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Note on Gustar Structure: Non-Use of Subject Pronouns

Question I understand that the direct object of an English sentence comes out as the subject of a Spanish gustar sentence, as in You like the books →Te gustan los libros. But when a pronoun is involved, the gustar sentence seems to leave the subject out, as in You like them→Te gustan. Shouldn't I use a subject pronoun (ellos, in this case)?

Answer Not usually, no. In a non-gustar sentences, you would generally use a direct object pronoun: Practico el béisbol→Lo practico. With gustar, however, use of a subject pronoun is possible but exceptional. It is normally left out [*], as in the following examples: A ellos les gustan las lenguas, pero a nosotros no nos gustan [*]. They like languages, but we don't like them. ¿Te gusta esa canción? Sí, me gusta [*] mucho. Do you like that song? Yes, I like it a lot. NOTE: A direct object pronoun is never used with gustar, as in xxMe la gustaxx. Gustar never takes a direct object, either noun or pronoun.

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