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Questions & Answers about Tu gostas de ler?
Why do we need the word de here?
In Portuguese, the verb gostar (to like) almost always requires the preposition de immediately after it. While in English you just say you like something, in Portuguese you technically say that you like of it. Whenever you state what you like, you must include de.
Why is ler left in its base form?
When you say you like doing an action, you use gostar de followed by the infinitive (the unchanged base form) of the second verb. Here, ler means to read, so gostas de ler smoothly translates to you like to read.
Can I drop the word Tu and just say Gostas de ler?
How do you make this a question without a word like do?
Portuguese does not use helper words like do or does to ask questions. You simply use the exact same word order as a regular statement and add a question mark. When speaking, you just raise the pitch of your voice at the very end of the sentence to show you are asking something.