Breakdown of Gosto de arroz com molho de tomate.
gostar de
to like
o tomate
the tomato
o molho
the sauce
o arroz
the rice
Questions & Answers about Gosto de arroz com molho de tomate.
Why is it de arroz and not do arroz?
You generally need the definite article after gostar de when referring to specific things (like gosto do arroz que fizeste - I like the rice you made). However, when talking about a substance, food, or category in general, you leave the article out. Gosto de arroz just means you like rice in general.
How does the phrase molho de tomate work to mean "tomato sauce"?
English often puts two nouns together (like "tomato" and "sauce") to make a new concept. Portuguese doesn't do this; instead, it uses the preposition de (of) to connect them. It literally translates to "sauce of tomato."
If it translates to "sauce of tomato", why don't we say molho do tomate with the article?
When de plus a noun acts as an adjective to describe a flavor, material, or type, you leave out the definite article. Adding the article (do tomate) would sound like you mean the sauce came from one specific, previously mentioned tomato!
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