Hoje vou cozer ovos ao pequeno‑almoço.

Today I am going to boil eggs for breakfast.

Breakdown of Hoje vou cozer ovos ao pequeno‑almoço.

• hoje: today
• ir: to go
• o ovo: the egg
• ao: at
• o pequeno‑almoço: the breakfast
• cozer: to boil

Questions & Answers about Hoje vou cozer ovos ao pequeno‑almoço.

What exactly does cozer mean here? Does it specifically mean boil?

In Portugal, cozer is “to cook,” often by boiling or moist heat. With eggs, cozer ovos specifically means to boil eggs. Compare:

• cozinhar = to cook (general)
• ferver = for a liquid to boil / to bring a liquid to the boil; you rarely say ferver ovos
• assar = to roast/bake with dry heat (oven or grill), e.g., assar frango
• cozer no forno can mean to bake bread/pastries, but with eggs you say cozer ovos

What’s the difference between cozer and coser?

They are homophones in European Portuguese (both sound like /koˈzer/), but:

• cozer = to cook/boil
• coser = to sew/stitch Spelling matters: cozido = cooked; cosido = sewn.

What tense is vou cozer? Could I say cozerei?

vou cozer is the periphrastic future (present of ir + infinitive), equivalent to “I’m going to cook,” and it’s the most common future in speech. cozerei (simple future) is correct but sounds formal or distant in everyday conversation. You can also use the present progressive for “right now” actions (see below).

Why is there no eu? Should I say Eu vou cozer?

Portuguese drops subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. vou already marks first person singular. Eu vou cozer is fine if you want emphasis or contrast.

Why ao pequeno‑almoço and not para o pequeno‑almoço or no pequeno‑almoço?

• ao pequeno‑almoço is the idiomatic way to say “for breakfast” when talking about what you eat/serve: comer fruta ao pequeno‑almoço.
• para o pequeno‑almoço also works, emphasizing purpose or planning (“intended for breakfast”).
• no pequeno‑almoço means “at/during breakfast” (the time/event), e.g., Falamos no pequeno‑almoço (We’ll talk at breakfast), not usually to describe the menu.

What is ao exactly?

It’s the contraction of preposition a + masculine singular article o. Related contractions:

• a + os = aos
• a + a = à
• a + as = às

Can I move hoje around? What word orders sound natural?

Yes. All are natural, with small emphasis differences:

• Hoje vou cozer ovos ao pequeno‑almoço. (time first)
• Vou cozer ovos ao pequeno‑almoço hoje. (neutral; time last)
• Hoje, ao pequeno‑almoço, vou cozer ovos. (more contrastive/emphatic)

Do I need an article with ovos? Could I say os ovos or uns ovos?

• Bare plural ovos = some eggs in general (most natural here).
• os ovos = the eggs (specific ones already known).
• uns ovos = some eggs/a few eggs (informal, imprecise).
• You can also specify a number: dois ovos, três ovos, etc.

How do I say “boiled eggs,” “hard‑boiled,” and “soft‑boiled”?

• ovos cozidos = boiled eggs (general)
• ovos duros or ovos cozidos duros = hard‑boiled
• ovos moles or ovos cozidos moles = soft‑boiled Related: ovos mexidos (scrambled), ovos estrelados (fried), ovos escalfados (poached), omelete (omelette).

Pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?

• Hoje ≈ “OH-zh(uh)” (final vowel very short; j is the “zh” sound)
• vou ≈ “voh”
• cozer ≈ “koo-ZAIR” (final r is a light tap in most EP accents)
• ovos alone ≈ “OH-voosh”; before a following vowel it often links as ao ≈ “ó-vo-zaw”
• ao ≈ “ow” (as in “cow”)
• pequeno‑almoço ≈ “pih-KEH-no al-MO-su”; dark L in al‑, ç sounds like “s”

Is there anything special about the spelling pequeno‑almoço?

Yes:

• It’s hyphenated: pequeno‑almoço (this hasn’t changed with spelling reforms).
• It’s masculine: o pequeno‑almoço, hence ao pequeno‑almoço.
• Literally “small lunch,” but together it means “breakfast.”
• The ç in almoço is pronounced like “s.”

Could I say Hoje vou cozinhar ovos… instead?

You can, but cozinhar ovos is generic (“cook eggs” by any method). If you specifically mean boiling, cozer ovos is the idiomatic choice in Portugal.

What if I’m doing it right now?

Use the European Portuguese progressive with estar a:

• Estou a cozer ovos. You can add time info: Hoje de manhã estou a cozer ovos.

Can I say ferver os ovos to mean “boil the eggs”?

It’s understandable but not idiomatic. Ferver refers to the liquid. You ferve a água (boil the water) and coze os ovos in it: Vou ferver a água para cozer os ovos.

How would this be phrased in Brazilian Portuguese?

Brazil uses café da manhã for breakfast. Natural options:

• Hoje vou cozinhar ovos no café da manhã.
• If you want “boiled eggs” explicitly: Hoje vou fazer ovos cozidos no café da manhã. (Brazil doesn’t usually say ao café da manhã; it prefers no café da manhã.)