Breakdown of Nós gostamos de esquiar.
Questions & Answers about Nós gostamos de esquiar.
Why do we need the word de in this sentence?
The verb gostar (to like) always needs the preposition de to connect it to the thing or activity you like. While in English we just say "we like skiing", in Portuguese you must always include de. Why does the translation say "skiing" when esquiar means "to ski"?
In Portuguese, you use the base, dictionary form of a verb (the infinitive) to talk about an activity in general. English often uses the "-ing" form for this. So de esquiar covers both "to ski" and "skiing". Why isn't the verb esquiar changed to match Nós?
When you use two verbs together to express a single idea, only the first verb is conjugated (changed to match the person). Here, gostamos matches Nós, so the second verb (esquiar) must stay in its original, unchanged form. Is it okay to drop Nós and just say Gostamos de esquiar?
Yes! Because the verb ending in -amos already tells us that the subject is "we", the word Nós is entirely optional. Native speakers often leave it out unless they want to add emphasis. Learn Nós gostamos de esquiar and more in Portuguese
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