Introduction
Learning how to write about likes and dislikes in Brazilian Portuguese helps you communicate preferences in messages, emails, social posts, or simple dialogues. This guide explains vocabulary, sentence patterns, spelling, punctuation, tone, and common beginner mistakes, with practical examples you can copy and adapt for everyday situations.
- Basic vocabulary: verbs and expressions for likes and dislikes
- Grammar essentials when writing about likes and dislikes
- Common sentence patterns for writing
- Writing polite emails or notes about preferences
- Writing preferences with comparisons
- Politeness and tone: formal vs informal writing
- Short writing practice exercises
- How to write short paragraphs about your hobbies
- Real-life writing templates you can copy
- Conclusion
Basic vocabulary: verbs and expressions for likes and dislikes
Start with the most common verbs and expressions. These are the building blocks for writing clear sentences about preferences.
Gostar de — to like (used with objects, activities, people)
Não gostar de — to not like
Adorar — to love or adore (strong positive)
Amar — to love (more personal, for people or very strong preference)
Odiar — to hate (strong negative; use carefully)
Preferir — to prefer (to choose one thing over another)
Curtir — to enjoy, used informally (common in casual messages)
Curtir não — informal way to say you do not enjoy something
Grammar essentials when writing about likes and dislikes
Understand the verb pattern with gostar de. In Portuguese the person who likes is the subject and the thing liked follows gostar de. Use the correct conjugation for the subject.
First-person singular: eu gosto de
Second-person polite: você gosta de
Third-person: ele/ela gosta de
We and they forms: nós gostamos de, eles gostam de
Important: The preposition de follows gostar. Do not omit it. Wrong: eu gosto música. Right: eu gosto de música.
Using pronouns and articles correctly
Articles are often used in Portuguese where English omits them. When talking about general likes, include the article before nouns when native speakers would. However, with names of activities, articles are usually dropped.
Eu gosto do café. (I like coffee.)
Eu gosto de café. (Also correct and common; both appear in real writing.)
Eu gosto de viajar. (I like to travel.) — no article before viajar
Common sentence patterns for writing
Here are simple, reusable patterns you can use in messages, emails, notes, or exercises.
Eu gosto de [noun/verb-ing].
Eu não gosto de [noun/verb-ing].
Eu adoro [noun/verb-ing].
Eu prefiro [option A] a [option B].
Você gosta de [noun/verb-ing]?
O que você prefere: [A] ou [B]?
Não suporto [noun/verb-ing]. (I can’t stand … ) — stronger tone
Examples for messages and chats
Short, natural messages often use informal verbs like curtir and contractions like tô for estou in casual chat.
Tô começando a aprender português, e eu adoro música brasileira.
Você curte futebol? Eu não curto muito, prefiro correr.
Amo comida japonesa, mas não gosto de comida muito apimentada.
Writing polite emails or notes about preferences
In more formal or polite contexts, use full conjugations and avoid slang. Use gostar de, preferir, or não gostar de with formal tone.
Example for a restaurant reservation email:
Olá, gostaria de fazer uma reserva para duas pessoas amanhã às 20h. Eu prefiro uma mesa perto da janela. Não gostamos de pratos muito picantes.
Example for a class preference note:
Olá professor, eu gosto de atividades práticas. Prefiro apresentações em grupo a trabalhos individuais.
Expressing degrees of liking
Use adverbs and modifiers to be precise about how much you like or dislike something.
Muito — very: Eu gosto muito de cinema.
Um pouco — a little: Eu gosto um pouco de chá.
Mais ou menos — so-so: Eu gosto mais ou menos de esportes.
Nem um pouco — not at all: Eu não gosto nem um pouco de sushi.
Writing preferences with comparisons
Use preferir to compare two things. The pattern is eu prefiro X a Y or eu prefiro X do que Y. Both are used; a is slightly more formal.
Eu prefiro chá a café.
Eu prefiro viajar de avião do que de ônibus.
Useful for forms and surveys: Prefere A ou B? Marque uma opção e, se quiser, explique por que.
Practical examples for travel and shopping
When traveling or shopping, write short clear notes about your likes to show staff or companions.
No restaurante: Eu não como carne. Gostaria de opções vegetarianas, por favor.
Na loja: Eu gosto desta camisa, mas prefiro a azul. Tem em tamanho M?
Ao pedir recomendações: Você recomenda um lugar que eu posso curtir música ao vivo? Eu gosto de samba e MPB.
Politeness and tone: formal vs informal writing
Brazilian Portuguese distinguishes formal and informal tones. For texts, messages, and social media, informal is fine. For emails, forms, or notes to strangers, choose polite forms.
Informal: Você gosta de festa? / Eu curto sim.
Formal: O senhor gosta de vinho? / Sim, eu gosto de vinhos brancos.
Politeness tip: Use por favor and obrigado/obrigada to soften requests or statements about preferences.
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
Omitting de after gostar — Incorrect: Eu gosto cinema. Correct: Eu gosto de cinema.
Wrong verb agreement — Incorrect: Eu gostam de música. Correct: Eu gosto de música.
Mixing formal and slang in the same sentence — Avoid combining você formal with very slangy contractions unless you want a casual tone.
Overusing pronouns — In Portuguese subject pronouns are often optional. Use them for emphasis or clarity, but avoid repeating unnecessarily.
Using amar for casual likes — Amar is strong and usually used for people or very intense feelings. For food or hobbies, prefer gostar or adorar.
Short writing practice exercises
Fill-in-the-blank sentences to practice patterns.
Eu _______ de ler livros. (gosto/adoro/não gosto)
Você _______ de viajar? (gosta/adora/prefera)
Eu prefiro _____ a _____. (two options: café / chá)
Write a short message to a friend saying you prefer to meet at 6pm and you do not like crowded places.
Sample answers and corrections
Model answer for the message exercise: Oi! Prefiro nos encontrar às 18h. Não gosto de lugares muito cheios, podemos ir a um café tranquilo?
Correction notes: Use prefiro + infinitive or prefiro + encontrar às 18h. Avoid literal translations from English that change word order.
How to write short paragraphs about your hobbies
Compose simple paragraphs that state what you like, how often you do it, and why. Keep sentences short and clear for beginners.
Example paragraph a student might write for class: Eu gosto de tocar violão. Toco três vezes por semana. Adoro aprender músicas novas porque me ajuda a praticar o vocabulário e a pronúncia.
Punctuation, accents, and spelling tips
Accents change meaning and pronunciation. Pay attention to them in words like você (you) and também (also).
Use the acute accent in você and the tilde in não. Wrong spellings can confuse readers: voce vs você, nao vs não.
Commas are used similarly to English. Use a period at the end of short, simple sentences in messages and emails to keep tone neutral. In very informal chat, people often omit punctuation, but for clear writing include it.
Real-life writing templates you can copy
Message to cancel plans politely: Oi, tudo bem? Hoje não vou poder ir ao cinema. Não gosto de sair quando está chovendo. Podemos remarcar para outro dia?
Request at a restaurant: Boa noite. Eu não como carne. Tem alguma opção vegetariana no cardápio?
Survey answer: Prefiro trabalhar de manhã a trabalhar à noite. Gosto de ter tempo livre à tarde.
Quick tips for sounding natural
Use common verbs like gostar, preferir, adorar, curtir. Keep sentences short and use connectors like porque to explain reasons.
Vary intensity words (muito, um pouco, mais ou menos) to sound natural and precise.
Listen to real spoken Portuguese to notice contractions and common informal words, then try to reproduce them in writing when appropriate.
Conclusion
Writing about likes and dislikes in Brazilian Portuguese is about using the right verbs, prepositions, and tone. Practice the core patterns eu gosto de, eu não gosto de, eu prefiro, and eu adoro with real examples from messages, emails, and simple paragraphs. Pay attention to accents, the preposition de, and formality to sound natural in everyday contexts.
