Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto, com um travesseiro confortável.

I like to read in the bed in my bedroom, with a comfortable pillow.

Breakdown of Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto, com um travesseiro confortável.

• eu: I
• gostar de: to like
• um: a
• com: with
• meu: my
• na: in the
• ler: to read
• do: of the
• confortável: comfortable
• a cama: the bed
• o quarto: the bedroom
• o travesseiro: the pillow

Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto, com um travesseiro confortável.

Why do we say gosto de ler and not gosto ler?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always requires the preposition de after it.

• Eu gosto de ler = I like to read / I like reading
• gostar de + [noun]: Eu gosto de livros (I like books)
• gostar de + [verb in infinitive]: Eu gosto de viajar (I like to travel)

So you should think of gostar as gostar de: the de is part of the normal structure.

Why is it gosto de ler and not gosto da leitura if it means “I like reading”?

You can say both, but they’re a bit different:

• Eu gosto de ler.

  • Very natural and common.
  • Focuses on the activity of reading (like English I like to read / I like reading).

• Eu gosto da leitura.

  • Grammatically correct, but sounds more formal or abstract.
  • Focuses on the concept of reading, almost like saying “I like the act of reading / literature.”

In everyday speech, gostar de + verb (infinitive) is by far more common for activities:
gosto de correr, gosto de cozinhar, gosto de ler, etc.

Why is it na cama and not em cama?

Na is a contraction of em + a (in + the).

• em + a cama → na cama = in the bed / on the bed

In Portuguese you normally need the article (a, o, as, os) with most concrete nouns:

• na cama (in the bed)
• na mesa (on the table)
• no carro (in the car)

Saying em cama (without the article) would sound wrong or very strange in almost all everyday contexts. The natural form here is na cama.

What does do meu quarto mean exactly, and why do, not no?

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

• do meu quarto = de + o meu quarto = of my bedroom / of my room

So:

• na cama do meu quarto
  
  • literally: in the bed of my bedroom
  • naturally: in the bed in my bedroom

If you said no meu quarto (em + o meu quarto) that would mean in my bedroom:

• Eu leio no meu quarto. = I read in my bedroom.
• Eu leio na cama do meu quarto. = I read in the bed (that belongs to / is in) my bedroom.

In your sentence, do shows the relationship “the bed of my room.”

Could I say na cama no meu quarto instead of na cama do meu quarto?

You could, but it sounds a bit heavier and less natural here.

• na cama do meu quarto

  • very natural and compact
  • the structure is: [bed] of [my room]

• na cama no meu quarto

  • literally: in the bed in my bedroom
  • more wordy and a bit redundant (bed → obviously inside a room)

Both are understandable, but na cama do meu quarto is smoother and more idiomatic in this context.

Why is it travesseiro confortável and not confortável travesseiro?

In Portuguese, most descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun:

• travesseiro confortável = comfortable pillow
• quarto grande = big bedroom
• livro interessante = interesting book

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible but:

• often sounds poetic, literary, or emphatic
• can sometimes change the nuance or meaning

So travesseiro confortável is the normal, neutral order.
confortável travesseiro might appear in poetry or very stylized language, not in normal speech.

Is the comma before com um travesseiro confortável necessary?

It’s not strictly necessary, but it’s very natural and helps clarity.

• Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto com um travesseiro confortável.
• Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto, com um travesseiro confortável.

The version with a comma slightly emphasizes the extra detail, almost like:

• I like to read in the bed in my bedroom, *with a comfortable pillow.*

Without the comma, it’s still correct; it just flows more as one continuous idea. The comma here is more about style and rhythm than a hard grammar rule.

Can I drop Eu and just say Gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto…?

Yes, absolutely.

Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language: you can often omit subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Eu gosto de ler na cama…
• Gosto de ler na cama…

Both are correct and natural. Omitting Eu:

• sounds slightly more neutral or typical of written/formal style
• is very common in speech too, especially when the subject is obvious from context

Why is it meu quarto and not o meu quarto? Are both correct?

Both meu quarto and o meu quarto are correct.

• meu quarto

  • Common in Brazilian Portuguese, especially in speech.
  • Shorter, a bit more informal.

• o meu quarto

  • Also used, a bit more explicit and sometimes sounds more emphatic or careful.
  • More frequent in European Portuguese, but Brazilians use it too.

Your sentence with either is fine:

• na cama do meu quarto (more typical in Brazil)
• na cama do meu quarto = na cama do meu quarto (the o is already inside do; you’d notice the difference more in no meu quarto vs no quarto)

What’s the difference between gosto de ler na cama and gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto?

• Eu gosto de ler na cama.

  • I like to read in bed (in general, doesn’t specify where the bed is).

• Eu gosto de ler na cama do meu quarto.

  • I like to read in the bed in my own bedroom.
  • More specific: it’s that particular bed, in that location.

So the second sentence adds a detail about where that bed is and implies a more personal, familiar place.

How is quarto used? Does it only mean “bedroom”?

Quarto most commonly means bedroom in modern Brazilian Portuguese:

• meu quarto = my bedroom
• o quarto do meu irmão = my brother’s bedroom

It can also mean room in some contexts (especially in hotels):

• um quarto de hotel = a hotel room

In your sentence, quarto clearly means bedroom:
na cama do meu quarto → in the bed in my bedroom.