Do you like to travel? Do you like chocolate? We use verb ‘to like’ (in Portuguese: Gostar) so often that it is a good idea to master it in your new language.
Yet Gostar is a verb that I often see Portuguese speakers, even advanced ones, using incorrectly. It happens especially with English speakers and Spanish speakers, although the reasons are different.
Today I hope to help you use the verb Gostar correctly and with confidence. I hope to make it easy for you to understand how to use it. The rest will depend on your willingness to practice.
Here is the lesson:
The verb Gostar: Conjugation
Let’s start from the beginning and look at the conjugation of Gostar in the simple present and past tenses. I will use these tenses in the examples.
Gostar is a regular verb ending in –Ar. It doesn’t get easier than this when it comes to conjugations, right?
Presente do Indicativo (Present Tense)
Eu gosto
Você gosta
Ele/Ela gosta
Nós gostamos
Vocês gostam
Eles/Elas gostam
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo (Past Tense)
Eu gostei
Você gostou
Ele/Ela gostou
Nós gostamos
Vocês gostaram
Eles/Elas gostaram
So, What Causes So Much Trouble?
The verb Gostar causes a lot of trouble to Spanish speakers because its conjugation in Spanish is completely different from the conjugation in Portuguese. In Portuguese, we conjugate Gostar like any other regular verb. It is not reflexive or pronominal in Portuguese.
How about English speakers? Here is the reason why the verb Gostar causes problems to English speakers: It always requires the preposition DE. Always.
Here are examples:
- Eu gosto de = I like chocolate.
- Eu gosto de = I like to travel.
Wait! There’s More
Sometimes you need to contract the preposition DE with the definite articles a, o, as, os.
You need to do this when you are talking about something specific.
Look at these examples:
Example 1:
- Eu gosto de = I like chocolate.
- Eu gosto do chocolate Ghirardelli. = I like Guirardelli chocolate.
Example 2:
- Eu gosto de = I like the beach.
- Eu gosto da praia de Ipanema. = I like Ipanema beach.
As you can see in the examples above, when you are talking about something specific:
- Use DA in front of a feminine noun (or DAS for plural)
- Use DO in front of a masculine noun (or DOS for plural)
When you have Gostar with a Verb
This is very easy. Always use DE in front of verbs and the verb comes in the infinitive:
- Gosto de comer chocolate. = I like to eat chocolate.
- Ele gosta de cozinhar. = He likes to cook.
Contracting De with Esse, Essa
The preposition DE also contracts with the demonstrative pronouns.
Examples:
- Não gosto desse = I don’t like this chocolate.
- Gosto dessa = I like this store.
- Eu sei que você não gosta disso. = I know that you don’t like this.
- Diana não gosta daquele = Diana doesn’t like that restaurant.
Contracting De with Ele, Ela
The preposition DE also contracts with the personal pronouns Ele and Ela (and the plural forms).
Examples:
- Você conhece o João? Você gosta dele? = Do you know João? Do you like him?
- Davi não gosta da Ana, mas eu gosto dela. = Davi doesn’t like Ana, but I like her.
Where to Place the Word Muito
If you want to say that you like something a lot, place the word Muito right after the verb Gostar and before the object of your affection.
Examples:
- Gosto muito de chocolate. = I like chocolate very much.
- Não gosto muito de nadar. = I don’t like swimming very much.
Caution: Expressing Likes and Dislikes
There is an interesting difference between the way we express opinions using the verb Gostar in Portuguese and the verb to like in English. I have a lesson on the topic. Be sure to visit this lesson so you can express your likes and dislikes correctly.
Let’s Practice
Translate the following sentences to Portuguese. The answers are at the end of the post.
- Joana likes to travel.
- Joana liked the trip to Brazil a lot.
- Cris likes cake.
- Cris doesn’t like my cakes.
- Ana likes you a lot. Do you like her?
- I don’t like that doctor.
I hope you will find this lesson useful! One thing that we learners need to keep in mind is that understanding a lesson is not the same as learning it. How many times we go to class, understand everything, but have trouble answering questions or solving problems afterwards? Practice is the key to learning for real. Make sure you practice your Portuguese so you can use grammar and vocabulary correctly and with confidence.
Street Smart Brazil offers Brazilian Portuguese lessons via Skype. It is a simple, effective, and convenient way to learn Portuguese with friendly and professional instructors.
Book a Trial Lesson to get started.
Answers to the practice exercise
- Joana gosta de viajar.
- Joana gostou muito da viagem ao Brasil.
- Cris gosta de bolo.
- Cris não gosta dos meus bolos.
- Ana gosta muito de você. Você gosta dela?
- Não gosto daquele médico.
Hi,
Your videos are GREAT.
But about GOSTAR. . .
In this post you said, ” It always requires the preposition DE. Always.”
What about “Tá frio e eu gosto quando tempo tá assim.”
That is a great point. It is not possible to cover every possible language situation in a blog post.
I have been struggling to learn Portuguese for 2.5 years and been to Brasil 11 times. My girlfriend there only speaks English with me so it’s been difficult and I just found out I need hearing aids which actually made me happy because I wasn’t understanding anything people said when they spoke. I found out I’m never learned English grammar terms so my Portuguese teacher quit because she said I needed to know them for her to teach me. Anyway this lesson
confused me. I read that gostar needs “de” after it and then I see other words after it. “Eu gosto dele” for example instead of “eu gosto de ele”. After I get hearing aids what kind of classes do you suggest I take? I’m going to start over from
The beginning. How do you suggest I get my girlfriend to speak Portuguese with me? She says speaking English is easier. I guess I need to learn Portuguese.
Everyone said not to worry that she would help me and speak only Portuguese with me. Thanks! Patrick
Oi, Patrick. Thank you for writing. The preposition “dele” is actually a contraction of de + ele. So the sentence is: Eu gosto de ele. But the contraction is mandatory, so you have to make it: “Eu gosto dele”. You have the preposition “de”. It’s just contracted with the pronoun “ele”.
Knowing your own grammar is very helpful when learning a foreign language, but it’s not a requirement. Many of our clients are not grammar geeks as I am, and that’s just fine. There are different ways to teach and different ways to learn. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to find the right match between teacher and learner.
Regarding your girlfriend, in my personal experience, I feel that when a relationship starts in one language, it’s difficult to switch it to another language. My suggestion is to create practice opportunities with your girlfriend. For example, you could have a date night at home in which dinner is in Portuguese. Having a time limit (during dinner, for example), removes some of the communication pressure. She will know that it’s just your practice time and regular conversation can resume after dinner.
When you are ready to book a lesson with us, I recommend starting with a 30-minute Trial Lesson. It’s a no-pressure way to meet the teacher and see how our lessons work. You can book a trial here: https://streetsmartbrazil.com/shop/trial-session/
Até mais!
Thanks! Sorry it took me 4 years to reply. I have a different girlfriend who only speaks Portuguese so that’s nice. I still can’t converse yet, I can’t make out what people are saying. I still study every day. Hopefully I’ll be able to understand what people are saying soon!
Obrigada,Luciana. Otimo curso, bem organizado o material. Fica bem claro.
Muito obrigada!
Eu gosto muito de dirigir esse carro. ?
Eu gosto muito de viager ao Brazil. ?
Correct based on the 2 verb rule stated
Gostar de ( infinitive verb ).
Yes, the sentences are grammatically correct. However the verb To travel is Viajar.
Luciana, quero te agradecer pelos suas vídeos e pelo blog! Eu viajo pro Rio de Janeiro todo ano, e estudava um pouquinho com vários cursos de língua. No ano passado eu comecei a olhar para os seus materiais legais, e quando fui ao Brasil neste ano, percebei que ficava muito mais confortável e a minha compreensão tinha melhorado muito. Parabéns pelo seu trabalho ótimo, e um obrigadão!
Oi, Catherine, muito obrigada por um comentário tão maravilhoso. É muito motivador ouvir isso!
Notify me of new posts by email. Thank you.
Oi, Sadek! I tried to enroll you to receive blog posts by email, but I got this message: “The email address has opted out of subscription emails.” Unfortunately I cannot enroll you in the service. Only you can change your subscription options. Obrigada.
Actually with Spanish gustar the object and subject are reversed it is not reflexive nor pronomial.
obrigada