Asking "Which" or "What": Qual and Quais
In Portuguese, use qual when asking "which" or "what" to inquire about a specific choice or identity, such as asking for a price or size.
When asking about multiple items, qual becomes plural: quais. You will often see these question words paired with verbs like querer (to want) and preferir (to prefer).
Asking "How much" or "How many": Quanto
Unlike qual, the question word for "how much" or "how many" changes to match the noun it describes in both gender and number.
- quanto / quanta = how much (singular)
- quantos / quantas = how many (plural)
When asking "how much" generally (such as asking for a total price), use the default masculine singular quanto.
Asking "How": Como
To ask "how" an action is done, simply use como.
Stating Preferences: Gostar de
To say that you like something, use the verb gostar followed by the preposition de (literally, to like of). Remember that de merges with definite articles (o, a, os, as) to form do, da, dos, das.
When you favor one item over another, you can use preferir (to prefer). It does not require a preposition.