Portuguese · Food & Drink

"Beef" in Portuguese: carne de vaca / carne bovina

a carne de vaca / a carne bovina

Say it: KAR-nee jee VAH-kah / KAR-nee bo-VEE-nahfeminine · a carne de vaca / a carne bovinanoun/ˈkaʁ.ni ˈde ˈva.ka/, /ˈkaʁ.ni bo.ˈvi.na/

Beef in Portuguese is a carne de vaca or a carne bovina. Menus often just say carne with the cut name.

Butcher

Quero meio quilo de carne de vaca magra.
I want half a kilo of lean beef.
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How to pronounce carne de vaca / carne bovina

Say it

KAR-nee jee VAH-kah / KAR-nee bo-VEE-nah

/ˈkaʁ.ni ˈde ˈva.ka/, /ˈkaʁ.ni bo.ˈvi.na/

KAR-nee jee VAH-kah / KAR-nee bo-VEE-nah

"Beef" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
carne de vacabeef

Everyday label.

carne bovinabeef

Packaging / formal.

bifesteak / beef cut

Restaurant cut.

carne moídaground beef

Cooking.

How to use carne de vaca / carne bovina in real life

  1. 1Butcher

    Quero meio quilo de carne de vaca magra.

    I want half a kilo of lean beef.

    Carne de vaca.

  2. 2Label reading

    A embalagem diz carne bovina resfriada.

    The package says chilled beef.

    Carne bovina.

  3. 3Menu question

    Esse ensopado leva carne de vaca ou frango?

    Does this stew use beef or chicken?

    Allergy/preference.

Mistakes English speakers make with carne de vaca / carne bovina

Incorrect: Quero beef grelhado.

Correct: Quero carne de vaca grelhada. / Quero um bife.

Use carne de vaca / carne bovina or name the cut.

Incorrect: Carne de porco when you mean beef

Correct: Carne de vaca / carne bovina

Porco is pork; vaca/bovina is beef.

Good to know

At a churrascaria, people order cuts—picanha, alcatra—more than the generic phrase carne de vaca. Carne bovina shows up on supermarket labels and formal menus.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing a filling for pastel

  1. ChatPal

    Prefere carne de vaca ou queijo?

    Do you prefer beef or cheese?

  2. You

    Carne de vaca. Bem temperada.

    Beef. Well seasoned.

  3. ChatPal

    Pedimos dois de carne bovina então.

    We’ll order two beef ones then.

  4. You

    Perfeito. Eu pago o suco.

    Perfect. I’ll pay for the juice.

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"Beef" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Beef" in Portuguese

Everyday phrase?

Carne de vaca.

Label language?

Carne bovina.

Steak?

Bife / o nome do corte.

Ground beef?

Carne moída (often beef by default).

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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