Portuguese · Food & Drink

"Milk" in Portuguese: leite

o leite

Say it: LAY-cheemasculine · o leitenoun/ˈlej.tʃi/

Milk in Portuguese is o leite. Coffee with milk is café com leite. Plant options appear as leite de amêndoa or leite de aveia on many menus.

Breakfast order

Um café com leite sem açúcar, por favor.
A coffee with milk and no sugar, please.
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How to pronounce leite

Say it

LAY-chee

/ˈlej.tʃi/

LAY-chee. Final te often sounds like chee in Brazil.

"Milk" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
o leitemilk

Default noun.

café com leitecoffee with milk

Breakfast classic.

leite integralwhole milk

Supermarket label.

leite vegetalplant milk

Umbrella for oat, almond, etc.

How to use leite in real life

  1. 1Breakfast order

    Um café com leite sem açúcar, por favor.

    A coffee with milk and no sugar, please.

    Café com leite is a set pair.

  2. 2Cooking

    Adicione o leite aos poucos no mingau.

    Add the milk little by little to the porridge.

    Recipes name o leite directly.

  3. 3Supermarket

    Acabou o leite; vou comprar desnatado.

    We're out of milk; I'll buy skim.

    Household logistics with o leite.

Mistakes English speakers make with leite

Incorrect: a leite

Correct: o leite

Leite is masculine: o leite.

Incorrect: Eu quero milk no café.

Correct: Eu quero leite no café.

Use leite in Portuguese.

Good to know

Café com leite is cultural shorthand for morning comfort in Brazil. On packages you will see integral, semidesnatado, desnatado. Asking for leite vegetal is increasingly normal in cities without a long explanation.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Making hot chocolate with a roommate

  1. ChatPal

    Tem leite na geladeira para o chocolate?

    Is there milk in the fridge for the hot chocolate?

  2. You

    Tem um pouco. Eu compro mais leite depois.

    There's a little. I'll buy more milk later.

  3. ChatPal

    Perfeito. Eu esquento o leite sem deixar ferver.

    Perfect. I'll heat the milk without letting it boil.

  4. You

    Ótimo. Eu pego as canecas.

    Great. I'll grab the mugs.

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"Milk" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Milk" in Portuguese

How do I say coffee with milk?

Café com leite.

Is leite masculine?

Yes: o leite, um leite.

How do I ask for oat milk?

Leite de aveia, por favor.

What is leite condensado?

Sweetened condensed milk, a dessert staple in Brazil—not drinking milk.

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