Breakdown of O professor de que eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
Questions & Answers about O professor de que eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
Why is it de que after professor?
Because the verb gostar normally requires the preposition de: gostar de alguém / de alguma coisa.
So in the relative clause, that de has to stay:
English often drops or hides that kind of preposition, but Portuguese usually keeps it because it belongs to the verb.
Could I say O professor que eu mais gosto?
In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, many people do say que eu mais gosto and leave out the de. It is very common in speech.
However, in more careful or standard grammar, de should be there because of gostar de. So:
- Standard / more formal: O professor de que eu mais gosto
- Very common in speech: O professor que eu mais gosto
If you are learning for exams, writing, or formal situations, keep de.
Could I use de quem instead of de que?
Why is mais before gosto?
Here mais means most, not just more.
The structure de que eu mais gosto means:
- the one that I like the most
- the one I like best
So mais is modifying the idea of liking within that group of professors.
Compare:
- o professor de que eu mais gosto = the professor I like most
- eu gosto mais dele = I like him more
In your sentence, mais helps create the superlative idea: out of all the professors, this is the one you like the most.
Why is there eu in de que eu mais gosto? Can it be omitted?
Why does the sentence start with O professor instead of just Professor?
Portuguese usually uses the definite article more often than English.
So when you mean a specific professor, o professor is natural:
If you said just professor, it would usually not fit this sentence well. The article helps identify the noun as a specific person.
What does vai dar aula mean exactly?
Dar aula is a very common expression meaning to teach or more literally to give class/classes.
So:
- vai dar aula = is going to teach
- depending on context, also will be teaching
It is often more idiomatic in Portuguese than using ensinar.
Compare:
Why is it vai dar aula and not just dará aula?
Vai dar aula is the periphrastic future: ir + infinitive. In Brazilian Portuguese, this is very common and natural for talking about the future.
So:
- vai dar aula = is going to teach / will teach
- dará aula = a simple future form, also correct, but often more formal or less common in everyday speech
In conversation, Brazilians often prefer vai + infinitive.
Why is there no article before aula?
Because dar aula works as a fixed expression.
So Portuguese says:
- dar aula
- not usually dar uma aula in this general sense
If you say dar uma aula, it usually sounds like give one class/lesson, referring to a single class. But here the meaning is general: he will teach.
Compare:
What does no segundo semestre mean, and why is it no?
No is a contraction of em + o:
- em o → no
So:
- no segundo semestre = in the second semester
Segundo semestre usually means the second half of the academic year or calendar year, depending on context. In a school/university context, it often refers to the later term of the year.
Is the subject of vai dar aula the professor or eu?
Can the word order change?
Yes, a little. Some small variations are possible:
- O professor de que eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
- O professor de quem eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
- O professor de que mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
These all sound natural.
But if you remove the de in careful standard Portuguese, or change the structure too much, it becomes less grammatical in formal usage.
Is this sentence natural in Brazilian Portuguese?
Yes, it is natural and correct.
A Brazilian speaker might also say:
- O professor que eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
very common in speech, less formal - O professor de quem eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
also very natural - O professor de que eu mais gosto vai dar aula no segundo semestre.
correct and standard
So the version you have is a good model, especially for solid grammar.
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