Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carne de vaca | /ˈkaʁ.ni d͡ʒi ˈva.kɐ/ (Brazil, word by word) | feminine |
| carne bovina | feminine, formal | |
| carne | /ˈkaʁ.ni/ (Brazil) /ˈkaɾ.ni/ (São Paulo) |
Brazil, feminine, informal |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase carne de vaca is a literal construction meaning meat of cow.
Which one should you use?
While carne de vaca is the standard way to express beef in everyday speech, carne de boi is a common alternative used to refer to the same thing. For more specialized or technical purposes, carne bovina is used to mean bovine meat.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Carne de vaca is used in everyday speech, while carne bovina is a more technical term suitable for formal contexts, such as scientific discussions, official menus or butcher shops. In Brazil, you may also hear the informal term carne.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, carne de vaca is more common than carne de bovino. Regarding specific cuts, the cut known as fraldinha in Brazil is called vazio in Portugal and vice versa.
How does it change in a sentence?
All these terms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkaʁ.ni dʒi ˈva.kɐ/. The stress is on the first syllable of the four-syllable phrase.
Did you know?
- The word carne shares the same root as the English word 'carnage', both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to cut off'.
- Portuguese is part of a group of Romance languages where the word for beef, carne, remains almost identical to the words used in Spanish, Italian and Romanian.
- In Brazil, if you order carne at a steakhouse, the server will assume you mean beef, even though the word literally means any kind of 'meat'.
Examples in context
- Essa carne está boa.This beef is good.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of the carne.Tatoeba #4966964 by Ricardo14, translation #3824349 by CK
- Tom come carne de boi?Does Tom eat beef?This sentence is useful for asking if someone eats carne.Tatoeba #7346750 by alexmarcelo, translation #6351739 by CK
- Você come carne de boi?Do you eat beef?Tatoeba #7346755 by alexmarcelo, translation #7346005 by Hamidb
- O restaurante oferece diversos cortes de carne de vaca em seu menu.The restaurant offers various cuts of beef on its menu.
- Eu gostaria de um bife mal passado, por favor.I would like a rare steak, please.
- O estudo aborda os diferentes tipos de carne bovina consumidos em todo o mundo.The study addresses the different types of beef consumed worldwide.
- Vamos fazer um churrasco com bastante carne de boi!Let's have a barbecue with lots of beef!
- Hoje eu estou com vontade de comer um bifão suculento.Today, I feel like eating a juicy beef steak.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Camila are deciding what to buy at the market.
- FelipeVocê quer comprar carne de vaca?Do you want to buy some beef?
- CamilaSim, vamos comprar dois quilos.Yes, let's buy two kilos.
- FelipeA carne de vaca está cara hoje.The beef is expensive today.
- CamilaTudo bem, eu quero comer bife.That's okay, I want to eat steak.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beef” translations and entries carne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (carne, de, vaca) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carne, de, vaca, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
