Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.

I like to look at the blue sky.

Breakdown of Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.

• eu: I
• gostar de: to like
• azul: blue
• o céu: the sky
• olhar: to look at

Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.

Why is de used after gosto in Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always comes with the preposition de.

• gostar de + noun: Eu gosto de música. (I like music.)
• gostar de + infinitive: Eu gosto de ler. (I like to read.)

So Eu gosto de olhar... is the normal, correct structure. Saying Eu gosto olhar... without de is incorrect in standard Portuguese.

Can I say Eu gosto olhar o céu azul without de?

No. That sounds wrong to native speakers.

With gostar, you must keep de before a verb in the infinitive:

• ✅ Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.
• ❌ Eu gosto olhar o céu azul.

Think of gostar de as a fixed combination, similar to how English needs of in to think of.

Why is it olhar o céu and not olhar para o céu? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but the nuance is slightly different:

• olhar o céu = to look at the sky (more direct object–focused, very natural)
• olhar para o céu = literally “look to/toward the sky” (emphasizes the direction of your gaze)

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, olhar o céu and olhar para o céu are both fine here, and the meaning is almost the same. Your sentence is perfectly natural as it is.

Is the article o necessary in olhar o céu azul? Can I say olhar céu azul?

You normally need the article here.

• ✅ olhar o céu azul sounds natural
• ❌ olhar céu azul sounds incomplete or poetic/very stylized

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English. Where English might say look at sky, Portuguese usually wants olhar o céu.

Why is it céu azul and not azul céu? Where do adjectives usually go?

In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• céu azul = blue sky
• carro vermelho = red car
• casa grande = big house

Some adjectives can go before the noun, but that often adds a special nuance (more subjective, emotional, or poetic), and azul almost always goes after the noun in normal speech. So céu azul is the natural order.

Do I have to say Eu, or can I just say Gosto de olhar o céu azul?

You can drop Eu. The verb form gosto already shows the subject (I).

• Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.
• Gosto de olhar o céu azul.

Both are correct. In conversation, Brazilians often omit the subject pronoun when the meaning is clear. Keeping Eu can add a bit of emphasis: I like to look at the blue sky.

What’s the difference between olhar and ver here?

• olhar = to look (an intentional action; you direct your eyes on purpose)
• ver = to see (more passive; your eyes perceive something)

So:

• Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul. = I like to look at the blue sky (I enjoy the act of looking).
• Eu gosto de ver o céu azul. = I like to see the blue sky (I like when I see it / when it appears).

Both are understandable, but olhar matches the idea of looking at more directly.

How do you pronounce olhar and what does lh sound like?

In Brazilian Portuguese, olhar is roughly:

• o like the o in “go” (but shorter)
• lh like the lli in English “million”, or a soft ly sound
• final r varies by region (often like an h sound or very soft)

So olhar ≈ oh-LYAR (with that soft ly in the middle, not a hard l + h).

What does the accent in céu do, and how do I pronounce céu?

The acute accent (´) on é indicates:

1. The stress is on that syllable: céu has only one syllable, but é is clearly open and stressed.
2. The vowel quality is like “eh” (as in English “get”), not like a closed “ay” sound.

céu is pronounced as one syllable: something like SEH-oo blended together, almost like the English word “sell” but with a slight oo/w glide at the end: SEH-oo → SEU.

Can gostar de also be followed by a noun, not just a verb?

Yes. gostar de works with both nouns and verbs in the infinitive:

• gostar de + noun

  • Eu gosto de chocolate. (I like chocolate.)
  • Ela gosta de música. (She likes music.)

• gostar de + infinitive

  • Eu gosto de viajar. (I like to travel.)
  • Nós gostamos de dançar. (We like to dance.)

Your sentence is gostar de + infinitive: gosto de olhar.

Why don’t we use do instead of de here? What’s the difference between de and do?

do is a contraction of de + o (of/from + the).

You use do before nouns that take o:

• Eu gosto do céu azul. = I like the blue sky. (gosto de o céu → gosto do céu)

But you do not contract de before a verb (an infinitive):

• Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul. (verb olhar)
• ❌ Eu gosto do olhar o céu azul. (wrong; sounds like “I like the gaze/look at the blue sky.”)

So:

• de
  • verb (infinitive)
• do / da / dos / das
  • noun.

How would I say “I like to look at blue skies” (plural)?

You pluralize both the article and the noun:

• Eu gosto de olhar os céus azuis.

But note: in everyday Portuguese, people more often keep it singular:

• Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul.

This usually carries the same general idea as English “I like to look at blue skies”. The plural version is correct but sounds a bit more formal or poetic.

Can I use amar instead of gostar here? What’s the difference?

You can say:

• Eu amo olhar o céu azul.

amar = to love (stronger, more emotional)
gostar de = to like (more neutral)

If you really love doing this, Eu amo olhar o céu azul is fine. For an ordinary preference or hobby, Eu gosto de olhar o céu azul is more common and natural.