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Eu gosto de livros.

Eu gosto de livros.
I like books.
FromLesson 1inHardcore Portuguese (Brazil)

Breakdown of Eu gosto de livros.

eu
I
gostar de
to like
os
the
livro
book

Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de livros.

Why do we need the word "de" after "gosto" in the sentence "Eu gosto de livros"?
In Portuguese, the verb gostar is typically followed by the preposition de before the object. So whenever you say you like something, you use gostar de that thing—for example, Eu gosto de música, Eu gosto de chocolate, etc.
Can I just say "Eu gosto livros" without "de"?
No. In Portuguese, the correct construction requires de after gostar. Omitting the preposition is not grammatically correct.
Is it necessary to always say "Eu gosto de livros," or can I omit "Eu"?
You can drop Eu if the context is clear, and just say Gosto de livros. Portuguese allows subject pronouns to be omitted when the subject is understood. But keeping Eu is also perfectly fine and sounds more explicit.
What if I want to say "I like the books"? Do I still say "de livros"?
If you mean specific books, you would say Eu gosto dos livros (the dos is a contraction of de + os). This indicates you like those particular books, rather than books in general.
How do I pronounce "gosto" correctly?
In Brazilian Portuguese, gosto sounds roughly like "GOH-stoo" (with a short, closed "o" in the first syllable, and the final "o" is also a bit closed, though some speakers may slightly reduce it). The "s" in gosto has an "s" sound, not a "z" sound.
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