Eu gosto de estudar de noite.

I like to study at night.

Breakdown of Eu gosto de estudar de noite.

• eu: I
• gostar de: to like
• estudar: to study
• de noite: at night

Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de estudar de noite.

Why is it gosto de and not just gosto?

In Portuguese, when gostar means to like (something / doing something), it almost always takes the preposition de:

• gostar de + noun:
  
  • Eu gosto de música. – I like music.
• gostar de + verb (infinitive):
  
  • Eu gosto de estudar. – I like to study / I like studying.

So gosto de is the normal structure.
✗ Eu gosto estudar is incorrect.
✓ Eu gosto de estudar is correct.

Why is estudar in the infinitive and not conjugated, like estudo?

After gostar de, when you talk about liking to do an activity, you use the infinitive form of the verb:

• Eu gosto de estudar. – I like studying / I like to study.
• Eu gosto de ler. – I like reading.
• Eu gosto de cozinhar. – I like cooking.

The conjugated form estudo means I study (a normal present action), not I like to study. So:

• Eu estudo de noite. – I study at night. (fact about what I do)
• Eu gosto de estudar de noite. – I like studying at night. (preference)

Do I really need to say Eu, or can I just say Gosto de estudar de noite?

You don’t need Eu. The verb ending -o in gosto already shows the subject is eu (I):

• (Eu) gosto de estudar de noite.

In everyday European Portuguese, people often drop the subject pronoun unless they want to emphasize it:

• Gosto de estudar de noite. – neutral
• Eu gosto de estudar de noite. – a bit more emphasis on I (for contrast, for example: Eu gosto, mas ele não gosta).

What tense is gosto, and what does that tense mean here?

Gosto is the present indicative, 1st person singular of gostar:

• eu gosto – I like
• tu gostas – you like
• ele/ela gosta – he/she likes

In this sentence, the present tense expresses a general preference or habit, not just something happening right now. It’s similar to English:

• Eu gosto de estudar de noite. – I like to study at night / I like studying at night (in general).

What is the function of the second de in de noite?

Here de noite is a fixed time expression meaning at night.

The structure:

• de noite – at night
• de manhã – in the morning
• de tarde – in the afternoon

So the sentence breaks down as:

• gostar de – to like (doing…)
• estudar – to study
• de noite – at night

So literally: I like to study at night.

Is there any difference between de noite and à noite?

Both are correct and both can mean at night:

• Eu gosto de estudar de noite.
• Eu gosto de estudar à noite.

Nuances (especially in European Portuguese):

• à noite is sometimes felt as a bit more standard/common in writing.
• de noite is very common in speech and perfectly fine.

In everyday use, they are often interchangeable with almost no difference in meaning. You will hear both in Portugal.

Why does à noite have that accent, and what does it stand for?

The à in à noite is a contraction:

• a (preposition to/at) + a (feminine singular article the) → à

So à noite literally means “at the night”, which corresponds to English “at night”.

The grave accent (à) marks this contraction in Portuguese spelling.

Why is there no article in de noite, but there is one hidden in à noite?

Because they come from different structures:

• de noite = of night → used as an adverbial time expression, without article.
• à noite = a + a noite (to/at + the night) → the article a gets contracted: à noite.

In practice, both have become fixed expressions meaning at night, but the grammar behind them is slightly different.

Could I say Eu gosto de estudar à noite instead of de noite?

Yes. For European Portuguese, this is completely natural:

• Eu gosto de estudar de noite.
• Eu gosto de estudar à noite.

Both are correct and very idiomatic. Which one you use is mostly a matter of personal or regional preference.

Is this sentence more European Portuguese or Brazilian Portuguese?

Grammatically, the sentence is correct in both European and Brazilian Portuguese:

• Eu gosto de estudar de noite.

Differences:

• In Portugal, you’ll hear both de noite and à noite very often.
• In Brazil, à noite and à tarde / de tarde are also common; usage varies by region and speaker.

The biggest differences will be in pronunciation, not grammar.

How is this pronounced in European Portuguese?

In a simplified phonetic transcription (European Portuguese):

• Eu ≈ “eh-oo” but very quickly, often almost like “eu” with a single diphthong.
• gosto ≈ “GOSHT-oo”
  
  • gos- like English “gosh” (but shorter), -to with the t a bit soft.
• de often reduced, sounding close to “d’ ” (very short, almost just the consonant).
• estudar ≈ “sh-too-DAR” (initial e often reduced, s before t sounds like sh).
• noite ≈ “NOYT(ih)” (final e is very weak or almost silent).

Spoken quickly, it might sound something like:
“Eu GOSHT d’ shtoo-DAR d’ NOYT(ih).”

Could the verb gostar use another preposition, like gostar em or gostar de estudar à noite vs. gostar em estudar à noite?

With the meaning to like, gostar in standard Portuguese uses de, not em:

• ✓ gosto de estudar à noite
• ✗ gosto em estudar à noite

You will occasionally see gostar de, gostar que, etc., but gostar em with this meaning is not standard.

Can I change the word order, for example De noite eu gosto de estudar?

Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order, especially with time expressions:

• Eu gosto de estudar de noite.
• Gosto de estudar de noite.
• De noite, eu gosto de estudar.

All are correct. Moving de noite to the beginning puts a little extra emphasis on the time: At night, I like to study.