Questions & Answers about Eu gosto de ler em silêncio.
In Portuguese, the verb gostar almost always needs the preposition de before what you like.
- With a verb:
- Eu gosto de ler. = I like to read / I like reading.
- With a noun (no article):
- Eu gosto de chocolate. = I like chocolate.
- With a noun with an article, de usually contracts:
- Eu gosto do livro. = I like the book. (de + o = do)
- Eu gosto da música. = I like the music. (de + a = da)
So Eu gosto ler is wrong; you must say Eu gosto de ler. The de is required by the verb gostar in standard Portuguese.
No. That is incorrect in standard Portuguese.
You must say:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio.
The structure is:
- gostar de + [noun / verb in the infinitive]
So:
- gostar de ler (to like to read)
- gostar de música (to like music)
- gostar de comer peixe (to like eating fish)
Leaving out de after gosto/gostar sounds wrong to native speakers.
You can omit Eu. Both are correct:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio.
- Gosto de ler em silêncio.
Portuguese verb endings show the subject, so the pronoun is often dropped when it’s clear from context:
- Gosto de ler. (I like to read.)
- Gostas de ler. (You like to read – singular, informal in Portugal.)
- Gosta de ler. (He/She likes to read; or you, formal.)
You often use Eu for contrast or emphasis:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio, mas ele gosta de ler com música.
(I like to read in silence, but he likes to read with music.)
Portuguese does not use the gerund (-ndo forms, like lendo) after gostar de the way English uses “-ing”:
- Eu gosto de ler. ✔
- Eu gosto de lendo. ✘ (wrong)
After gostar de, the verb must be in the infinitive (the basic form):
- gosto de ler (I like to read / I like reading)
- gosto de correr (I like to run / I like running)
- gosto de cozinhar (I like to cook / I like cooking)
So English “I like reading” and “I like to read” are both normally translated as Eu gosto de ler.
No. That is ungrammatical.
The form you want is:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio.
Use:
- gostar de + infinitive → gosto de ler, gosto de estudar, etc.
The gerund (lendo, estudando, correndo) is used in different structures, mainly to express actions in progress, not after gostar de.
In practice, you should keep it where it is:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio. ✔ (natural)
Other possibilities are either unnatural or very marked:
- Eu gosto, em silêncio, de ler. – possible in very literary or dramatic style, but not everyday speech.
- Eu em silêncio gosto de ler. – sounds odd and unnatural.
- Em silêncio, eu gosto de ler. – possible if you want to emphasize “In silence, I like to read.”, but still less common than the original.
For normal use, say:
- (Eu) gosto de ler em silêncio.
Em silêncio literally means “in silence”, but in practice it often just means quietly / without talking or noise.
Depending on context, it can mean:
- No talking, minimal noise: Gosto de ler em silêncio = I like to read when it’s quiet and people aren’t talking.
- Or really complete silence, if that’s implied by the situation.
If you want to stress absolute silence, you can say:
- Gosto de ler em silêncio absoluto. = I like to read in absolute silence.
But usually em silêncio already suggests a quiet environment, not necessarily total soundlessness.
No, not in this sentence.
You should say:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio. ✔
Em is the preposition used for “in” here:
- em silêncio = in silence
- em casa = at home
- em paz = in peace
A / ao is not used with silêncio in this meaning. Ao silêncio would sound strange in this context.
You keep de ler em silêncio and change the verb gostar to match the subject:
- Eu gosto de ler em silêncio. = I like to read in silence.
- Tu gostas de ler em silêncio. = You like to read in silence. (singular, informal, mainly Portugal)
- Ele / Ela gosta de ler em silêncio. = He / She likes to read in silence.
- Nós gostamos de ler em silêncio. = We like to read in silence.
- Vocês gostam de ler em silêncio. = You (plural) like to read in silence.
- Eles / Elas gostam de ler em silêncio. = They like to read in silence.
Notice only gostar changes; de ler em silêncio stays the same.
The structure is similar, but the intensity is different:
Eu gosto de ler em silêncio.
= I like reading in silence. (normal liking)Eu adoro ler em silêncio.
= I love reading in silence. (stronger enthusiasm)
Grammar:
- gostar de + infinitive – like doing something
- adorar + infinitive – love doing something
So you can choose depending on how strong you want the feeling to be.
Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (simplified IPA):
- Eu – /ew/ (like English “ehw” in one syllable)
- gosto – /ˈɡɔʃtu/ (first syllable stressed, go like “gaw”, st sounds like “sh” + “t”: gósh-tu)
- de – /dɨ/ (very short, like “dih”)
- ler – /leɾ/ (similar to “lehrr”, with a quick tapped r at the end)
- em – /ẽj̃/ (nasal, like “ay” said through your nose)
- silêncio – /siˈlẽnsju/ (stress on lên: see-LEN-see-oo, with lên nasal)
Syllable stress:
- gós-to
- si-LÊN-ci-o
Said smoothly: ew GÓSH-tu dɨ LER ẽj̃ si-LÊN-si-u (approximate).
The acute accent in silêncio (on e) has two roles:
It marks the stressed syllable:
- si-LÊN-ci-o
Without the accent, stress would follow more general rules and could be different.
- si-LÊN-ci-o
It indicates the vowel quality:
- é / ê are pronounced more open/closed than an unstressed e.
In silêncio, the accented e is nasal (lên), so you hear a strong nasal sound in that syllable.
- é / ê are pronounced more open/closed than an unstressed e.
So the accent tells you where to put the stress and helps with the correct vowel sound.
It’s neutral and works in almost any context:
- Talking to friends or family.
- In a classroom setting (e.g., saying what you like).
- In writing, like a short self-description.
It’s plain, straightforward language. It’s neither particularly formal nor slangy.