Portuguese · Everyday Verbs

"to cook" in Portuguese: cozinhar

cozinhar

Say it: koo-zee-NYAHRverb/ko.zi.ˈɲaʁ/

To cook in Portuguese is cozinhar. Say eu cozinho and ela cozinha for everyday meals. Cozinhamos juntos is a friendly plan.

Weeknight plan

Hoje eu cozinho macarrão com molho simples.
Today I’m cooking pasta with a simple sauce.
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How to pronounce cozinhar

Say it

koo-zee-NYAHR

/ko.zi.ˈɲaʁ/

koo-zee-NYAHR

"to cook" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
cozinharto cook

Dictionary form.

eu cozinhoI cook

First person.

ela cozinhashe cooks

Third person; verb, not the noun kitchen.

cozinhamoswe cook

Shared meals.

How to use cozinhar in real life

  1. 1Weeknight plan

    Hoje eu cozinho macarrão com molho simples.

    Today I’m cooking pasta with a simple sauce.

    First person habit.

  2. 2Praising a roommate

    Ela cozinha muito bem no domingo.

    She cooks really well on Sundays.

    Verb cozinha, not the kitchen noun.

  3. 3Invite

    Amanhã a gente cozinha juntos na minha casa.

    Tomorrow we’ll cook together at my place.

    Shared plan.

Mistakes English speakers make with cozinhar

Incorrect: Eu cozinhar agora.

Correct: Eu cozinho agora.

Conjugate: eu cozinho, not the infinitive as main verb.

Incorrect: Ela é cozinheiro hoje.

Correct: Ela cozinha hoje.

Cozinheiro is the cook (person). For the verb, use cozinha.

Good to know

Cozinhar is everyday home talk; restaurants more often say preparar or fazer o prato. Brazilians love saying quem cozinha não lava when joking about chore splits. Sunday lunch still often means someone cozinha for the whole family.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Deciding dinner

  1. ChatPal

    Você cozinha hoje ou pede delivery?

    Are you cooking today or ordering delivery?

  2. You

    Eu cozinho. Quero algo leve.

    I’m cooking. I want something light.

  3. ChatPal

    Ótimo. Eu cozinho o arroz.

    Great. I’ll cook the rice.

  4. You

    Fecho o feijão então.

    I’ll handle the beans then.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"to cook" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to cook" in Portuguese

I cook?

Eu cozinho.

She cooks?

Ela cozinha.

Kitchen vs cook?

A cozinha is the kitchen; cozinhar is the verb.

We cook?

Cozinhamos / a gente cozinha.

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