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Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 27

Gosto de futebol I like football

Talking about free time and saying what you like. Vocabulary: o tempo livre, o futebol, a praia, a música, dançar, nadar, ler, gostar de, adorar, detestar. Key point: the verb "gostar" always needs "de": "Gosto DE futebol" (I like football), "Gosto DE nadar" (I like swimming). And "de" merges with the article: "gosto DO futebol" (de+o), "gosto DA música" (de+a). English speakers forget the "de" — "Gosto futebol" ✗ → "Gosto de futebol" ✓. But "adorar" and "detestar" do NOT take "de": "Adoro a praia" (I love the beach), "Detesto acordar cedo" (I hate waking up early). Pronunciation corner: the "lh" of "trabalho" and the "ç" of "dançar". Culture: football, the beach and the churrasco — how Brazilians spend their free time.

Dialogue

Gosto futebol? Gosto de futebol!

Lucas Mike, o que você faz no tempo livre? Mike, what do you do in your free time?
Mike Eu gosto futebol. I like football. (slip: gostar always needs "de" — say "Gosto de futebol")
Lucas Quase! Gostar sempre leva "de": "Gosto DE futebol". Almost! Gostar always takes "de": "Gosto DE futebol".
Mike Ah! Gosto de futebol. E gosto de nadar também. Ah! I like football. And I like swimming too.
Lucas Isso! E com artigo funde: "Gosto DO futebol brasileiro." That's it! And with an article it merges: "Gosto DO futebol brasileiro."

Dialogue

Do que você gosta? — What do you like?

Bia Lucas, você gosta de música? Lucas, do you like music?
Lucas Adoro música! E gosto de dançar. E você? I love music! And I like to dance. And you?
Bia Eu gosto da praia e de ler. Mas detesto acordar cedo. I like the beach and reading. But I hate waking up early.
Lucas Então no domingo vamos à praia, mas depois do almoço! Then on Sunday let's go to the beach, but after lunch!

Vocabulary

汉字	POS	Meaning
o tempo livre	n.m.	free time
o futebol	n.m.	football, soccer
a praia	n.f.	beach
a música	n.f.	music, song
dançar	v.	to dance
nadar	v.	to swim
ler	v.	to read
gostar (de)	v.	to like (always takes "de")
adorar	v.	to love, adore (no "de")
detestar	v.	to hate, detest (no "de")

Grammar

Gostar DE + coisa / verbo Gostar DE + thing / verb

Em português, gostar quase nunca vem sozinho: pede sempre "de". "Gosto DE futebol", "Gosto DE música", "Gosto DE nadar", "Gosto DE viajar". Antes de um substantivo com artigo, o "de" funde-se, como já viste com os lugares: gosto DO futebol (de+o), gosto DA praia (de+a), gosto DOS livros (de+os). Antes de um verbo, o "de" fica solto: "Gosto de dançar". Quem vem do inglês esquece o "de" — diz "Gosto futebol" ✗; o certo é "Gosto de futebol" ✓. Dois primos de gostar são mais fortes e NÃO levam "de": adorar (amar) e detestar (odiar): "Adoro a praia", "Detesto acordar cedo". Para perguntar: "Você gosta de futebol?" → "Gosto, sim" / "Não gosto muito".

In Portuguese, gostar almost never stands alone: it always needs "de". "Gosto DE futebol", "Gosto DE música", "Gosto DE nadar" (I like swimming), "Gosto DE viajar" (I like travelling). Before a noun with an article, the "de" merges, as you already saw with places: gosto DO futebol (de+o), gosto DA praia (de+a), gosto DOS livros (de+os). Before a verb, the "de" stays separate: "Gosto de dançar". People coming from English drop the "de" — they say "Gosto futebol" ✗; the correct form is "Gosto de futebol" ✓. Two stronger cousins of gostar do NOT take "de": adorar (to love) and detestar (to hate): "Adoro a praia", "Detesto acordar cedo". To ask: "Você gosta de futebol?" (Do you like football?) → "Gosto, sim" (Yes, I do) / "Não gosto muito" (I do not like it much).

Eu gosto de futebol e de música. I like football and music.
Ela gosta de nadar no fim de semana. She likes to swim on the weekend.
Nós gostamos da praia, mas detestamos o trânsito. We like the beach, but we hate the traffic.
Você gosta de dançar? — Adoro! Do you like to dance? — I love it!

Culture

Futebol, praia e churrasco Football, beach & churrasco

Free time in Brazil has three great passions: the ball, the beach and food among friends. Knowing how to talk about them opens almost any conversation — from the bus stop to the office.

The ball is a passion

Football is almost a second language in Brazil. Almost everyone "torce para" (supports) a team — Flamengo, Corinthians, Grêmio — and the question "Para que time você torce?" (Which team do you support?) is a common way to start a conversation. You do not need to go to the stadium: the "pelada" (the casual game among friends) happens on the beach, in the street or on the neighbourhood court. Saying "Sou flamenguista" (I am a Flamengo fan) or "Torço para o meu time do coração" (I support my beloved team) says a lot about you.

The beach belongs to everyone

In coastal cities, the beach is the public living room: people go to swim, play football and volleyball, walk on the promenade or just have a sugarcane juice. In Rio, meeting friends "na praia" (at the beach) is a whole plan, and often free. You bring little — flip-flops, sunscreen — and buy the rest from the vendors who pass by shouting "Olha o mate! Olha o biscoito Globo!" (Iced mate tea! Globo biscuits!).

The churrasco among friends

Nothing brings Brazilians together like a churrasco. On the weekend, someone "faz um churrasco" (has a barbecue) at home: grilled meat, cold beer, music and hours of conversation. The invitation is warm and simple — "Vem pro churrasco no sábado!" (Come to the barbecue on Saturday!) — and arriving a little late is normal. Everyone usually brings something: the meat, the drinks, or the famous "refri" (soft drink). More than the food, what matters is the circle of friends and the unhurried time together.

In short: to join a circle in Brazil, talk about football, plan a beach day and accept the invitation to the churrasco. Free time here is, almost always, time with others.

pronunciation

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