• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
Portuguese Lesson: Eu gosto or Eu gostei? Express Your Opinions (with Video)

Portuguese Lesson: Eu gosto or Eu gostei? Express Your Opinions (with Video)

posted on October 29, 2011

Portuguese Lesson: Eu gosto or Eu gostei? Express Your Opinions correctly in Portuguese with the verb Gostar and other verbs

There is an interesting difference between the way we express certain opinions using the verb gostar (to like) in Portuguese and in English. The verb gostar has several details that you need to learn if you want to use the verb correctly. I talk about these details in a different Portuguese Lesson. Here I am going to show you something that is super simple, yet it has the power to make your Portuguese instantly better as you will avoid a very common mistake.

The dressing room situation: How to use the verb Gostar correctly

(I have updated this blog post after publishing the video lesson. The blog post has additional examples and explanations that you don’t want to miss.)

Imagine that you are at the mall shopping with your Brazilian friend Camila. Camila tries on a dress, comes out of the dressing room, and asks if you like it. What do you answer?

The correct answer is NOT: Eu gosto = I like it.

The correct way to express your opinion in this situation is to use the simple past of the verb Gostar: Gostei. = I liked it.

Or, if you do not like it: Não gostei. = I did not like it.

So, there you have it. This is really simple, but it makes a difference in the quality of your Portuguese.

That is true for other verbs too

In this dressing room situation, you can express your opinion in other ways. You will still use the past tense:

  • Ficou ótimo em você. = It looks great on you.
  • Não ficou muito bom, na minha opinião. = It doesn’t look so good, in my opinion.
  • Caiu super bem. = It fits great.

Use the present tense with the verb Estar

Here are other ways to share your opinion about the dress:

  • Tá lindo. = It looks great.
  • Tá perfeito. = It’s perfect.
  • Tá um pouco estranho. = It looks a little strange.
  • Acho que tá um pouco grande em você. = I think it is a bit too large for you.
  • Não tá muito apertado? = Isn’t it too tight?

You may have noticed that I dropped the first syllable of the verb Estar in the examples above. I did this to reflect how we usually speak in Brazil.

We also use the simple past to share our opinion in other situations and to ask for opinions

Here is a situation: My friend Camila has been talking about this new singer she is in love with. She plays one of his songs to see how I like it. Then our dialogue goes like this:

Camila: E aí? O que achou? Gostou? = So? What did you think? Did you like it?

Me: Adorei. A música é linda. = I loved it. The song is very beautiful.

In the dressing room example, Camila would also ask for opinions using he past tense:

  • Gostou? = Did you like it?
  • Ficou bom? = Does it look good? (free translation; not a literal translation)

To express general likes and dislikes, use the present tense

When expressing general likes and dislikes, use the verbs in the present tense. Here are examples:

  • Adoro chocolate. = I love chocolate.
  • Não gosto de cogumelo. = I don’t like mushroom.
  • Gosto muito de café. = I like coffee very much.
  • Adoro Marisa Monte. = I love Marisa Monte.
  • Não gosto muito de correr. = I don’t like running so much.

Portuguese lessons via webcam - learn portuguese online

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one Portuguese lessons and group classes online via webcam. We have teaching Portuguese online since 2008 with a fantastic team of tutors, exclusive class materials, and complete programs from absolute beginner to fluent.  See what our customers are saying.

Book a trial lesson with us to test-drive our Portuguese classes.

Related Posts:

  • Tô na correria - One-Word Portuguese lesson
  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese
  • 4 Brazilian Portuguese Expressions with the Verb Levar –…

About Luciana Lage

I’m Luciana, founder of Street Smart Brazil. I am so happy to be able to help you in your Portuguese speaking journey! Teaching Portuguese as a foreign language was one of the best things that could have happened in my life. I’ve had the privilege of teaching Portuguese at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. Now I am fully dedicated to the Street Smart Brazil community.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole

    March 21, 2019 at 6:01 am

    Obrigada Luciana! Meu marido e Brasileiro e ele sempre fala “Eu te amo. (Voce) sabia?”. Nao entendi muito por que em ingles, nos falamos “I love you. You know this, right?” (presente nao passado). Pode me explicar esse?

    Muito obrigada!

    Reply
    • Luciana Lage

      March 23, 2019 at 10:04 am

      What your husband is saying is closer to “Did you know I love you?” So sweet 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

Loved the experience. All the material I have learned I have not lost. I continue using my Brazilian Portuguese on a daily basis. I continue to discover more on my own through literature, music, film,… Read more
Krystal
As a language lover, I have learned multiple foreign languages through multiple sources and media. I must say that Street Smart Brazil is absolutely the best language program that I have encountered. … Read more
Daniel
I’ve really been enjoying the classes and I’m learning a lot. The classes have motivated me to learn more and more! This is my first time taking classes via Skype – and I’m enjoying the convenience an… Read more
Vanessa
Street Smart Brazil has a wonderful program for teaching Brazilian Portuguese. All the teachers are professional, nice and a lot of fun to learn from. You learn a lot about everyday slang that is use… Read more
Davina

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

51 Portuguese Idioms – Speak Like a Brazilian

You will learn each expression inside a real-life context: everyday situations that could happen to any of us.
Purchase Now >

Recent Posts

  • Meio or Meia? How to say KIND OF in Portuguese
  • Family Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • The Power of Rehearsal to Improve Language Learning
  • Learn the Numbers in Portuguese: All you need to know
  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil

Footer Subscribe

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese

Footer Video CTA

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the new video lessons

Subscribe

https://youtu.be/xoNtWBolAzE

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2023 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved.