Breakdown of Ela tem cozido o barro no forno.
ela
she
ter
to have
em
in / on / at
o forno
the oven
o barro
the clay
cozer
to fire
Questions & Answers about Ela tem cozido o barro no forno.
Why does this sentence translate to 'She has been firing' instead of 'She has fired'?
In Portuguese, the Pretérito Perfeito Composto (formed here with tem + cozido) is used strictly for actions that started in the past and are repeating or ongoing in the present. It translates much better to the English 'has been doing' than 'has done'. If she had simply fired the clay once and finished, you would use the simple past: Ela cozeu o barro.
I thought cozer meant 'to cook' or 'to boil'. Why is it translated as 'firing' here?
Is there a difference between cozer and cozinhar?
Yes! Cozinhar is the broad, general term for preparing food (to cook). Cozer refers to a specific method of applying heat, usually boiling in water or baking in an oven. You cozinhar a whole meal, but you cozer specific ingredients, or in this case, the clay!
I have also seen coser spelled with an 's'. Is that related?
They are completely different verbs that just happen to sound exactly the same! Cozer (with a z) means to cook, boil, or bake. Coser (with an s) means to sew with a needle and thread.
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