Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): No verão, eu gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro. - In the summer, I like to swim in the pool in the neighborhood.

You can sometimes see no verão without eu later, but saying just verão (without article or preposition) would sound incomplete in this sentence.

Is the comma after No verão required?

It’s optional but very common.

No verão, eu gosto de nadar… (with comma)
- The comma sets No verão apart as an introductory time phrase.
No verão eu gosto de nadar… (without comma)
- Also correct; the sentence is still clear.

In Portuguese, short initial time expressions like no verão, à noite, de manhã can be written with or without a comma, depending on style and rhythm.

Why do we say gosto de and not just gosto or gosto nadar?

The verb gostar almost always needs the preposition de before what you like:

Eu gosto de nadar. = I like to swim.
Eu gosto de música. = I like music.

Saying eu gosto nadar (without de) is incorrect.
Saying just eu gosto is grammatically OK but incomplete; it means I like it / I like that, with the object understood from context.

Why is nadar in the infinitive here and not conjugated?

After gostar de, when you’re talking about liking an activity, you use the infinitive:

gosto de nadar = I like swimming / I like to swim
gosto de ler = I like reading / to read
gosto de cozinhar = I like cooking / to cook

You don’t conjugate the second verb in this structure. So:

✅ Eu gosto de nadar.
❌ Eu gosto de nado. (this sounds like “I like a swim / the style breaststroke,” very odd here)
❌ Eu gosto de nado na piscina. (wrong for “I like to swim in the pool”)

Why is it na piscina and not em a piscina?

Again, we have a standard contraction:

em + a = na (in/on the, feminine singular)
em + o = no (in/on the, masculine singular)

So:

na piscina = em a piscina = in the pool
na praia = in/on the beach
no parque = in the park

You almost always use the contracted form (na, no, nas, nos) in normal speech and writing.

What does do bairro literally mean, and why do?

Do is a contraction of de + o (of/from + the):

de + o = do (masculine singular)
de + a = da (feminine singular)

So:

do bairro = de o bairro = “of the neighborhood”

Literally, piscina do bairro = “the neighborhood’s pool” / “the pool of the neighborhood.”
In natural English, we’d usually say the neighborhood pool.

What exactly does bairro mean here? Is it the same as “neighborhood”?

Bairro is close to “neighborhood,” but its use depends on the city. It can be:

An official district or area of a city (often with a name), or
More loosely, the area where you live (your part of town).

In a piscina do bairro, it usually means the public or shared pool that belongs to / is located in your area of town, not necessarily a pool literally owned by the whole neighborhood. It’s like saying the neighborhood pool in English.

Could I say na piscina do meu bairro instead of do bairro? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are correct:

na piscina do bairro
- More general: “the neighborhood pool” (implied: the one where I live).
na piscina do meu bairro
- More explicit: “the pool of my neighborhood.”

Often, do bairro already implies your neighborhood from context, so meu is not necessary unless you want to emphasize my specifically (for example, contrasting with someone else’s neighborhood).

Can I change the word order, like Eu gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro no verão?

Yes. Some natural possibilities:

No verão, eu gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro.
Eu gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro no verão.
Eu, no verão, gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro. (more emphatic, spoken style)

The most neutral are the first two. Portuguese word order is relatively flexible for time expressions; moving no verão to the end is fine and common.

Why is gosto in the present tense if we’re talking about a repeated or habitual action?

In Portuguese, the simple present (gosto, moro, trabalho) is normally used for:

General facts: Eu gosto de nadar.
Habits: Eu nado todo fim de semana.
Permanent preferences: Eu gosto de chocolate.

So Eu gosto de nadar na piscina do bairro naturally means “I like (in general / habitually) to swim at the neighborhood pool,” not just right now. You don’t need a special tense for habits like English sometimes uses “I used to…” or adverbs; the present is enough, especially when you add no verão.

How do you pronounce verão, and what is the function of the tilde (~) over the ã?

verão is roughly: veh-RÃO
- ve- like “veh”
- -rão is a nasal sound, somewhat like “rown” but more nasal and without a clear n.

The ~ (tilde) over ã marks a nasal vowel: you let air go partly through your nose while saying the vowel. Other examples:

mão (hand)
irmã (sister)
pão (bread)

So verão (summer) is different from verao (which would be wrong spelling). The tilde changes pronunciation and is required.

Are there more informal or alternative ways to say this in Brazilian Portuguese?

Yes, some natural variations (all still correct Portuguese):

No verão, eu adoro nadar na piscina do bairro.
- adoro = “I love” (stronger than “I like”).
No verão, eu curto nadar na piscina do bairro.
- curtir is informal, like “to dig / to enjoy.”
No verão, eu gosto de ir nadar na piscina do bairro.
- gosto de ir nadar = “I like to go (and) swim,” emphasizing the outing.

Your original sentence is neutral and standard; these just tweak the tone or add nuance.