O autor gosta de responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante.

The author likes to answer the questions in an interesting way.

Breakdown of O autor gosta de responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante.

• gostar de: to like
• a pergunta: the question
• responder: to answer
• o autor: the author
• de um jeito interessante: in an interesting way

Questions & Answers about O autor gosta de responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante.

Why do we say gosta de responder and not gosta responder?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always comes with the preposition de before what you like, whether it’s a noun or a verb:

• gostar de música – to like music
• gostar de viajar – to like traveling
• O autor gosta de responder… – The author likes to answer…

If you omit de (gosta responder), it sounds wrong in modern Brazilian Portuguese.

So, for learning purposes, treat gostar de as a fixed combination: gostar de + noun / infinitive.

What exactly does às mean here, and why does it have that accent?

Às is a contraction of:

• a (preposition, roughly to / at)
• as (feminine plural definite article the)

So às perguntas literally means to the questions.

The accent mark (the little grave accent) is called crase. It shows that a + as merged into às. It is a spelling/grammar mark, not a new word or a change in basic pronunciation.

Structure-wise:

• responder a + as perguntas → responder às perguntas

Why is it responder às perguntas instead of responder as perguntas or responder perguntas?

In standard grammar, responder normally takes the preposition a:

• responder a algo / a alguém – to answer something / someone

When that a meets the article as (the), they contract to às:

• responder a + as perguntas → responder às perguntas

So:

• responder às perguntas – grammatically correct in formal Portuguese
• responder as perguntas – seen as a spelling error (missing the crase)
• responder perguntas – very common in Brazilian speech, and widely accepted in practice, but a bit more colloquial; in formal writing, responder às perguntas is safer.

Examples:

• responder ao e‑mail (a + o)
• responder aos clientes (a + os)
• responder às perguntas (a + as)

Could we say O autor gosta de responder à pergunta in the singular? What changes?

Yes, you can say:

• O autor gosta de responder à pergunta.

Here’s the difference in meaning:

• às perguntas (plural) – to the questions (several questions, or questions in general)
• à pergunta (singular) – to the question (one specific question)

So:

• O autor gosta de responder às perguntas… – He likes answering questions (generally, or several).
• O autor gosta de responder à pergunta… – He likes answering the question (a particular one already known in the context).

Why is it de um jeito interessante and not em um jeito interessante, or just um jeito interessante?

In this kind of expression, Portuguese uses de to form an adverbial phrase of manner:

• de um jeito interessante – in an interesting way
• de uma forma clara – in a clear way
• de maneira estranha – in a strange way

Using em um jeito interessante is not idiomatic here; native speakers don’t say it that way.

You also cannot simply drop de, because then the structure breaks:

• responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante – correct
• responder às perguntas um jeito interessante – incorrect

So, think of de um jeito… as a fixed pattern meaning in a … way.

What’s the difference between jeito, modo, and maneira here?

In this sentence, they all mean essentially way / manner:

• de um jeito interessante
• de um modo interessante
• de uma maneira interessante

All three are understood as in an interesting way.

Nuance:

• jeito – very common, everyday, slightly more informal/colloquial
• modo / maneira – a bit more neutral or formal, good in writing

So you could rewrite the sentence as:

• O autor gosta de responder às perguntas de uma maneira interessante.

No real change in meaning.

Can we move de um jeito interessante to another position in the sentence?

Yes, there is some flexibility. These versions are natural:

• O autor gosta de responder de um jeito interessante às perguntas.
• O autor gosta, de um jeito interessante, de responder às perguntas. (more stylized)

The original, though, is probably the most neutral:

• O autor gosta de responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante.

All of them mean the same thing; changing the position slightly shifts rhythm and emphasis, but not the core meaning.

Why do we use the article O in O autor? Could we just say Autor gosta…?

In Portuguese, when you talk about a specific person by a role/profession, you usually include the definite article:

• O professor chegou. – The teacher arrived.
• A diretora falou. – The principal spoke.
• O autor gosta de responder… – The author likes to answer…

Saying Autor gosta de responder… without O sounds like a newspaper headline or very telegraphic style. In normal speech and writing you want O autor, not just Autor.

What changes if the author is female?

You change the article and the noun to the feminine forms:

• A autora gosta de responder às perguntas de um jeito interessante.

Notes:

• autor → autora (masculine → feminine)
• O → A (masculine article → feminine article)
• The verb gosta does not change with gender; it only changes with person/number (eu gosto, ele/ela gosta, eles gostam, etc.).

Could we say gosta de respondendo às perguntas to match English likes answering the questions?

No. After gostar de, Portuguese uses the infinitive, not the gerund:

• gosta de responder – likes answering / likes to answer
• ❌ gosta de respondendo – incorrect

The -ndo form (gerund) is mainly used:

• With estar for ongoing actions:
  
  • Ele está respondendo às perguntas. – He is answering the questions.
• With a few other verbs or expressions (e.g., vive respondendo, fica falando, etc.).

So, for likes doing X, the pattern is gostar de + infinitive:

• gostar de ler, gostar de viajar, gostar de responder.

Is there any difference between gostar de responder às perguntas and gostar de responder perguntas?

There are two issues here: the preposition and the article.

1. With preposition and article (standard, more formal):

   • gostar de responder às perguntas
     This follows the pattern responder a algo and sounds more formal/careful.

2. Without preposition and article (more colloquial):

   • gostar de responder perguntas
     Here perguntas works as a direct object (answer questions in general).
     This is very common in Brazilian speech and informal writing.

Subtle difference in feel:

• responder às perguntas – often suggests answering the questions (a particular set, or what people ask)
• responder perguntas – more like answer questions in general, as an activity

For exams, formal texts, or if in doubt, gostar de responder às perguntas is the safer choice.

Does the accent in às change its pronunciation compared to as?

In Brazilian Portuguese, às and as are normally pronounced the same way in a sentence; the accent (crase) is about grammar and spelling, not sound.

So:

• às perguntas (to the questions – with preposition)
• as perguntas (the questions – just the article)

Both are pronounced essentially the same; the difference is grammatical:

• In responder às perguntas, the accent tells you it’s a + as (to + the).
• responder as perguntas without the accent would be considered a spelling mistake in standard writing.