A1 · Unit 4 · Lesson 2
At the table: food and ordering
Navigating a Brazilian menu, the padaria counter, and the rituals of lunch — Brazil's most important meal.
From the padaria counter to a long Brazilian lunch — the verb “fazer” and the phrases that get you fed.
The verb fazer (to do / to make)
faço, faz, fazemos, fazem. The “eu” form “faço” is the odd one to remember.
Conjugate it — fazer
Present · reveal each person, then keep the cheat card.
Spot the pattern
Fazer behaves normally except for one shape — the “eu” form. Predict each.
Eu faço o almoço.
I make lunch.
Ela faz um bolo.
She makes a cake.
Nós fazemos reservas online.
We make reservations online.
Ordering at the table
Order with “para mim” (for me) and “eu quero / queria”. Call the waiter “garçom” and ask for the bill with “a conta, por favor”.
Para mim, uma água sem gás.
For me, a still water.
Queria o cardápio, por favor.
I'd like the menu, please.
A conta, por favor.
The bill, please.
Words for everyday meals
café da manhã (breakfast), almoço (lunch), jantar (dinner). Rice and beans — arroz e feijão — anchor most plates.
No almoço tem arroz e feijão.
There's rice and beans for lunch.
Quero uma sobremesa.
I want a dessert.
O suco é de morango.
The juice is strawberry.
Common mistakes
- — Say “para mim” when ordering for yourself — never “para eu”.
- — “Fazer” is irregular only in “eu faço”; the rest behave normally.
- — “Cardápio” is the Brazilian word for menu (not “ementa”, which is European).
14 exercises · pass at 85% · missed items return until you clear them