A Maria cozinha courgette com arroz.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article before a person’s name:

• a Maria
• o João

This does not mean the Maria in English. It is just a normal Portuguese pattern.

So:

• A Maria cozinha... = very natural in Portugal
• Maria cozinha... = also possible, but it can sound a bit less colloquial in some contexts

One important exception: when you speak directly to the person, you do not use the article:

• Maria, anda cá!

Here, cozinha is the verb cozinhar in the 3rd person singular present indicative.

So it matches A Maria = Maria / she.

• eu cozinho = I cook
• tu cozinhas = you cook
• ela cozinha = she cooks

In this sentence, cozinha means cooks or, depending on context, is cooking.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Portuguese simple present often covers:

• a habitual action: Maria cooks courgette with rice
• a general fact
• sometimes a current action, though in European Portuguese this is less explicit

If you want to make right now / at the moment very clear in European Portuguese, people often use:

• A Maria está a cozinhar courgette com arroz.

So:

• cozinha = cooks / may be cooking
• está a cozinhar = is cooking

Portuguese often leaves out the article with foods and ingredients when speaking in a general way.

So:

• cozinha courgette com arroz = cooks courgette with rice
• cozinha uma courgette = cooks one courgette
• cozinha o arroz = cooks the rice, meaning some specific rice already known in the conversation

In this sentence, courgette and arroz sound like ingredient names, not specific individual items.

That is why no article is needed.

Com means with.

Here, com arroz most naturally means that the courgette is prepared with rice — either mixed with it, accompanied by it, or served together with it.

The exact nuance depends on context:

• ingredient combination
• side dish
• part of the same meal

So com is the normal and expected preposition here.

Yes. This is a very normal Portuguese word order:

• A Maria = subject
• cozinha = verb
• courgette = object
• com arroz = complement

So it follows the basic subject + verb + object pattern.

Portuguese often allows flexibility, but this sentence is straightforward and natural in structure.

Yes. Cozinha can be:

• a verb: cozinha = cooks
• a noun: a cozinha = the kitchen

So this is one of those words where context matters.

Compare:

• A Maria cozinha courgette com arroz. = Maria cooks courgette with rice.
• A cozinha da Maria é grande. = Maria’s kitchen is big.

In your sentence, it is clearly the verb because it comes after the subject and before the food.

In European Portuguese, cozinha is pronounced approximately like:

• koo-ZEE-nya

A more accurate IPA version is roughly:

• /kuˈziɲɐ/

A few useful points:

• nh sounds like ny in canyon
• the stress falls on zi
• the final a is usually weak in European Portuguese

So the trickiest part for English speakers is usually nh.

Yes — courgette is common in Portugal, especially in recipes, shops, and food packaging.

You may also see the adapted spelling curgete.

This is a good clue that the sentence is European Portuguese, because in Brazilian Portuguese the usual word is:

• abobrinha

So for Portugal, courgette is perfectly normal.