O aluno gosta de estudar em casa.

The student likes to study at home.

Breakdown of O aluno gosta de estudar em casa.

• gostar de: to like
• a casa: the house
• estudar: to study
• em: at
• o aluno: the student

Questions & Answers about O aluno gosta de estudar em casa.

Why do we use O before aluno in this sentence?

In Portuguese, the definite article o (masculine singular) is often used similarly to "the" in English. It indicates a specific student (aluno), not just any student. If you say O aluno instead of Um aluno ("a student") or just Aluno (no article), you’re highlighting this particular student.

Why does the verb gostar need de before another verb, as in gosta de estudar?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar is commonly followed by the preposition de when expressing what someone likes. Whenever you say "to like [doing something]" or "to like [something]" in Portuguese, you use gostar de. So if you want to say "likes to study," you choose gosta de estudar rather than gosta estudar.

Why is estudar in the infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

When one verb follows another directly in Portuguese (like gosta de), the second verb usually remains in the infinitive to express the action in a more general sense. Since gostar is already conjugated (gosta), you don’t need to conjugate estudar; you keep it as the infinitive.

Is there anything special about the phrase em casa to mean "at home"?

Yes. In Portuguese, em casa is the standard way to say "at home." Unlike English, you don't usually need an article like na casa unless you’re referring to a specific house or context. Em casa by itself implies "at home."

Can I say na casa instead of em casa?

You can, but it changes the meaning. Na casa means "in the house," implying a specific house. Em casa is more general and typically means "at home," referring to your home environment rather than a particular location inside a house.