong is each one?
Think of it as a scale. Spanish speakers use me encanta a lot, for everything from food to films to places, so don't save it for special occasions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me encanta. | I love it. |
| Me gusta mucho. | I really like it. |
| Me gusta. | I like it. |
| No está mal. | It's not bad. |
| No me gusta mucho. | I don't really like it. |
| No me gusta nada. | I don't like it at all. |
| Lo odio. | I hate it. |
One thing to avoid: me encanta mucho. Encantar is already "love", so adding mucho is like saying "I really love it a lot". You'll hear people say it, but me gusta mucho or just me encanta is cleaner.
In Spain you'll also hear me flipa and me chifla for "I love it". They're informal and very common with friends. ¡Me flipa este sitio!
Why it works backwards
In English, you do the liking: "I like coffee". In Spanish, the thing does the pleasing: me gusta el café is closer to "coffee is pleasing to me".
That's why the verb changes with the thing, not with you.
| Gusta / encanta | Gustan / encantan | |
|---|---|---|
| When | One thing, or an activity | More than one thing |
| Examples | Me gusta el café. Me encanta viajar. | Me gustan los perros. Me encantan las croquetas. |
With activities, it's always singular, even if you list several: Me gusta leer, cocinar y salir con amigos.
The me changes with the person who likes it:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me gusta | I like |
| Te gusta | You like |
| Le gusta | He / She likes, you like (usted) |
| Nos gusta | We like |
| Os gusta | You all like |
| Les gusta | They like |
A mí también, not yo también
This is one of the most common mistakes, and it's an easy fix. When someone says Me encanta el mar, the English instinct is to say yo también. But because the sentence is built around me, the reply has to match: a mí también.
| They say | You say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Me gusta el fútbol. | A mí también. | So do I. |
| Me gusta el fútbol. | A mí no. | I don't. |
| No me gusta el fútbol. | A mí tampoco. | Neither do I. |
| No me gusta el fútbol. | A mí sí. | I do. |
Yo también is for normal verbs: Vivo en Madrid. Yo también. With gustar, encantar and their friends, it's a mí.
You'll also hear a mí at the start of sentences for emphasis: A mí me encanta, pero a mi pareja no le gusta nada. It's not a mistake to say both a mí and me. It's how Spanish does it. There's more on agreeing and disagreeing generally in how to agree and disagree in Spanish.
Careful with people
Gustar and encantar work with people too, but the meaning shifts.
Me gustas means "I fancy you". If you want to say you like someone as a person, say Me cae bien (I like him / her). Me caes muy bien is a friendly thing to say to a new friend. Me gustas is something to save for a date.
Me encanta tu hermana usually means you think she's lovely, but it can sound strong depending on the tone. Tu hermana es muy maja (your sister is really nice) is safe in any situation in Spain.
To tell family, friends or a partner you love them, Spanish uses te quiero. Te amo exists but is much more intense and less common in everyday speech in Spain. For things, stick to me encanta.
Make it automatic
Like most grammar, knowing the rule isn't the hard part. Saying it quickly in conversation is. The fix is to use these verbs out loud every day until a mí también comes out without thinking.
Every evening, pick five things from your day and give each one a rating out loud using the scale above. El café de esta mañana me ha encantado. La reunión no me ha gustado nada. La cena no ha estado mal. Then answer as if a friend agreed or disagreed: A mí también. A mí tampoco. It takes two minutes, and you'll be using gustar in the past tense without noticing.
This comes up in almost every conversation about yourself, especially talking about your hobbies. Once you've got it, a lot of other verbs that work the same way (me interesa, me apetece, me duele) will make sense straight away.
Common mistakes
Yo gusto el café.
Me gusta el café. The coffee does the pleasing.
Me gusta los perros.
Me gustan los perros. Plural things take gustan.
Me gustan leer y cocinar.
Me gusta leer y cocinar. Activities are always singular.
Yo también after Me encanta el mar.
A mí también.
Recap
- Me gusta is "I like". Me encanta is "I love".
- The verb matches the thing: gusta for one thing or activities, gustan for plural things.
- Agree with a mí también and a mí tampoco, not yo también.
- Me gustas means "I fancy you". Use me caes bien for friends.
- Rate things out loud every day until it's automatic.
In 100 Spanish Conversations, me gusta and me encanta come up in almost every theme, so you practise them in real sentences from the first week. Share how your "rate your day" goes in the community on Skool.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com