Eu gosto de café forte.

I like strong coffee.

Breakdown of Eu gosto de café forte.

• eu: I
• gostar de: to like
• o café: the coffee
• forte: bright

Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de café forte.

Why do we need de after gosto?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always comes with the preposition de before the thing you like.

• Eu gosto de café. = I like coffee.
• Ela gosta de música. = She likes music.

Literally, it’s more like “to be pleased with / to have liking of” something.
So you cannot say Eu gosto café forte; it must be Eu gosto de café forte.

Can I leave out Eu and just say Gosto de café forte?

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns (like eu, você, ele) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Eu gosto de café forte.
• Gosto de café forte.

Both mean I like strong coffee.
Leaving out eu is very natural in speech and writing, especially when the subject is clear from context.

Why is forte after café and not before, like in English?

In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• café forte = strong coffee
• casa bonita = beautiful house
• livro interessante = interesting book

You would not normally say forte café in everyday speech; that sounds poetic or unusual.
So the natural order is café forte, noun first, then adjective.

What’s the difference between gosto, gosta, and gostar?

They are different forms of the verb gostar (to like):

• gostar – the infinitive form (to like)
• gosto – I like (1st person singular, present)
  
  • Eu gosto de café forte. = I like strong coffee.
• gosta – he/she/you (formal você) like
  
  • Ele gosta de café forte. = He likes strong coffee.
  • Você gosta de café forte. = You like strong coffee.

Very simplified 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

Why is there no o before café? Why not Eu gosto do café forte?

Leaving out the article (o, a, os, as) makes the meaning general:

• Eu gosto de café forte.
  = I like strong coffee (in general, as a type).

If you add the article and make de + o = do, it becomes more specific:

• Eu gosto do café forte.
  = I like the strong coffee (a particular one we both know about, for example the one at this café).

So:

• de café forte → strong coffee in general
• do café forte → that specific strong coffee

Is de always separate, or does it combine with articles?

De often combines (contracts) with the definite articles:

• de + o → do
  
  • Eu gosto do café. = I like the coffee.
• de + a → da
  
  • Eu gosto da música. = I like the music/song.
• de + os → dos
  
  • Eu gosto dos livros. = I like the books.
• de + as → das
  
  • Eu gosto das cidades grandes. = I like the big cities.

In Eu gosto de café forte, there is no article, so de stays separate.

How would I make this plural, like I like strong coffees?

You pluralize both the noun and the adjective:

• Eu gosto de cafés fortes.
  
  • cafés = plural of café
  • fortes = plural of forte

Adjectives must agree in number (singular/plural) with the noun:

• café forte → cafés fortes
• livro novo → livros novos

How do I say I don’t like strong coffee?

Put não before the verb:

• Eu não gosto de café forte.
  = I don’t like strong coffee.

You can also drop eu:

• Não gosto de café forte.

How do I say I really like / I love strong coffee instead of just I like?

Several common options in Brazilian Portuguese:

• Eu gosto muito de café forte.
  = I really like strong coffee.
• Eu adoro café forte.
  = I love strong coffee / I adore strong coffee.
• Eu amo café forte.
  = I love strong coffee (stronger, more emotional).

All are natural; gosto muito de is the softest and most common everyday way.

Can I use gostar de with people too, like I like you?

Yes, gostar de works with people:

• Eu gosto de você. = I like you.
• Ela gosta dele. = She likes him.
• Eles gostam da professora. = They like the (female) teacher.

You still keep the de, and it still contracts with articles when there is one (like dele, dela, da professora).

How do you pronounce de in Brazilian Portuguese in this sentence?

In Brazilian Portuguese, de is usually pronounced like “jee” (similar to the “ji” in “jeep”, but shorter), especially before a consonant:

• Eu gosto de café forte.
  → roughly: “eu GÓS-to je ca-FÉ FOR-tchi” (very approximate).

So de often sounds closer to “jee” than to a hard “deh”. The exact sound can vary a bit by region, but aiming for something like “jee” will usually sound natural in Brazil.