Gusto is the neutral everyday predicate for wanting or liking, but the root also appears in two aspect-marked verb families. Gustuhin presents wanting as a deliberate or bounded choice, while magustuhan presents something as becoming or proving pleasing. English want and like conceal these differences, so a useful reference must keep the bare predicate and the two verb families apart.
The family at a glance
| Construction | Core meaning | Forms | Selected participant |
|---|---|---|---|
| gusto | want, like, prefer | uninflected | experiencer is normally an ng form |
| gustuhin | choose to want; will or desire as a bounded stance | gustuhin · ginusto · ginugusto · gugustuhin | the wanted outcome or object is the ang phrase |
| magustuhan | come to like; find pleasing after experience | magustuhan · nagustuhan · nagugustuhan · magugustuhan | the pleasing stimulus is the ang phrase |
The aspectual order in the table is basic/citation form, completed, incompleted, and contemplated. There is no ordinary productive actor-voice paradigm gumusto or maggusto corresponding to English want. That gap is genuine: the bare predicate already handles most everyday desire, and the attested affixed families have more specialized meanings.
Gusto ni Paolo ng tahimik na silid para sa panayam.
Paolo wants a quiet room for the interview.
Nagustuhan ni Paolo ang silid matapos niyang makita ang malalaking bintana.
Paolo liked the room after he saw its large windows.
The first sentence reports a current requirement or preference. The second presents liking as a result of experience. It therefore uses completed nagustuhan, even though English can translate both constructions with a simple stative expression.
Bare gusto and its markers
The experiencer of bare gusto is normally an ng form: gusto ko, gusto niya, gusto ng mga bata. A following ng phrase usually names a type, quantity, or nonspecific desired thing. An ang phrase points to an identified item or known alternative. Demonstratives can occur directly.
Gusto naming bumili ng tinapay bago magsara ang panaderya.
We want to buy some bread before the bakery closes.
Gusto namin ang tinapay na may keso, hindi ang may pasas.
We like the bread with cheese, not the one with raisins.
Gusto ko ito, pero masyadong malaki iyong isa.
I like this one, but that other one is too big.
The alternation is not a mechanical English a/the contrast. Ng versus ang interacts with whether the desired referent is established and selected in the discourse. Read more under specificity and referentiality.
Gusto plus a clause
Before another predicate, gusto takes a linker: gusto kong, gusto niyang, gusto ng direktor na. If the actor of the complement is not expressed, it is normally controlled by the experiencer. An overt actor inside the complement allows someone else to perform the desired action.
Gusto kong makausap ang mekaniko bago ako magbayad.
I want to speak with the mechanic before I pay.
Gusto kong makausap mo ang mekaniko bago ka magbayad.
I want you to speak with the mechanic before you pay.
These form a controlled comparison. In the first, the speaker is understood as the actor of makausap. In the second, mo explicitly identifies a different actor.
After gusto, a future event normally appears in the basic/citation form rather than in contemplated aspect. Filipino treats the complement as the desired type of event; the matrix predicate and time expression locate that event prospectively.
Gusto nilang magpiknik sa tabing-ilog sa Linggo.
They want to have a picnic by the river on Sunday.
The natural complement is magpiknik, not magpipiknik. This is one reason the basic form should not simply be called an English “infinitive”; its behavior belongs to the Filipino aspect system.
Gustuhin: deliberate volition and choice
Gustuhin is patient voice and makes the object, outcome, or proposition of volition the selected ang phrase. It is less neutral than bare gusto. Completed ginusto often assigns responsibility: someone actively chose or willed an outcome. Contemplated gugustuhin is especially common in conditions, hypothetical choices, and strong predictions about preference.
Ginusto niya ang pagbabagong ito, kaya handa siyang panagutan ang resulta.
She chose this change herself, so she is ready to take responsibility for the result.
Kung gugustuhin mo, maaari nating ipagpaliban ang pulong hanggang Martes.
If you want, we can postpone the meeting until Tuesday.
Incompleted ginugusto is possible when an ongoing, repeated, or developing act of wanting is in view, but bare gusto is more idiomatic for a simple stable preference. Affixation does not merely add present, past, or future tense.
Magustuhan: liking as an attained result
Magustuhan presents liking as something that arises from encountering, trying, or imagining a stimulus. Its experiencer is normally an ng form and the pleasing stimulus is the ang phrase. It is useful for reactions, predictions, and gradual appreciation.
Hindi ko agad nagustuhan ang disenyo, pero naging praktikal pala ito sa araw-araw.
I did not like the design at first, but it turned out to be practical for everyday use.
Magugustuhan ng mga bata ang bagong aklatan dahil may maluwang na sulok para sa pagbabasa.
The children will like the new library because it has a spacious reading corner.
Compare Gusto ko ang mungkahi “I like the proposal” with Nagustuhan ko ang mungkahi nang marinig ko ang paliwanag “I came to like the proposal when I heard the explanation.” The second construction builds in an attained reaction.
Intensifying and softening gusto
Gustong-gusto is an intensive predicate meaning “really like/want.” The hyphenated repetition is lexical intensification, not aspectual reduplication. Gusto sana makes a request or intention less imposing, while nais is a common more formal alternative in notices, speeches, and careful writing.
Gustong-gusto ng bunso namin ang sopas na niluluto mo.
Our youngest child really loves the soup you make.
Gusto sana naming ilipat ang reserbasyon sa mas maagang oras.
We would like to move the reservation to an earlier time.
Nais ipabatid ng tanggapan na sarado ito sa Lunes.
The office wishes to announce that it will be closed on Monday. (formal)
—Gusto mo bang sa loob tayo umupo? —Sa labas sana kung may lilim.
—Would you like us to sit inside? —Outside, if possible, if there is shade. (informal conversation)
Negation has a scope contrast. Hindi ko gustong umalis means that leaving is not what I want; gusto kong hindi umalis makes not leaving the desired outcome. In ordinary strong contrary desire, ayaw is often more direct.
Common Mistakes
Treating the experiencer as an ang-form subject
❌ Gusto ako ng mas maagang biyahe.
Incorrect for ‘I want an earlier trip’ — ako is not the experiencer form required by gusto.
✅ Gusto ko ng mas maagang biyahe.
I want an earlier trip.
Omitting the linker before a predicate
❌ Gusto namin kumain sa labas mamaya.
Nonstandard in careful Filipino — the complement must be linked to namin.
✅ Gusto naming kumain sa labas mamaya.
We want to eat out later.
Putting contemplated aspect in the desired complement
❌ Gusto niyang magluluto para sa mga bisita bukas.
Incorrect — the desired event normally uses the basic form, not contemplated aspect.
✅ Gusto niyang magluto para sa mga bisita bukas.
She wants to cook for the guests tomorrow.
Using nagustuhan for an intention rather than an attained reaction
❌ Nagustuhan kong tawagan ang dentista mamaya.
Incorrect for a present intention — nagustuhan means that something proved pleasing or came to be liked.
✅ Gusto kong tawagan ang dentista mamaya.
I want to call the dentist later.
Key Takeaways
- Bare gusto is uninflected and covers most ordinary desire and preference.
- Gustuhin foregrounds deliberate volition or choice; magustuhan foregrounds attained liking.
- The experiencer is normally an ng form: gusto ko, not gusto ako.
- Use a linker before a complement and a basic/citation verb for the desired event.
- Gustong-gusto intensifies, gusto sana softens, and nais is a frequent formal alternative.
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