Spanish verbs that follow an object-verb-subject pattern
The Spanish verb gustar (to like) can be confusing because it uses an 'inverted' structure where the verb is conjugated with respect to the thing liked rather than the person doing the liking. In Spanish grammar, verbs like gustar and encantar are often referred to as "verbs of indirect object" or "backward verbs" (verbos de objeto indirecto or verbos inversos). These verbs are characterized by their unique structure, where the subject of the verb is the thing being liked or pleasing, and the person who likes or is pleased by it is indicated by an indirect object pronoun.
In other words, this sentence is really saying green apples please me as opposed to I like green apples.
Another way to think about it is, to-me are-pleasing green apples.
Like English, most Spanish verbs follow a subject-verb-object pattern, but as you can see, gustar and a group of similar verbs follow this inverted or reverse structure: object-verb-subject.
Here's a list of inverted Spanish verbs like gustar.
Gustar (to like)
Me gustan las manzanas verdes. (Green apples are pleasing to me/ I like green apples.)
Encantar (to love [something])
A Lidia le encanta el rugby. (Rugby pleases Lidia a lot/ Lidia loves rugby.)
Doler (to hurt)
Le duele la cabeza. (His head is hurting him.)
Importar (to mind)
No nos importa tu opinion. (Your opinion is not important for us/ We don't mind your opinion.)
Faltar (to be lacking)
¿Te falta dinero? (Are you lacking money?/Are you short of money?)
Aburrir (to bore)
Me aburren las matemáticas. (Maths are boring to me./ Maths bore me.)
Quedar (to remain)
Les quedan cinco euros.(They have five euros left.)
