Introduction

Gostar means “to like”, and this page covers exactly one thing: gostar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for gostar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about gostar in the present. It means to like, and it always takes the preposition de before its object: gosto de café, not gosto café. It is completely regular: gosto, gostas, gosta, gostamos, gostais, gostam. Forgetting the de is the most common mistake learners make with this verb. For example: “Ele gosta de café todos os dias.” — “He likes coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of gostar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Gostar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu gosto
tu gostas
ele/ela gosta
nós gostamos
vós gostais
eles/elas gostam
Gerund: gostando · Past participle: gostado
The gerund is gostando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Gostando de café, aprendo muito.” — “While liking coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is gostado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho gostado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how gostar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for gostar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of gostar is formed

The present tense of gostar has six forms: eu gosto, tu gostas, ele gosta, nós gostamos, vós gostais, eles gostam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. gostar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of gostar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning gostamos and gostais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so gosto can mean both “I like” and “I am liking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because gostar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of gostar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use gostar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and gostar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” — “I like coffee.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about gostar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele gosta de café todos os dias.” — “He likes coffee.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with gostar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós gostamos de café todos os dias.” — “We like coffee.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu gostas de café todos os dias.” — “You like coffee.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and gostar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles gostam de café todos os dias.” — “They like coffee.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele gosta de café todos os dias.” — “He likes coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele gostou de café ontem.” — “He liked coffee”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” — “I like coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu gostei de café ontem.” — “I liked coffee”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu gostas de café todos os dias.” — “You like coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu gostaste de café ontem.” — “You liked coffee”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: gostar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” — “I like coffee”
  2. “Tu gostas de café todos os dias.” — “You like coffee”
  3. “Ele gosta de café todos os dias.” — “He likes coffee”
  4. “Nós gostamos de café todos os dias.” — “We like coffee”
  5. “Vós gostais de café todos os dias.” — “You like coffee”
  6. “Eles gostam de café todos os dias.” — “They like coffee”
  7. “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” — “I like coffee”
  8. “Ele gosta de café todos os dias.” — “He likes coffee”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu gostas de café.” Right: “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is gosto, not gostas. gostas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós gosto de café.” Right: “Nós gostamos de café todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form gostamos. gosto belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu gosto de café todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu gostei de café ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito gostei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu gostar de café.” Right: “Eu gosto de café todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive gostar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form gosto.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gostas
    • B) gosto
    • C) gosta
    • D) gostamos

  2. What is the tu form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gosto
    • B) gosta
    • C) gostas
    • D) gostamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gosto
    • B) gostas
    • C) gostamos
    • D) gosta

  4. What is the nós form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gostamos
    • B) gosto
    • C) gostas
    • D) gosta

  5. What is the vós form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gosto
    • B) gostais
    • C) gostas
    • D) gosta

  6. What is the eles/elas form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gosto
    • B) gostas
    • C) gostam
    • D) gosta

  7. What is the eu form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gostas
    • B) gosta
    • C) gostamos
    • D) gosto

  8. What is the tu form of gostar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) gostas
    • B) gosto
    • C) gosta
    • D) gostamos

Answer key

  1. B) gosto — the correct form is gosto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) gostas — the correct form is gostas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) gosta — the correct form is gosta. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) gostamos — the correct form is gostamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) gostais — the correct form is gostais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) gostam — the correct form is gostam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) gosto — the correct form is gosto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) gostas — the correct form is gostas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does gostar mean in English?

gostar means “to like”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of gostar formed?

The six present forms are: eu gosto, tu gostas, ele gosta, nós gostamos, vós gostais, eles gostam. gostar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of gostar?

The gerund is gostando and the past participle is gostado.

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