A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article before a person’s first name: a Maria, o Pedro, a Inês.

So A Maria prefere... simply means Maria prefers.... The article is not usually translated into English.

A few notes:

• This is especially common in Portugal.
• You normally do not use the article when directly calling the person: Maria, anda cá!

Prefere is the 3rd person singular of the verb preferir in the present tense.

So:

• eu prefiro = I prefer
• tu preferes = you prefer
• ele/ela prefere = he/she prefers

Here, Maria is one person, so prefere means she prefers.

Em vez de means instead of or rather than.

So:

• A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros = Maria prefers parsley instead of coriander/cilantro.

This expression is very common when comparing two options and saying one is chosen in place of the other.

Because em vez de is a fixed expression. The de is part of it.

You can think of it as one unit:

• em vez de + noun
• em vez de + infinitive

Examples:

• em vez de coentros = instead of coriander
• em vez de sair = instead of going out

So the de is not specifically caused by coentros; it belongs to em vez de.

Yes. In fact, that is the more traditional grammar pattern with preferir:

• preferir X a Y = to prefer X to Y

So these are both possible:

• A Maria prefere salsa a coentros.
• A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros.

The version with a is a more direct prefer X to Y structure.
The version with em vez de feels more like she chooses parsley instead of coriander.

Because ingredient names are often used without an article when talking about them in a general sense.

So:

• prefere salsa
• em vez de coentros

is perfectly natural.

You may also hear articles in other contexts:

• a salsa que comprei
• os coentros da sopa

So the article often depends on whether you mean the ingredient in general or a specific parsley/coriander.

Yes. In Portuguese, salsa means parsley.

This can confuse English speakers because salsa in English usually means a type of sauce. In Portuguese:

• salsa = parsley
• molho = sauce

So in this sentence, salsa is definitely the herb, not a sauce.

In Portuguese, some herbs and leafy ingredients are very often referred to in the plural when talking about them as food ingredients.

So coentros is very natural and common.

Useful vocabulary:

• coentro = coriander plant / coriander seed in some contexts
• coentros = coriander/cilantro leaves, the herb used in cooking

For many English speakers, coentros is often closest to cilantro in everyday cooking contexts.

Yes, it sounds natural in European Portuguese.

A Portuguese speaker in Portugal could easily say:

• A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros.

They might also say:

• A Maria prefere salsa a coentros.

Both are understandable and natural. The exact choice depends on style and what nuance the speaker wants.

Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility.

For example:

• A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros.
• Em vez de coentros, a Maria prefere salsa.

Both are correct. The second version gives more emphasis to instead of coriander.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

A Maria prefere salsa em vez de coentros
≈ uh muh-REE-uh pruh-FEH-ruh SAL-suh ẽ VEZH duh koo-EN-trosh

A few European Portuguese points:

• de often sounds more like duh or a very reduced vowel
• final s often sounds like sh
• unstressed vowels are often reduced much more than in English

So coentros in Portugal sounds roughly like koo-EN-trosh.