Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal.

Because gostar normally takes de in Portuguese.

So:

• gostar de + noun → Eu gosto de música.
• gostar de + infinitive → Eu gosto de caminhar.

This is different from English, where we just say I like walking or I like to walk without a preposition.

A very common learner mistake is to say Eu gosto caminhar, but the standard form is Eu gosto de caminhar.

After gostar de, Portuguese often uses the infinitive to talk about activities in a general way.

So Eu gosto de caminhar literally corresponds to I like to walk or I like walking.

The infinitive caminhar is the dictionary form of the verb, like:

• comer = to eat
• beber = to drink
• caminhar = to walk

In this sentence, it is not conjugated because it follows gosto de and expresses the activity itself.

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, (Eu) gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal is perfectly natural.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear:

• gosto already tells you the subject is I

So both are possible:

• Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal.
• Gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal.

Including Eu can add emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Pela is the contraction of por + a.

• por can mean through, along, by, or around, depending on context
• a is the feminine singular definite article the

So:

• por + a = pela

In this sentence, pela avenida principal means something like:

• along the main avenue
• through the main avenue
• on the main avenue

The most natural English choice depends on context, but along the main avenue is often a good match.

Because avenida principal is being treated as a specific, identifiable place: the main avenue.

Portuguese often uses the definite article in places where English may or may not:

• pela avenida principal = along the main avenue

Without the article, por avenida principal sounds incomplete or unnatural in this context.

Since avenida is feminine singular, the article is a, and with por it becomes pela.

In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• avenida principal = main avenue
• casa grande = big house
• carro novo = new car

English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Portuguese commonly puts them after.

You may sometimes see adjectives before nouns in Portuguese, but that often changes the tone, emphasis, or meaning. In this sentence, avenida principal is the normal order.

Yes, often you can, but there is a difference in nuance.

• caminhar = to walk, often with a clearer sense of walking as an activity, exercise, or purposeful movement
• andar = to walk, but also more broadly to go, to move around, or to get around

So:

• Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal sounds very natural for I like walking along the main avenue
• Eu gosto de andar pela avenida principal is also possible, but it may sound a little broader or slightly less specifically about walking as exercise

In many everyday contexts, both are acceptable.

Yes, but it means something a little different.

• pela avenida principal suggests movement along, through, or around the avenue
• na avenida principal means on/in the main avenue, focusing more on location

So:

• caminhar pela avenida principal = walking along the avenue
• caminhar na avenida principal = walking on the avenue

Both are possible, but pela emphasizes the path or route more strongly.

Yes. The core structure is:

• Eu gosto de caminhar = I like to walk / I like walking

Then pela avenida principal is an added prepositional phrase telling you where or along what route the walking happens.

So the sentence breaks down like this:

• Eu = I
• gosto de = like
• caminhar = to walk / walking
• pela avenida principal = along the main avenue

The sentence is already natural.

A Brazilian speaker might say:

• Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal.
• Gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal.

If speaking casually, they might also choose a different verb or phrasing depending on context, for example:

• Gosto de andar pela avenida principal.

But your original sentence is completely normal and correct.

No. In Brazilian Portuguese, the final o in gosto is usually pronounced more like a short u sound, not a full English oh.

A rough guide:

• gosto sounds approximately like GOH-stu

Also:

• eu is roughly like eh-oo said quickly
• de is often pronounced like jee or djee in many Brazilian accents when followed by certain sounds, but here in careful speech it is usually closer to dji or dee, depending on accent
• caminhar has stress on the last syllable: ca-mi-NHAR

Pronunciation varies by region, but the key point is that Portuguese spelling does not map directly to English sounds.

It expresses a general preference.

Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal means that walking along the main avenue is something the speaker likes doing. It does not by itself say how often they do it.

If you wanted to make it more clearly habitual, you could add something like:

• Eu gosto de caminhar pela avenida principal todos os dias. = I like to walk along the main avenue every day.

So the sentence mainly tells us what the speaker enjoys, not necessarily their routine.