Cozer vs. Coser: Cook or Sew — Practice
A guided practice lesson with English explanations, Brazilian Portuguese examples, and answers you can check. Read the examples, recall the meaning, then say a version of your own.
Use cozer for cooking in water or heat
Cozer with z means to cook, often by boiling or simmering in liquid. The verb appears in recipes and cooking instructions: cozer os legumes, cozer o arroz. In Brazilian everyday speech, cozinhar is more broadly common, but cozer appears in recipe language and formal instructions.
Use cozer when the action is preparing food with heat. Do not confuse it with coser, which involves thread and fabric.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Deixe cozer por dez minutos. | Let it cook for ten minutes. |
| Vou cozer os ovos antes de sair. | I’m going to boil the eggs before leaving. |
| Os legumes devem cozer até ficarem macios. | The vegetables should cook until tender. |
Use coser for sewing fabric
Coser with s means to sew or stitch cloth. It can describe repairing clothing, joining fabric, or using a sewing machine. The noun costura (sewing/seam) shares the same everyday topic.
In casual Brazilian Portuguese, people may say costurar for sewing. Coser is still useful to recognize in written Portuguese, instructions, and dictionaries.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Minha avó sabe coser à mão. | My grandmother knows how to sew by hand. |
| Ela vai coser o botão na camisa. | She is going to sew the button onto the shirt. |
| Preciso costurar a barra da calça. | I need to sew the trouser hem. |
Remember: Cozer is to cook; coser is to sew. In everyday Brazilian speech, cozinhar and costurar are also common alternatives.
Check your understanding
Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.
Recall the Portuguese, then say it
Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.
Let it cook for ten minutes.
Show a Portuguese answer
Deixe cozer por dez minutos.
I’m going to boil the eggs before leaving.
Show a Portuguese answer
Vou cozer os ovos antes de sair.
The vegetables should cook until tender.
Show a Portuguese answer
Os legumes devem cozer até ficarem macios.
My grandmother knows how to sew by hand.
Show a Portuguese answer
Minha avó sabe coser à mão.
She is going to sew the button onto the shirt.
Show a Portuguese answer
Ela vai coser o botão na camisa.
I need to sew the trouser hem.
Show a Portuguese answer
Preciso costurar a barra da calça.
Make the phrase useful to you
Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.
Cozer is to cook; coser is to sew. In everyday Brazilian speech, cozinhar and costurar are also common alternatives.
Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.
Sources and your next lesson
This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Cozer vs. Coser: Cook or Sew? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.
To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.
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