Expressing Likes, Dislikes & Preferences — I can express likes, dislikes, and preferences about common topics (food, activities, places) in conversation.

Why Expressing Preferences Matters in Portuguese

One of the first things you do when meeting someone—whether at school, on a trip, or online—is share what you enjoy and what you don't. In Portuguese-speaking cultures, expressing likes and dislikes is central to building relationships. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the coastal towns of Lisbon, people bond over food recommendations, favorite activities, and cherished places. Mastering this skill in Portuguese opens you up to genuine conversation with over 250 million speakers worldwide.

Portuguese evolved from Latin, and its verb structures for expressing preference reflect centuries of linguistic development. The verb gostar (to like) descends from the Latin gustare, meaning "to taste." Over time, its meaning broadened from a sensory experience to a general expression of enjoyment. Understanding this background helps you appreciate why Portuguese uses the preposition de after "gostar"—it originally meant tasting "of" something.

The central question for this lesson is: how do you naturally tell someone in Portuguese what you enjoy, what you can't stand, and what you prefer—using the right verb forms, vocabulary, and tone for real conversations?

Core Principles of Expressing Preferences

Before diving into specific phrases, you need to understand four foundational principles that govern how Portuguese speakers express their feelings about things. These principles will help you build sentences naturally rather than translating word-for-word from English, which often leads to awkward constructions.

The Preference Spectrum in Portuguese

The following diagram maps out the full spectrum of Portuguese preference expressions, from strong dislike on the left to strong enthusiasm on the right. Each expression is paired with its English equivalent and an example sentence. Notice how the expressions get progressively more positive as you move across the spectrum.

As you can see in the diagram, the spectrum moves from left to right with increasing positivity. The key structural insight is in the bottom row: "gostar" always requires "de" before its object, whether that object is a noun or an infinitive verb. However, "adorar," "odiar," and "amar" connect directly to their objects without any preposition. This is a critical distinction that will save you from the most common errors Portuguese learners make.

How the Verb Conjugations Work

To use preference verbs in conversation, you need to conjugate them for the present tense. All three key verbs—gostar (to like), preferir (to prefer), and adorar (to love/adore)—follow regular conjugation patterns with a few important twists. Let's break down each one.

Conjugation: Gostar (to like) — Regular -AR verb

Conjugation: Preferir (to prefer) — Irregular -IR verb

The verbs adorar (to love/adore), odiar (to hate), and amar (to love) are all regular and follow standard -AR conjugation patterns, just like "gostar." The important difference is that none of these three require "de"—they connect directly to the object. For example: "Eu adoro chocolate" (I love chocolate), not "Eu adoro de chocolate."

Essential Vocabulary by Topic

Now that you understand the verb structures, you need vocabulary to fill them in. Real conversations about preferences center on three main topics: food and drink, activities and hobbies, and places. The following diagram organizes the most useful vocabulary for each category.

Worked Example: A Conversation About Preferences

Let's walk through building a natural conversation where two students, Ana and Pedro, discuss their preferences about food, weekend activities, and favorite places. We'll construct each line step by step, highlighting the grammar and vocabulary choices involved.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Learning to express preferences in Portuguese comes with some predictable pitfalls. English speakers tend to make the same errors because they translate their native patterns directly into Portuguese. The table below identifies the most frequent mistakes alongside their corrections, so you can catch yourself before these habits become permanent.

Connecting to Advanced Conversational Skills

Once you master basic preference expressions, you can expand into more sophisticated conversational territory. Advanced Portuguese speakers use nuanced structures to soften opinions, give reasons for their preferences, and navigate polite disagreements. The table below shows how each basic structure connects to its more advanced counterpart.

As you progress, you'll encounter the conditional mood ("eu gostaria de..." — I would like to...) and subjunctive mood ("se eu pudesse" — if I could), which allow you to express hypothetical preferences and polite requests. You'll also learn Brazilian Portuguese idiomatic expressions like "ser louco por" (to be crazy about), "não ser a minha praia" (it's not my thing), and "curtir" (a casual Brazilian way to say enjoy). These are the building blocks for sounding truly natural in conversation.

Practice Problems

Test your understanding of Portuguese preference expressions with these five progressively challenging problems. Try to answer each one before checking the solution.

Lesson Summary