Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião. - The student likes to ask questions in the meeting.

gostar de + noun:
- gosta de música = likes music
- gosta de perguntas = likes questions
gostar de + infinitive (verb in basic form):
- gosta de ler = likes to read
- gosta de fazer perguntas = likes to ask questions

So the structure is: gostar + de + (thing you like).
Leaving out de (gosta fazer) is incorrect in standard Portuguese.

Why is it fazer perguntas and not just the verb perguntar?

Both exist, but they’re used slightly differently.

perguntar = to ask (someone) something
- O aluno pergunta ao professor. = The student asks the teacher.
fazer perguntas = to ask questions / to make questions (emphasis on questions as things)
- O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas. = The student likes to ask questions.

fazer perguntas is very common when you talk about the habit or tendency of asking questions, as in this sentence.
You could say O aluno gosta de perguntar, but it feels more general and less idiomatic here than gosta de fazer perguntas.

Why is it O aluno and not Um aluno?

Both are possible; they just give different nuances:

O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião.
- o = the
- Refers to a specific student that the speaker and listener can identify (or to “the student” as a type, in a generic statement).
Um aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião.
- um = a / one
- Refers to a student, but we don’t know (or don’t care) which one; it’s more indefinite.

In isolation, O aluno gosta… is usually understood as:

talking about a specific student, or
giving a generic, almost “textbook example” sentence.

How would the sentence change if the student is female?

Only the noun and the article change gender:

O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião. (male)
A aluna gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião. (female)

Verb forms (gosta, fazer) and the rest of the sentence stay the same; Portuguese verbs don’t change for gender, only for person/number.

How do I say “The students like to ask questions in the meeting” (plural)?

You need plural articles, nouns, and the plural verb form:

Os alunos gostam de fazer perguntas na reunião.

Changes:

O aluno → Os alunos (the student → the students)
gosta → gostam (he/she likes → they like)

If you also want “in the meetings” (plural), you’d say:

Os alunos gostam de fazer perguntas nas reuniões.
(na + s because em + as → nas)

What exactly is na in na reunião?

Na is a contraction:

em (in / at) + a (the, feminine singular) → na

So:

em + a reunião → na reunião

Similarly:

em + o → no (masculine singular)
em + as → nas (feminine plural)
em + os → nos (masculine plural)

So na reunião literally means in the meeting or at the meeting.

Does na reunião mean “in the meeting” or “at the meeting”?

It can mean both. The preposition em (and its contraction na) covers several English prepositions:

na reunião can be:
- in the meeting
- at the meeting
- during the meeting (depending on context)

English splits this into different words (in / at / during), but Portuguese often uses just em/na and relies on context.

Could I say em reunião instead of na reunião?

Yes, but it changes the feel slightly.

na reunião (with article)
- more specific: in the meeting (a particular meeting)
em reunião (no article)
- more generic or descriptive: in a meeting / in meetings / while in a meeting

Examples:

O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião.
→ He likes to ask questions in that (or the) meeting.
O aluno fala pouco quando está em reunião.
→ He speaks little when he is in a meeting / in meetings.

In your sentence, na reunião is the most natural choice.

Why is perguntas plural here? Could I say fazer uma pergunta?

Both forms exist and are useful:

fazer perguntas = to ask questions (in general, plural, not counting)
fazer uma pergunta = to ask a question (one specific question)

In your sentence, the emphasis is on the habit:

He likes to ask questions (in general) → fazer perguntas

If you want to say “The student likes to ask a question in the meeting” (one question each time), you could say:

O aluno gosta de fazer uma pergunta na reunião.

But for the broad idea of being someone who asks questions, fazer perguntas is more natural.

How is gosta conjugated compared to other forms of gostar?

Gostar is a regular -ar verb. Present tense:

eu gosto = I like
você / ele / ela gosta = you / he / she likes
nós gostamos = we like
vocês / eles / elas gostam = you (pl.) / they like

In O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião:

o aluno → 3rd person singular
so we use gosta.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move na reunião to another place?

Portuguese word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbials like na reunião. All of these are grammatically correct:

O aluno gosta de fazer perguntas na reunião.
O aluno, na reunião, gosta de fazer perguntas.
Na reunião, o aluno gosta de fazer perguntas.

The first one is the most neutral and common.
Moving na reunião to the front (third option) can give a bit more emphasis to the setting: In the meeting, the student likes to ask questions.

How do you pronounce reunião?

Approximate Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [heh-oo-nyão]

Breakdown:

reu → sounds like heh-oo blended (the r at the start is a guttural h sound in most of Brazil)
ni → like nee
ão → nasal sound, similar to own in English but nasal and shorter

Stress is on the last syllable: re-u-NHÃO.