Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O jantar de hoje é peixe cozido.

O jantar de hoje é peixe cozido.

Today's dinner is boiled fish.

Breakdown of O jantar de hoje é peixe cozido.

ser

to be

of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)

Questions & Answers about O jantar de hoje é peixe cozido.

Why do we say de hoje to mean today's?

Portuguese does not have an apostrophe S to show possession or connection. Instead, you always use de (of). So, today's dinner translates literally as the dinner of today (o jantar de hoje).

I learned that jantar is a verb. Can it be a noun too?

Yes! Many meal words in Portuguese work as both a noun and a verb. Here, the word o before it shows it is the noun meaning the dinner. If you used it as a verb, you might say vamos jantar (we are going to eat dinner).

Why use é (from the verb ser) instead of está (from estar)? Isn't a daily meal temporary?

We use é because we are defining what the meal actually is. When you state the identity of something (this dinner equals fish), you use ser. You would only use estar to describe a temporary condition of the meal, such as o jantar está frio (the dinner is cold).

What does cozido mean, and why is it used instead of a word like cozinhado?