le gustaba

used to like

→ le

phrase Common #6,382

used to like Imperfect form of gustar. The person who liked something is indicated with le, while the thing liked is the grammatical subject. Commonly used for past habits or states of liking.

SP: A Tom le gustaba el fútbol cuando era joven.

EN: Tom used to like soccer when he was young.

Cuando era joven, le gustaba mucho el dinero.

When he was young, he really liked money.

— El manantial de las colinas (1986)

Pensé que Mary había dicho que le gustaba este tipo de música.

I thought Mary had said that she liked this kind of music.

Tom le preguntó a Mary qué clase de comida le gustaba.

Tom asked Mary what kind of food she liked.

A Tom le gustaba el fútbol.

Tom liked football.

Sólo le gustaba el fútbol y otra cosa.

He only liked soccer and one other thing.

— Perfectos desconocidos (2016)

Le gustaba cómo cantaba y todo.

He liked how she sang and everything.

— Song Sung Blue - Canción para dos (2025)

Tú dijiste que yo le gustaba a Tom.

You said that Tom liked me.

Lo que le gustaba de verdad era buscarlas.

What he really enjoyed was looking for them.

— El espíritu de la colmena (1973)

Quizá le gustaba levantarse temprano y empacar en la mañana.

Perhaps he liked getting up early and packing in the morning.

— Algunos hombres buenos (1992)

Y pensó que sí, que probablemente le gustaba estar llena.

And she thought yes, she probably liked being full.

— Valor sentimental (2025)

Le gustaba que tuviera trabajo.

He liked that I had a job.

— Uno de los nuestros (1990)

Yo le gustaba.

He liked me.

Iba a cualquier clase que le gustaba.

He/She would go to any class he/she liked.

— 3 Idiots (2009)

A la princesa le gustaba cocinar.

The princess liked to cook.

Mary me dijo que le gustaba este tipo de música.

Mary told me that she liked this type of music.

Debería haberme dicho que no le gustaba la ensalada.

She should have told me she didn't like salad.

— Chungking Express (1994)

En su escrito decía que tuvo que dejar lo que más le gustaba.

In his writing, he said that he had to give up what he liked most.

— Audition (2000)

Él me dijo que le gustaba nadar.

He told me he liked to swim.

Ya sabes cómo le gustaba.

You already know how he/she liked it.

— Tres colores. Azul (1993)

Tom finalmente logró conseguir el trabajo que le gustaba.

Tom finally managed to get the job he liked.

Al caballo le puso un nombre que le gustaba.

He gave the horse a name he liked.

Le gustaba andar con el hijo de un héroe.

She liked hanging out with the son of a hero.

A Tom le gustaba escuchar a María tocar el piano.

Tom liked listening to Maria play the piano.

Le gustaba hablar sobre sí misma.

She liked to talk about herself.

Lo gracioso es que a Steve Rendazo yo le gustaba en secreto.

The funny thing is that Steve Rendazo secretly liked me.

— Juno (2007)

Le gustaba trabajar solo.

He liked to work alone.

— Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Dijo que yo le gustaba y quería salir conmigo.

He said he liked me and wanted to go out with me.

— La sirena (2016)

A ella le gustaba sentarse justo donde tú estás sentado ahora.

She liked to sit right where you're sitting now.

— El agente secreto (2025)

Parecía que Ziri le gustaba a todo el mundo.

It seemed that everyone liked Ziri.

A Einstein le gustaba tocar el violín.

Einstein liked to play the violin.

A Tom le gustaba Mary.

Tom liked Mary.

Le gustaba cantar y dormir mientras la hormiga hacía sus labores.

He liked to sing and sleep while the ant did her work.

— Los lunes al sol (2002)

Le gustaba más que ninguna otra cosa.

He liked it more than anything else.

A Fátima le gustaba mucho esa ventana.

Fatima really liked that window.

— El agente secreto (2025)

Tom le preguntó a Mary si le gustaba la comida mejicana.

Tom asked Mary if she liked Mexican food.

A mi papá le gustaba apostar.

My dad liked to gamble.

— F1 la película (2025)

Ahora le gustaba más el vino.

Now he liked wine more.

— P.K. (Peekay) (2014)

Lo peor de todo es que terminó pidiendo siempre lo que a ella le gustaba.

The worst part is that she ended up always ordering what she liked.

— París, je t'aime (2006)

Tom le preguntó a Mary qué clase de música le gustaba.

Tom asked Mary what kind of music she liked.

A la gente le gustaba Jimmy Carter.

People liked Jimmy Carter.

A Tom le gustaba el pelo de María.

Tom liked María's hair.

Creía que le gustaba.

I thought he liked me.

— State and Main (2000)

Tom no sabía que a Mary le gustaba cocinar.

Tom didn't know that Mary liked cooking.

Creí que sólo le gustaba mirar.

I thought he just liked to watch.

Neto se unió porque le gustaba la guerra.

Neto joined because he liked war.

— Tropa de élite (2007)

A ella le gustaba cuando él lo hacía.

She liked it when he did it.

De joven, le gustaba montar en bicicleta.

As a young man, he liked to ride bicycles.

A Sami le gustaba la sonrisa de Layla.

Sami liked Layla's smile.

A mi madre le gustaba esta montaña.

My mother liked this mountain.

— Decision to Leave (2022)

A Tom le gustaba Australia.

Tom liked Australia.

Le gustaba beber, siempre con prisas.

He liked to drink, always in a hurry.

— Tampopo (1985)

Le gustaba mucho la magia.

He really liked magic.

— Ahora me ves 3 (2025)

Le gustaba.

He liked it.

A mi mamá le gustaba mucho contar anécdotas.

My mom really liked telling anecdotes.

Tom dijo que le gustaba Mary.

Tom said he liked Mary.