Verbs like 'gustar': when the person is the object
When English speakers start learning Spanish, one of the first big hurdles is translating a simple thought like I like coffee. You might naturally want to make yourself the subject of the sentence. However, Spanish handles these expressions in reverse.
Instead of saying that you like the coffee, you effectively say that the coffee is pleasing to you. The person feeling the emotion or experiencing the situation becomes the indirect object, represented by pronouns like me, te, or le. Meanwhile, the thing you like or need becomes the subject of the sentence. This quirk applies to a large family of vocabulary known as verbs like gustar.
Word list
gustarA1to be pleasing tome gusta = I like itcostarA2to costme cuesta = it costs medolerA2to hurtme duele = it hurts meimportarA2to matterno me importa = I don't caresorprenderA2to surpriseme sorprende = it surprises meagradarB1to be pleasing tome agrada = I like itasombrarB1to surpriseme asombra = it surprises mecostarB1to be hardme cuesta = I find it harddecepcionarB1to disappointme decepciona = it disappoints medefraudarB1to disappointme defrauda = it lets me downdesilusionarB1to disappointme desilusiona = it disappoints medivertirB1to entertainme divierte = it amuses meentretenerB1to entertainme entretiene = it keeps me entertainedextrañarB1to surpriseme extraña = it surprises mefaltarB1to be missingme falta = I am missing itfavorecerB1to suitte favorece = it suits youinteresarB1to interestme interesa = it interests memolestarB1to disturbme molesta = it bothers meparecerB1to appearme parece = it seems to mequedarB1to fitme queda = it fits mequedar bienB1to fitme queda bien = it fits me wellquedar bienB1to suitme queda bien = it suits mesentar bienB1to suitme sienta bien = it suits meservirB1to fitno me sirve = it doesn't fit meaburrirB2to boreme aburre = I am bored by itagotarB2to tire outme agota = it exhausts measustarB2to scareme asusta = it scares mebastarB2to sufficeme basta = it is enough for mecansarB2to tire outme cansa = it tires meconfundirB2to confuseme confunde = it confuses medar ascoB2to disgustme da asco = it disgusts medar miedoB2to scareme da miedo = it scares medesalentarB2to discourageme desalienta = it disheartens medesanimarB2to discourageme desanima = it discourages medistraerB2to distractme distrae = it distracts meencantarB2to enchantme encanta = I love itespantarB2to scareme espanta = it frightens mefastidiarB2to disturbme fastidia = it bothers mellamar la atenciónB2to draw attentionme llama la atención = it catches my attentionperturbarB2to disturbme perturba = it disturbs mepicarB2to itchme pica = it itches mepreocuparB2to worryme preocupa = it worries merepugnarB2to disgustme repugna = it disgusts metocarB2to be someone's time or turnme toca = it is my turnasquearC1to disgustme asquea = it disgusts meavergonzarC1to embarrassme avergüenza = it embarrasses mecautivarC1to enchantme cautiva = it captivates medesconcertarC1to confuseme desconcierta = it puzzles mefascinarC1to fascinateme fascina = it fascinates meinquietarC1to worryme inquieta = it worries meintimidarC1to intimidateme intimida = it intimidates me
Feelings and preferences
The most famous members of this group express likes, dislikes, and emotional reactions. Words like gustar, encantar, importar, and fascinar all put the person having the feeling in the object seat. If you love books, the books are enchanting you. If you do not care about something, that thing does not matter to you.
Me gustan los gatos.
(I like cats.)
A María le encanta la música.
(Maria loves music.)
Ese problema no nos importa.
(We do not care about that problem.)
Me fascina la historia antigua.
(Ancient history fascinates me.)
Other mental reactions follow the exact same logic. Whether a situation bores you (aburrir), worries you (preocupar), interests you (interesar), or surprises you (sorprender, asombrar, extrañar), Spanish treats you as the receiver of the feeling.
Te preocupa el examen de mañana.
(You are worried about tomorrow's exam.)
Me aburren las reuniones largas.
(Long meetings bore me.)
Lacking, needing, and struggling
This backwards structure is not just for emotions. It is also used when you lack something, need something, or find something difficult. For example, if you say I am short of money in Spanish, you use faltar to say that money is lacking to you. If you have trouble reading, you use costar to say that reading costs you effort.
Me faltan dos páginas para terminar.
(I am missing two pages to finish.)
A mi hermano le cuesta madrugar.
(My brother finds it hard to wake up early.)
Me toca lavar los platos hoy.
(It is my turn to wash the dishes today.)
The body and clothes
Physical sensations and the way clothes fit also use this pattern. In English, you might say My head hurts. In Spanish, using doler, the head does the hurting to you. Similarly, if you want to say that a shirt fits you well or suits you, verbs like quedar and sentar bien act upon you as the object.
Me duele la cabeza.
(My head hurts.)
Esa chaqueta te queda bien.
(That jacket fits you well.)
Nos pican los mosquitos.
(We are itching from the mosquitoes.)
Watch out: Verb agreement
Because the English subject is the Spanish object, English speakers often make the mistake of conjugating the verb to match the person. Remember that the verb must agree with the thing causing the feeling. If the thing is plural, the verb must be plural. If it is a singular noun or an infinitive verb, the verb is singular.
Me molesta el ruido.
(The noise bothers me.)
Me molestan los ruidos.
(The noises bother me.)
Summary
When using verbs like gustar, forget the English word order. The person having the experience is the indirect object (receiving the action), and the thing causing the experience is the subject. Always match your verb conjugation to the thing being experienced, not to the person experiencing it.
Verbs like 'gustar': when the person is the object