How to Describe Food Texture and Doneness in Portuguese — Practice

Say whether something is raw or cooked

Cru or crua means raw, depending on the noun’s gender. Cozido or cozida means cooked or boiled; assado or assada means baked or roasted; frito or frita means fried. These participles often work like adjectives and agree with the food they describe.

Pronto or pronta means ready. Ask if the food is ready with Já está pronto? (Is it ready yet?). For plural foods, use prontos or prontas to match the noun.

Describe the texture instead of guessing the time

Macio or macia means soft or tender; crocante means crispy; and duro or dura means hard. Use the adjective that describes what you can observe rather than saying that every ingredient is ‘done’ in the same way.

Still is ainda: ainda está duro (it is still hard). Too much is demais: está salgado demais (it is too salty). These small additions make your description more precise.

Ask someone to check the food with you

Use Você acha que já está pronto? (Do you think it is ready?) when you want another person’s opinion. To request a texture, say Deixa cozinhar até ficar macio (Let it cook until it becomes soft).

Food safety and ideal doneness depend on the ingredient and preparation. Follow a reliable recipe’s guidance for temperature and timing; texture words help with conversation but are not a substitute for safe cooking instructions.

Remember: Use a cooking-stage word plus a texture adjective to explain what you observe, and ask someone to check when you are unsure.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. The pasta is still uncooked.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A massa ainda está crua.

2. The potatoes are roasted.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   As batatas estão assadas.

3. The rice is ready.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O arroz já está pronto.

4. The carrot needs to get softer.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A cenoura precisa ficar mais macia.

5. The crust is crispy.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A casca está crocante.

6. The beans are still a little firm.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O feijão está um pouco duro ainda.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use a cooking-stage word plus a texture adjective to explain what you observe, and ask someone to check when you are unsure.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our How to Describe Food Texture and Doneness in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.