Nós vamos cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.

The accent is part of the spelling of the subject pronoun nós, which means we.

It also helps distinguish it from nos, which usually means us or ourselves in object/reflexive use.

• nós = we
• nos = us / ourselves

So in this sentence, Nós vamos cortar... means We are going to cut...

Yes. In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So both of these are natural:

• Nós vamos cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.
• Vamos cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.

In Brazilian Portuguese, leaving out nós is very common when the meaning is already clear.

Vamos cortar means we are going to cut.

This is the very common Portuguese structure:

• ir + infinitive

Here:

• vamos = we go / we are going
• cortar = to cut

Together, vamos cortar works like English are going to cut.

Because after vamos, Portuguese uses the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• nós vamos cortar
• nós vamos comer
• nós vamos sair

Not:

• nós vamos cortamos ❌

That would be ungrammatical.

So think of it as:

• vamos = the conjugated verb
• cortar = the unchanged infinitive that follows it

Yes. You could say:

• Nós cortaremos batata e cebola para o jantar.

This also means We will cut potato and onion for dinner.

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, ir + infinitive is much more common in speech:

• vamos cortar is more natural and conversational
• cortaremos sounds more formal, written, or less common in casual speech

In Portuguese, especially when talking about ingredients or food in a general way, it is very common to use bare singular nouns:

• cortar batata e cebola
• comprar pão
• fazer arroz

This sounds natural when you are talking about the ingredient in general, not emphasizing the exact number.

English often prefers plurals in these contexts, so a learner might expect potatoes and onions, but Portuguese can naturally say batata e cebola.

Because Portuguese often omits articles with ingredients or foods when speaking generally.

So cortar batata e cebola is a very natural way to say cut potato and onion or, in normal English, cut potatoes and onions depending on context.

If you add articles, the meaning can become more specific:

• cortar a batata e a cebola = cut the potato and the onion
• cortar uma batata e uma cebola = cut a potato and an onion

Without articles, it sounds more like recipe language or general meal-prep language.

Yes, you could, but it changes the feel a little.

• batata e cebola = ingredient names in a general sense
• batatas e cebolas = more clearly emphasizes multiple potatoes and onions

So both are possible, but batata e cebola is very natural in contexts like cooking, shopping, or talking about ingredients.

It means for dinner.

Here, jantar is a noun, not a verb, because it comes after the article o:

• o jantar = dinner

So:

• para o jantar = for dinner

It tells you the purpose: the potato and onion are being cut for the dinner meal.

Yes. Jantar can be both:

• a noun: dinner
• a verb: to have dinner / to dine

Examples:

• O jantar está pronto. = Dinner is ready.
• Vamos jantar às oito. = We’re going to have dinner at eight.

In your sentence, it is definitely a noun because of o jantar.

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, para o is very often contracted in speech to pro.

So these mean the same thing:

• para o jantar
• pro jantar

The full form para o jantar is more neutral and careful. The contracted form pro jantar is very common in everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Yes, and in Brazil that is extremely common.

• Nós vamos cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.
• A gente vai cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.

Both mean We are going to cut potato and onion for dinner.

A key point:

• a gente means we in everyday Brazilian Portuguese
• but it uses third-person singular verb forms

So:

• a gente vai ✅
• a gente vamos ❌

Not necessarily. Cortar is a general verb meaning to cut.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• cut
• chop
• slice

If you want to be more specific in Portuguese, you might use other verbs, for example:

• picar = chop/mince
• fatiar = slice

But cortar is broad and completely natural here.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Nohs VAH-moos cor-TAR bah-TAH-tah ee seh-BOH-lah PAH-rah oo jan-TAR

A few notes:

• nós sounds roughly like nawss or nohs
• vamos is usually pronounced more like VAH-mos in normal speech
• e usually sounds like ee
• jantar has a nasal sound in jan
• the final r in Brazilian Portuguese is often pronounced like a soft h sound in many regions

So in many Brazilian accents, jantar may sound roughly like zhan-TAH or jan-TAHh, depending on the region.

Yes. Portuguese word order is somewhat flexible, especially when you move a phrase for emphasis.

For example:

• Nós vamos cortar batata e cebola para o jantar.
• Para o jantar, nós vamos cortar batata e cebola.

Both are correct.

The original order is the most neutral. Starting with para o jantar gives a little more emphasis to for dinner.