Gustar is typically listed as a non reflexive verb, but I've noticed
it and encantar are used frequently reflexively.
Me gusta  is used instead of gusto.
Me encanta is used instead of encanto.

Here is a good source that I often use, which lists these verbs non-reflexively.

http://www.verbix.com/languages/spanish.shtml

I don't think I need to know why its used reflexively, but I would
like to know if this is always how this verb is used (not just
frequently), and is it less formal way of speaking.

Also do they function reflexively for other pronouns for present, past
imperfect, preterate and future tenses. Don't need to know about
subjunctive or conditional.

Thanks in advance.
Patrice

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Clarification of Question by patrice29-ga on 28 Apr 2005 16:19 PDT

I've heard the suggestion about me gusta 'to me it pleases' before,
but after much confusion I came back to seeing that gustar is 'like
-v'. Althought it may not function the same grammatically. To please
is placer.

'to me it is liked' as a loose translation seems more accurate.
From the comment though it seems that this is not a familiar/formal issue.

Still interested if this is true with other pronouns and tenses. Also,
does verbix.com present a form that isn't used in the real world?

Hello again Patrice,

    Gustar does mean ?to like?, per      http://www.wordreference.com 
  but it?s more of a thing that gives pleasure, or is liked.

?Gustar se traduce por   to like: Me gusta esta música.   I like this
music. Sin embargo, recuerda que en español el sujeto del verbo gustar
es lo que nos gusta (esta música), mientras que en inglés el sujeto
del verbo to like es I.

    Si quieres añadir un verbo como complemento del verbo to like (me
gusta nadar), debes emplear el gerundio, que siempre sugiere algo
placentero: I like swimming. Pero si más que gustarte simplemente te
parece una buena idea o lo haces por tu propio bien puedes usar el
infinitivo: I like to go to the dentist twice a year. Me gusta ir al
dentista dos veces al año. Sería muy difícil que alguien dijera I like
going to the dentist, porque significaría que disfruta haciéndolo.
    En el modo condicional (I would like) sólo se puede usar el
infinitivo: I would like to go out tonight. Me gustaría salir esta
noche.?

?Sin embargo, recuerda que en español el sujeto del verbo gustar es lo
que nos gusta (esta música), mientras que en inglés el sujeto del
verbo to like es I.?

However, remember in Spanish, the subject of the verb ?gustar? is what
we like (this music), while in English, the subject of the verb ?To
like? is I?

If you say ?Gusto? it means ?I please? or ?I am liked? 

Te gusto?  ?Do I please you?? ?Am I liked by you?? Ella no me gusto.
'She doesn't like me'

Me gustas. ?You please me? ? You are liked by me?

?If you can make yourself think of the verb "gustar" as meaning "to
cause pleasure," you'll have a lot easier time of learning Spanish. It
will help you make the verb agree with the subject (the thing or
person causing the pleasure) instead of the object (the person
receiving the pleasure), and that in turn will help you figure out
where to put the "a personal" and which indirect object pronoun (le,
les, me, te, nos) to use.
It will also help you realize (if you've ever wondered) why gustar and
verbs like it have an indirect object but no obvious direct object.
This small class of verbs has a "built-in" direct object.

(A mi jefe le gustan los gatos = A mi jefe los gatos le causan
placer.) Can you identify subject, direct object, and indirect object
in the italicized sentence?
Part 3-- A two-ingredient recipe with an optional garnish 
A sentence with a gustar-type verb will always have two basic parts--
the subject, and the verb phrase (verb and indirect object pronoun).
It may also, for clarification or emphasis, have an explicit object
(with an "A personal.")
The subject is the thing or person giving the pleasure.?
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~annw/gustar.htm




This page may better explain. Click the arrows to read the subsequent pages.
http://www.indiana.edu/~call/reglas/verbo_gustar.html

This one may help as well.
http://www.easyespanol.org/pop_gramatica.htm


When something pleases us, we like it. Not everything translates
literally into English. So, in Spanish, you say ?Me gusta chocolate?
meaning chocolate pleases you, it is liked by you, you like it. 
Placer means ?to delight? or ?to pleasure?

Me plazco decirles que ganemos el premio = It pleases me to tell you
we won the prize. (You won't often hear this, but it is correct)

El se place en ver la aurora. = He delights in seeing the dawn.


When you say ?Me encanta?, again, you are saying something pleases you.

Again,   http://www.wordreference.com   says:
?encantar vi (gustar mucho) to love: les encanta viajar, they love travelling
     su manera de recitar encantó al público, the audience were
enraptured by his recital?

It is similar in use to ?placer? . And as in ?gustar? you say ?me encanta?

Encanto means delightful, or charming. Encantado/a means ?Charmed?. It
is used often when being introduced to someone. You could say
?Encantada conocerle? I am pleased (charmed) to meet you.

There are many words like this in Spanish (And other romance
languages). Another example is ?me llamo Patrice? . You are literally
saying ?I call myself Patrice?.
Ella se llama Rosa literally means ? She is called Rosa?.  This is a
common syntax that is used in romance languages. Other verbs that
conjugate similarly are  aburrir, faltar, interesar, molestar and
fascinar. (This is not an all inclusive list).

Me fascina  ?It fascinates me?
Me interesa  ?It interests me?
Me molesta  ?It bothers me?


As for the verb form that exists in Spanish and not English, this is
the subjunctive form. (This is also called subjective mood, which
derives from ?mode?)
This site explains, in a simple form, the subjunctive in English. This
tense is actually being used less and less in Latin American Spanish
(Except Argentina), but is found more often in Spain.
http://www.ed-u.com/subjunctive-mood.htm


This 20 page academic paper on understanding the subjunctive mood is
far more detailed.
http://www2.uah.es/leonetti/papers/AhernLeonetti04.pdf


The site you mention, verbix.com posts this warning ?Warning! The verb
you entered does not exist in Verbix verb database. The conjugations
may not be accurate.? I would always confirm the conjugations to a
trusted Spanish-English dictionary.

Hope this has helped. Before long I'll need to ask YOU for help with Spanish!

Sincerely, Crabcakes

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Request for Answer Clarification by patrice29-ga on 29 Apr 2005 09:50 PDT

Wow, this is going to take me a day or so to absorb.

Thanks for your thoroughness.

Patrice

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Clarification of Answer by crabcakes-ga on 29 Apr 2005 10:39 PDT

Take your time! You're doing SO well with your studies!

Sinceramente, Crabcakes

Very good explanation of a difficult subject. Also great tip about
wordreference.com.  An extremely helpful tool.

Thanks again crabcakes!

The usage you've been seeing is not reflexive, although you are
correct that the pronoun "me" also can be reflexive. But the "me" with
"gustar" is not serving as a reflexive pronoun but rather as an
indirect object. It translates as "to me". As you know, "gustar" is
the Spanish way to express the idea of liking something; but
grammatically it does not work like the English verb "to like". The
best way to think of it is this: English says "I like soccer," but
Spanish says "Soccer is pleasing to me."

What makes it a little harder to grasp at first is that the word order
in the Spanish sentence doesn't match what an English speaker expects.
"Me gusta mucho el futbol" is word-for-word literally "[To me] [it is
pleasing] [a lot] [the soccer]". One thing to get used to is this:
"Soccer" is the grammatical subject, *even though it does NOT come at
the start of the sentence.* The person who likes soccer is, in
Spanish, not the subject, but the indirect object.

Gracias Patrice, por las estrellas y el propino! Le agradezco.
Sinceramente, Crabcakes

Thank you Patrice, for the stars and tip! I'm very appreciative.