Breakdown of A massa vai crescendo.
a
to / at (direction)
ir
to go
crescer
to grow up / to grow / increase
a massa
the dough
Questions & Answers about A massa vai crescendo.
I thought European Portuguese didn't use the gerund. Why is it crescendo instead of a crescer?
While European Portuguese typically uses estar a + infinitive for the present continuous, the gerund is completely standard when paired with the auxiliary verb ir. The structure ir + gerund describes an action that happens gradually or step-by-step. So, vai crescendo emphasizes that the dough is expanding little by little.
Could I just say A massa está a crescer here?
Yes, but it changes the nuance. A massa está a crescer is a simple observation meaning 'The dough is rising right now.' By using vai crescendo, you draw attention to the slow, accumulating progression of the action over time.
Doesn't crescer normally mean 'to grow'?
I've seen the word massa used for pasta. How do I know it means dough here?
Massa is a versatile term for many mixtures of flour and liquid, including dough, batter, and pasta. In this sentence, the context of it gradually rising (crescendo) makes it clear we are talking about yeast dough.