Which One?

Subjuctive | intermediate - advanced

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​Hello, muchá! Welcome back to Study Spanish Anywhere.
I'm Pili, your Spanish teacher from Guatemala, and in today's lesson I'll be speaking mostly in English so I can explain these grammar concepts as clearly as possible. And sorry If my english pronuntiation is not rign, but like you I´m still learning.

Now, let's get started.

What's the Difference Between Me gusta, Me ha gustado and Me gustó?
My last podcast episode about the 2026 World Cup in Seattle generated a lot of questions in my Spanish classes.
Many of my students noticed that I kept using expressions like:

• Me ha hecho muy feliz que...  → It has been making me very happy that...
• Me ha gustado mucho que... → I have been liking that...
• Me ha encantado que... → I have been loving that...
• Me ha sorprendido que... → It has been surprising me that...
• Me ha molestado que... → It has been bothering me that...
• Me ha decepcionado que... → It has been disappointing me that...

In that episode, I intentionally used these emotion verbs to express my opinions and feelings about the World Cup while it was still happening.

After watching the episode, many of my students asked me questions like:

• Why did you say me ha gustado que haga... instead of me gusta que haga...?
• Why not me gusta que haya hecho...?
• And when should I say me gustó que hubiera...?

If you've ever asked yourself the same questions, don't worry.
Today we're going to answer those questions together.
If you haven't watched my World Cup episode yet, I highly recommend watching it first because it provides the perfect context for today's lesson.

The Most Important Idea Before we answer those questions, there's one idea you need to understand first.
In Spanish, choosing between me gusta, me ha gustado and me gustó isn't only about grammar.

It's about time.

More specifically, it's about whether the time period you're talking about is still happening or has already finished.
Since the World Cup is already over, I'm going to use summer in today's examples because we're still in the middle of it.

• Summer started in June.
• Today we're still in summer.
• It won't finish until the end of August.

That makes it the perfect example of what Spanish calls an unfinished time period.

Keep this idea in mind because every structure we'll see today depends on one simple question:

Has the time period finished, or is it still in progress?

Let's see how this works.

​1. General Opinions
Presente indicativo + que + Presente subjuntivo
Me gusta + que + Present Subjunctive






This structure expresses a general opinion or feeling.
You're not talking about one particular moment or one specific summer.
You're simply expressing something you like in general.

Example 1
Me gusta que haga calor en Seattle.
I like warm weather in Seattle.

• Not just today.
• Not only this summer.
• In general.

Example 2
Me encanta que la gente sonría cuando viaja.

• Again, this isn't connected to one specific event.
• It's simply my general opinion.

​

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2. Unfinished Time Periods
Presente perfecto + que + Presente subjuntivo
​Me ha gustado + que + Present Subjunctive







Now compare the previous sentence with this one:
Me ha gustado que haga calor todos los días este verano.

​Notice the difference.

• Now I'm no longer expressing a general opinion.
• I'm talking about this summer.
• Summer started in June.
• We're still in summer today.

Every time we've had sunny weather during this summer, I've enjoyed it.
That's why I use:
Me ha gustado...

• The important idea isn't that something happened many times.
• The important idea is that the time period is still in progress.
• The summer hasn't finished yet.

Another example:
Me ha encantado que haya tantos festivales este verano.

• I'm talking about my experience during this summer, a season that is still happening.
• Ask yourself this question:Has the time period finished yet?
• If the answer is no, Spanish will often use the present perfect.

​

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3. My Feeling Is Now, but the Event Is Over
Presente indicativo + que + presente perfecto subjuntivo
Me gusta +  que + Present Perfect Subjunctive





​This structure is different.
Now your feeling exists in the present, but the other action has already finished.

Example 1:

• Yesterday was sunny.
• Today I'm happy when I think about yesterday.
• So I can say:

Me gusta que haya hecho sol ayer.

• The sunny day is over.
• But my feeling exists now.

Example 2
Me alegra que hayas venido.

• Your visit has already finished.
• But I'm happy now that it happened.

________________________________________

🤓 Now let's look this sentence that confuses my students.
Me gusta que la gente haya apoyado a su equipo.

• Here, the support has already happened.
• My feeling exists now, but I'm reacting to something that is already complete.

A natural English translation could be:
I'm glad people supported their teams.
or
I like the fact that people supported their teams.

Notice that neither sentence is a literal translation.
That's exactly why translating word for word often creates confusion.

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4. Everything Belongs to the Past
Pretérito indefinido + que + imperfecto subjuntivo
Me gustó + que + Imperfect Subjunctive






​​Now everything belongs to the past.

• The event finished.
• My feeling also belongs to the past.
• There's no connection with today anymore.

Example 1
Me gustó que hubiera sol el verano pasado.

• The summer is over.
• My feeling belongs to that moment in the past.

Example 2
Me encantó que vinieras a mi fiesta.

• The party is over.
• Your visit is over.
• My emotion also belongs to that moment.

​​

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I hope this lesson has helped you better understand when to use me gusta, me ha gustado and me gustó.

If you'd like to review today's lesson at your own pace, you can find the complete explanation, examples and summary on my website.

And if you still have questions, please leave them in the comments below.

As a Spanish teacher, one of my favourite parts of creating these lessons is discovering new ways to explain grammar and helping my students overcome the things that confuse them the most. Your questions often inspire future lessons, so don't hesitate to ask!

If you found this lesson helpful, I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a like, shared it with another Spanish learner, and subscribed to the channel. Every like, comment and share helps me continue creating free Spanish lessons like this one for learners around the world.
​
Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next lesson.
¡Hasta la próxima!
​

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