Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eu não gosto de pimenta.

In Portuguese, the verb gostar (to like) is always followed by the preposition de. You can think of it as saying you are fond of something rather than liking it directly.

Why is it just de pimenta and not da pimenta?

We use just de (without merging it with the feminine article a to make da) because we are talking about pepper in general, not a specific pepper. If you were complaining about the specific pepper in a dish you just tasted, you would use da pimenta.

How would I say 'I do not like a lot of pepper' using the words from this lesson?

You would say Eu não gosto de muita pimenta. Because pimenta is a feminine singular word, the word for 'a lot' must also change to match its gender and number, becoming the feminine singular form muita.

How would I say 'I like a little pepper'?

You would say Eu gosto de pouca pimenta. Just like with muita, the word for 'a little' (pouco) must change to match the feminine noun pimenta, becoming pouca.

Can I drop the and just say ?