Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Depois, eu vou misturar o macarrão e colocar no forno. - Then I’m going to mix the pasta and put it in the oven.

Então = then/so (can sound a bit more like a logical sequence: “so then…”)
Aí = very common in speech, more informal, like “and then…” All three can work, but Depois is the safest general choice.

Why is there a comma after Depois?

When Depois is used as a sentence-opening time marker (a discourse connector), it’s often followed by a comma: Depois, eu vou…
In casual writing (texts, notes), the comma is sometimes dropped, but with the comma it looks more “standard.”

What does eu vou mean here—future tense or “I’m going to” like in English?

It’s the very common “near future” construction in Portuguese: ir (vou) + infinitive.
So eu vou misturar = I’m going to mix / I will mix (depending on context).
It’s often preferred over the simple future (misturarei) in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

Could I omit eu and just say Depois, vou misturar…?

Yes. Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the subject.
Depois, vou misturar… sounds very natural. Keeping eu can add emphasis or clarity, but it’s not required.

Why is it misturar and colocar (infinitives) and not conjugated forms?

Because they depend on vou in the structure vou + infinitive:

vou misturar (I’m going to mix)
(vou) colocar (I’m going to put)

Why do we not repeat vou before colocar? Is that optional?

Not repeating vou is normal when listing actions with the same subject and tense:
vou misturar … e colocar …
You can repeat it for emphasis or clarity:

Depois, vou misturar o macarrão e vou colocar no forno.
That sounds a bit heavier but still correct.

Does misturar o macarrão mean “mix the pasta” or “mix the pasta with something”?

By itself, misturar o macarrão literally means “mix the pasta,” and context usually implies “mix it (with the sauce/ingredients).”
If you want to be explicit, you can add:

misturar o macarrão com o molho = mix the pasta with the sauce
misturar tudo = mix everything

What exactly is macarrão in Brazilian Portuguese?

In Brazil, macarrão is a common everyday word for pasta (often pasta noodles). It can refer to spaghetti, penne, etc., depending on context.
massa can also mean pasta/dough, but macarrão is the usual “what are we eating?” word for pasta.

Why is it colocar no forno and not colocar no forno o macarrão or colocar o macarrão no forno?

Both orders are possible. Common options:

colocar o macarrão no forno = put the pasta in the oven (very clear)
colocar no forno (as in your sentence) = “put (it) in the oven,” with the object understood from context Putting no forno earlier can sound more step-by-step/recipe-like.

What does no mean? Is it em + o?

Yes. no is a contraction:

em + o = no (in/on/into the)
So no forno = in the oven / into the oven (Portuguese uses em where English often uses “in/into”).

Should it be no forno or ao forno?

For “put it in the oven,” no forno is the standard choice.
ao forno is used more in set phrases describing a dish or cooking method, like:

frango ao forno = oven-roasted chicken / chicken baked in the oven
But with colocar, you normally say colocar no forno.

Is forno always “oven”? Could it mean something else?

In this context, forno means oven. It can also refer to other kinds of furnaces/kilns depending on context (like a forno for ceramics), but in cooking it’s simply “oven.”

Does this sentence imply I’m going to bake it? How would I explicitly say “bake”?

Yes, colocar no forno strongly implies you’ll cook/bake it in the oven.
If you want to specify “bake,” you can use:

assar = to bake/roast
Example: Depois, vou misturar o macarrão e assar no forno.
But often colocar no forno is enough in recipe instructions.

Could I say misturar a massa instead of misturar o macarrão?

Sometimes, but it changes the nuance. massa can mean “dough” (very common) or “pasta” (depending on region/context).
If you mean cooked pasta noodles, macarrão is clearer. If you’re talking about dough or batter, massa is the right word.

Is it okay to use a gente vai instead of eu vou?

Yes, if you mean “we” in a casual way. In Brazilian Portuguese, a gente is very common and takes third-person singular verb forms:

Depois, a gente vai misturar o macarrão e colocar no forno.
This means “Then we’re going to mix the pasta and put it in the oven.”

Could I replace colocar with pôr?

Yes. pôr is also “to put,” often a bit more informal/short.
Future with ir:

vou pôr no forno
Both are correct; colocar is very common in recipes/instructions.

Is the sentence natural for giving instructions, like in a recipe?

Yes, it’s very natural and recipe-like. Even more typical recipe style might drop eu and sound more impersonal:

Depois, é só misturar o macarrão e colocar no forno. (“Then you just mix the pasta and put it in the oven.”)
Depois, misture o macarrão e coloque no forno. (formal imperative: “Then mix… and put…”)