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30 Portuguese Words: In the Kitchen


Talking about cooking is a great way of improving your Portuguese language skills. While you’ll obviously learn Portuguese words and phrases related to the kitchen, you’ll also start picking up how to structure simple sentences and begin the process of absorbing Portuguese grammar so that you can start to think in Portuguese.

If cooking is a favorite hobby of yours, book a tutoring session focused on the subject, as this is a great way to develop your skills. For some basic vocabulary to start with, here are 30 Portuguese words you’ll hear in the kitchen.


Kitchen Nouns

Twenty simple Portuguese words describing kitchen objects.


Kitchen

Cozinha


Saucepan

Panela


Frying pan

Frigideira


Spatula

Espatula


Spoon

Colher


Sieve

Peneira


Colander

Escorredor de macarrão


Baking tray

Assadeira


Bowl

Tigela


Chopping board/cutting board

Tábua de cortar


Knife

Faca


Ladle

Concha


Whisk

Batedor


Blender

Liquidificador


Scale

Balança


Tongs

Pinças


Oven

Forno


Microwave

Micro-ondas


Toaster

Torradeira


Stove

Fogão


Kitchen Verbs

Ten Portuguese words describing actions related to cooking.


To stir

Mexer


To whisk

Bater


To fold

Misturar delicadamente

There is no single word in Portuguese for the important task of folding, a crucial stage of many dessert recipes. The translation above means “to mix delicately,” but there are various ways of describing the task.


To chop

Picar


To fry

Fritar


To boil

Ferver


To bake

Assar


To steam

Cozinhar no vapor


To roast

Assar


To serve

Servir


As with all Portuguese verbs, in addition to learning the infinitive forms, it’ll be helpful to learn some conjugations. In particular, the present tense is useful when giving instructions, for example, frite os ovos, por favor (fry the eggs, please). Adjective forms can also be useful, such as ovos fritos (fried eggs).


Practice With Your TutorThe Portuguese words in this post give you a starting point. However, turning them into sentences and learning how to respond to questions and instructions is something that’s best done with another person—especially if that person’s an expert tutor with native-level Portuguese. To really develop your skills, you need to practice in a tutoring session. The more you practice, the sooner you’ll be talking about food and cooking with total confidence.

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