Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de dar essa flor a ela; eu a dou todos os anos.
Portuguese grammar requires the preposition de after gostar when it’s followed by another verb. It’s similar to English “like to do.”
- Eu gosto de dar = I like to give
Without de, Eu gosto dar would be ungrammatical.
Portuguese has three demonstratives to mark proximity or discourse context:
• esta (near the speaker)
• essa (near the listener or already mentioned in the conversation)
• aquela (far from both).
Here, essa flor refers to a flower already introduced, so essa is the natural choice.
Both a and para can translate as “to,” but:
• dar algo a alguém is the traditional dative construction.
• dar algo para alguém emphasizes direction or purpose.
In formal or written Portuguese, dar algo a alguém is preferred, though para is extremely common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
a in eu a dou is the direct object pronoun replacing essa flor (feminine singular). Portuguese uses clitic pronouns to avoid repetition:
- eu dou essa flor = I give this flower
- eu a dou = I give it
Once the recipient (to her) is clear, Portuguese often omits it to avoid redundancy. If you want to restate or emphasize, you can say:
- Eu a dou a ela todos os anos
- Eu a dou para ela todos os anos
Both versions are grammatically correct but slightly more repetitive.
todos os anos means “every year.” You can also say todo ano, which carries the same idea. The nuance is minimal:
• todos os anos stresses each individual year
• todo ano is a bit more general
In practice, they’re used interchangeably.
Portuguese verbs are conjugated for person, so subject pronouns are optional when the subject is clear. You can say:
- Gosto de dar essa flor a ela; a dou todos os anos
omitting eu entirely. In everyday speech, it’s common to drop eu and simply say a dou todos os anos.