Breakdown of Eu gosto de ler no sofá, mas às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de ler no sofá, mas às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always needs the preposition de before what you like.
- gostar de + noun: Eu gosto de música. = I like music.
- gostar de + infinitive: Eu gosto de ler. = I like to read / I like reading.
So the correct structure is gostar de algo (to like something) or gostar de fazer algo (to like doing something).
Gosto ler is ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.
After gostar de, Portuguese uses the infinitive to talk about activities you like:
- Eu gosto de ler. = I like to read / I like reading.
- Eu gosto de correr. = I like to run / I like running.
The gerund (like lendo) is for actions in progress:
- Estou lendo no sofá. = I am reading on the couch (right now).
So:
- Habit / preference → gosto de ler
- Ongoing action → estou lendo
no is a contraction of:
- em + o = no
So literally:
- no sofá = em o sofá = on the couch / on the sofa.
In normal Portuguese, you never say em o sofá; you always contract it to no.
Because the nouns have different grammatical genders:
- o sofá (masculine singular) → em + o = no sofá
- a cadeira (feminine singular) → em + a = na cadeira
So:
- masculine: no (em + o), nos (em + os)
- feminine: na (em + a), nas (em + as)
The preposition em (in/on/at) + the definite article must agree in gender and number with the noun.
Yes. Dropping the subject pronoun is very common in Portuguese when the subject is clear from the verb ending.
- Eu gosto de ler no sofá.
- Gosto de ler no sofá.
Both mean I like to read on the couch. The second sounds very natural and is actually more typical in everyday speech when the subject is obvious from context.
Yes, sento is still I sit. In Portuguese, you usually don’t repeat the subject pronoun in the second clause if it’s the same as in the first clause:
- Eu gosto de ler no sofá, mas às vezes (eu) sento na cadeira…
The eu before sento is optional. Native speakers often leave it out because:
- The verb ending -o already shows it’s eu.
- The subject is clearly the same person as in the first part of the sentence.
You can say mas às vezes eu sento for extra clarity or emphasis; it’s also correct.
Both forms exist, but usage depends on variety and style:
In Brazilian Portuguese (informal/normal speech):
- Eu sento na cadeira. = I sit on the chair.
- This is very common and natural.
- Eu me sento na cadeira. also exists, but sounds a bit more careful or formal.
In European Portuguese, the reflexive form is more consistent, and the pronoun usually comes after the verb in writing:
- Eu sento-me na cadeira.
Grammatically:
- sentar (non‑reflexive) can be transitive: Eu sento a criança na cadeira. = I sit the child on the chair.
- sentar-se is reflexive: Eu (me) sento na cadeira. = I sit (myself) on the chair.
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, Eu sento na cadeira is completely standard.
Literally:
- às = a + as (to the / at the, feminine plural)
- vezes = times
So às vezes literally is at the times, but idiomatically it just means sometimes.
Position in the sentence is flexible. All of these are natural:
- Às vezes eu sento na cadeira.
- Eu às vezes sento na cadeira.
- Eu sento na cadeira às vezes.
In your sentence, mas às vezes sento na cadeira… is also very natural.
Note the accent: às vezes (with accent) is correct; as vezes (no accent) is wrong in this meaning.
mas means but and is joining two clauses that could stand as separate sentences:
- Eu gosto de ler no sofá.
- Às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
When mas connects two independent clauses, Portuguese normally uses a comma:
- Eu gosto de ler no sofá, mas às vezes sento na cadeira…
You might omit the comma only in very short, simple phrases (especially in informal writing), but the standard rule is:
- Comma before mas when it means but.
The fixed expression is:
- perto de + noun = near / close to [something]
With a definite noun, you add the article and contract:
- perto de + a janela → perto da janela = near the window
(da = de + a)
Alternatives:
- perto de uma janela = near a window (indefinite)
- perto das janelas = near the windows (plural; de + as = das)
perto à janela is not idiomatic; you should use perto de + article.
Yes, it’s mostly about specificity:
- na cadeira = em + a cadeira → on the chair (a specific, identifiable chair)
- em uma cadeira / numa cadeira (em + uma) → on a chair (any chair, not specified)
In your sentence, na cadeira perto da janela suggests a particular chair that the speaker has in mind (probably a familiar spot by the window).
If you said em uma cadeira perto da janela, you’d be talking more generally about some chair by the window, not necessarily a specific, known one.
Yes, with small differences in style:
Original:
- Eu gosto de ler no sofá, mas às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
Possible variants:
Eu gosto de ler no sofá; porém, às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
- porém = however / but
- sounds more formal or literary.
Eu gosto de ler no sofá, só que às vezes sento na cadeira perto da janela.
- só que = but / except that
- very common in informal, spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
Grammatically, mas is the most neutral and widely used option for but.