Breakdown of A massa cresce por causa do fermento.
a
to / at (direction)
crescer
to grow up / to grow / increase
por causa de
because of (due to)
a massa
the dough
o fermento
the yeast
Questions & Answers about A massa cresce por causa do fermento.
How would I change this sentence to say the dough "is gradually rising", applying the gradual progressive aspect from this lesson?
You would replace the simple present tense cresce with the auxiliary verb ir (conjugated in the present) plus the gerund of crescer. The sentence becomes: A massa vai crescendo por causa do fermento. This emphasizes the slow, continuous, and step-by-step process of the dough expanding over time.
Why is cresce used here for dough "rising"? Doesn't it normally mean "to grow"?
Why do we use por causa do rather than just porque o?
To say "because of [a noun]", you must use the fixed prepositional phrase por causa de. Because fermento is a masculine noun, the preposition de contracts with the definite article o to form do. You cannot use porque here, because porque must be followed by a full clause containing a conjugated verb, not just a noun phrase.
Is massa the same word used for pasta?
Yes! Massa is a highly versatile word. Depending on the context, it can mean pasta, dough, batter, mass (in physics), or even be used as slang for money (much like "dough" in English). Here, the presence of fermento (yeast or baking powder) makes it obvious we are talking about baking dough.
Learn A massa cresce por causa do fermento and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free