Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.

Alguns = some (people)
The implied noun is usually pessoas (people), so you can think of it as short for Algumas pessoas gostam de café.
Outros = others / other (people)
Again, the implied noun is pessoas: Outras pessoas gostam de chá.

So the full, very explicit version would be:

Algumas pessoas gostam de café, outras (pessoas) gostam de chá.

In normal speech and writing, you just say alguns and outros and leave pessoas understood from context.

Why do we say gostam de café and gostam de chá instead of just gostam café or gostam chá?

In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always needs the preposition de before the thing you like.

Think of gostar de as one unit: gostar de = to like / to be fond of.

So you must say:

gostar de café
gostar de chá
gostar de música
gostar de ler (to like reading)

You cannot drop de in this structure:

❌ gostam café
✅ gostam de café

The de will only change form when it combines with an article:

gostar de o café → gostar do café
gostar de a música → gostar da música

But de (in some form) is always there when you mention what is liked.

Why is there no article before café and chá? Why not do café or do chá?

Here café and chá are used in a general, not specific, sense: coffee in general, tea in general. In this generic sense, Portuguese often uses no article:

Gosto de café. = I like coffee (in general).
Gosto de chá. = I like tea (in general).

If you add an article, it changes the nuance:

Gosto do café.
= I like the coffee (a specific coffee you are drinking or talking about).
Gosto do chá.
= I like the tea (a specific tea, e.g. this brand, this pot).

So in Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá, we are talking about general preferences, not particular drinks, so no article is the most natural choice.

Could I say Alguns gostam de café, outros de chá and omit the second gostam?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural:

Alguns gostam de café, outros de chá.

This is called ellipsis: you omit a repeated word when it is clear from context. The verb gostam is understood:

Alguns gostam de café, outros (gostam) de chá.

Both versions are fine:

Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.
Alguns gostam de café, outros de chá.

The version without the second gostam is a bit more compact and is very common in writing and speech.

Why is it alguns gostam (plural) and not algum gosta (singular)?

Alguns is plural, so the verb must also be plural:

alguns gostam (some [plural] like)
outros gostam (others [plural] like)

If you used algum (singular masculine), you would need a singular verb:

Algum gosta de café.
= Some (person) likes coffee.
This is grammatically possible but not the normal way to express a general contrast between groups.

To talk about groups (some vs others), Portuguese naturally uses the plural forms:

Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.

So: alguns → gostam (plural), algum → gosta (singular), and here the meaning is clearly plural groups.

Where is they in this sentence? Why is there no word like eles?

Portuguese is a “null subject” language: subject pronouns (like eu, tu, ele, nós, eles) are often dropped when the subject is clear from the verb or from other words.

In this sentence, alguns and outros are already the subjects:

Alguns (some people) gostam de café
Outros (other people) gostam de chá

So we do not need eles.

You could say, for example:

Alguns deles gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.
= Some of them like coffee, others like tea.

Here deles means of them, but eles as a separate subject pronoun is not needed because alguns and outros already act as the subject.

Is gostar de exactly the same as English to like?

In most everyday situations, yes, you can translate gostar de as to like.

Gosto de café. = I like coffee.
Ela gosta de chá. = She likes tea.

However:

Grammatically, gostar behaves more like to be fond of / to be pleased by, so it takes de.
For a stronger sense (love, adore), Portuguese often uses:
- adorar = to adore / to really like
- amar = to love (more emotional, especially for people, but can be used for things too: Amo café)

In neutral contexts of preference (food, music, activities), gostar de is the standard equivalent of English like.

Can I use the structure alguns …, outros … in other contexts, not just with coffee and tea?

Yes. Alguns …, outros … is a very common pattern to contrast two subsets of a group. Some examples:

Alguns estudam muito, outros estudam pouco.
Some (people) study a lot, others study little.
Alguns vão de carro, outros vão a pé.
Some go by car, others go on foot.
Alguns preferem o verão, outros preferem o inverno.
Some prefer summer, others prefer winter.

The idea is always: from a larger group, some do/are X, others do/are Y. The nouns (people, students, etc.) are often omitted because context makes them clear.

How do you pronounce alguns, outros, and chá in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciations:

alguns → /aɫˈɡũjʃ/
- The lh/ʎ type sound is not here; instead:
- al- like al in album (but quicker)
- -guns with a nasal vowel and a kind of sh sound at the end
- Rough English-like approximation: al-GOONSH
outros → /ˈowtɾuʃ/
- ou like oh
- tr pronounced with a tapped r
- Final s like English sh in most European accents
- Approximation: OH-troosh
chá → /ʃa/
- ch like sh
- Open a like a in father
- Approximation: SHAH

These are simplified approximations; real European Portuguese is more reduced and rapid in connected speech.

Is the comma in Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá necessary? Could I use e instead?

The comma is normal and correct here because you are separating two independent clauses:

Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.

You can also add e (and):

Alguns gostam de café e outros gostam de chá.

Both versions are grammatically correct:

With comma only:
Alguns gostam de café, outros gostam de chá.
(Very natural, slightly more concise.)
With e:
Alguns gostam de café e outros gostam de chá.
(Also natural; explicitly marks and.)

You would not normally write a comma and an e in the same place:

❌ Alguns gostam de café, e outros gostam de chá. (less usual in short sentences like this; in Portuguese this comma before e is typically avoided unless there is a special reason, such as a very long clause before it).