Question 1

Why is there a "do" in this sentence instead of just "gosto"?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, the verb gostar (to like) is always followed by the preposition de (of). You literally say that you like "of" something. Here, do is a combination of that required de and the word o, which means "the".

Question 2

In English we just say "I like summer". Why do we need the word for "the" (o) here?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, you use definite articles (words for "the", like o or a) much more often than in English. You need them before seasons, days of the week, and general categories. Because "summer" is o verão, you combine the required de + o to make do.

Question 3

Do I have to include the word Eu (I) at the beginning?

Accepted Answer

No, you don't! The verb form gosto already tells the listener that "I" am doing the action. It is very common and natural to just say Gosto do verão and drop the Eu entirely.

Question 4

How do I pronounce the -ão in verão?

Accepted Answer

The little squiggly line over the a is called a tilde, and it means the vowel is nasal (spoken through your nose). The -ão ending sounds a bit like the English word "ow" (as in "cow"), but you make the sound vibrate in your nasal passage.

Eu gosto do verão.

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