Breakdown of O chefe elogiou o jantar requintado, especialmente o aroma do molho.
de
of
o jantar
the dinner
especialmente
especially
o chefe
the boss
elogiar
to praise
o molho
the sauce
requintado
exquisite
o aroma
the aroma
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Questions & Answers about O chefe elogiou o jantar requintado, especialmente o aroma do molho.
What does requintado mean, and is it common to use with food?
requintado means refined, elegant, or exquisite. It’s often used in Portugal to praise gourmet or sophisticated dishes. Synonyms include sofisticado and elegante.
Why is the adjective after the noun in jantar requintado?
In Portuguese, adjectives usually follow the noun, so jantar requintado (lit. “dinner refined”) is the standard order. Placing the adjective before (requintado jantar) is grammatically possible but sounds poetic or emphatic.
How is especialmente functioning here?
especialmente means especially or particularly. It highlights a specific detail—in this case, the sauce’s aroma—that stood out to the speaker. Alternatives are principalmente or sobretudo, each with a slightly different nuance.
Is the comma before especialmente necessary?
The comma signals a pause and separates the general praise from the focal point (the sauce’s aroma). It’s optional but common for clarity. Without it, the sentence remains grammatically correct.
Why do we say do molho instead of de o molho?
Portuguese contracts de + o into do. So o aroma do molho literally means “the aroma of the sauce.” Writing de o would be ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.
Could we say o aroma de molho without o?
Not if you want to specify a particular sauce. o aroma de molho (without the article) sounds vague or incomplete. If you meant of a sauce, you’d say o aroma de um molho.
Can I use the passive voice: O jantar foi elogiado pelo chefe?
Yes. O jantar foi elogiado pelo chefe (“the dinner was praised by the boss”) is correct. The active voice (O chefe elogiou o jantar) is simply more direct and common in everyday speech.
Does jantar here mean the verb to dine or the noun dinner?
Here, jantar is a noun meaning dinner or evening meal. You can tell because it’s the direct object of elogiar. As a verb, jantar means to have dinner.
Why is there an article before chefe? Could we drop it?
Subjects in Portuguese often include a definite article, so o chefe means the boss. You can drop it in contexts like headlines (Chefe elogiou o jantar), but in full sentences, using o is the norm.
Is chefe the same as English chef?
No. chefe (pronounced /ˈʃɛ.fɨ/) means boss or head (of a department). The culinary title chef (professional cook) is borrowed in Portuguese as chef (pronounced /ʃef/) or expressed as chefe de cozinha.