Breakdown of Vou cozer batatas e cenouras antes de as misturar com a alface fresca.
eu
I
e
and
antes de
before
fresco
fresh
a batata
the potato
a cenoura
the carrot
as
them
misturar com
to mix with
a alface
the lettuce
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Questions & Answers about Vou cozer batatas e cenouras antes de as misturar com a alface fresca.
What does the verb cozer mean in this sentence, and how does it differ from cozinhar?
In European Portuguese, cozer specifically refers to cooking by boiling or stewing—methods often used for vegetables like potatoes and carrots. Although cozinhar is a more general term for cooking (and more common in Brazilian Portuguese), cozer is typically used in Portugal when the food is boiled.
Why is the pronoun as placed before misturar instead of being attached to the end of the infinitive?
The pronoun as replaces batatas e cenouras (both feminine plural) and functions as the direct object of misturar. In European Portuguese, object pronouns are usually placed before the verb—even after a preposition—so instead of attaching it to the infinitive (as in misturá-las in Brazilian Portuguese), it appears as antes de as misturar.
What does the phrase antes de as misturar com a alface fresca indicate regarding the sequence of actions?
It means "before mixing them with the fresh lettuce." This tells us that the potatoes and carrots must be boiled first and only then mixed with the fresh lettuce, establishing a clear order of steps in the recipe.
How does the construction vou cozer express a future action in Portuguese?
Vou cozer uses the present tense form of ir (vou, meaning “I am going”) followed by the infinitive cozer. This structure functions like the English “going to” construction and is commonly used in Portuguese to indicate an action that will take place in the near future.
Why is the adjective fresca placed after a alface, and how does it agree with the noun?
In Portuguese, adjectives can follow the noun they modify. Here, fresca means “fresh” and is placed after a alface. It agrees in gender (feminine) and number (singular) with alface, which is a feminine noun, thus following the grammatical rules of adjective-noun agreement.