Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| café da manhã | /kaˈfɛ da mɐ̃ˈɲɐ̃/ (Brazil) | Brazil |
| desjejum | /dez.ʒeˈʒũ/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒiz.ʒeˈʒũ/ (Brazil) |
rare |
| pequeno-almoço | /piˌkẽ.nu.awˈmo.su/ (Brazil) /peˌkẽ.nu.awˈmo.su/ (Brazil) |
Portugal |
| mata-bicho | /ˌma.tɐˈbi.ʃu/ (Brazil) /ˌma.tɐˈbi.ʃu/ (Portugal) |
Angola, Mozambique |
The term refers to the first meal of the day. While the most common way to say you are eating breakfast is through the phrase tomar o café da manhã, you can also use verbs like desjejuar to express the action of having the morning meal.
What does it mean word for word?
The Brazilian term café da manhã literally translates to 'coffee of the morning'.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the location. Use café da manhã in Brazil, while pequeno-almoço is the standard term used in Portugal. In Angola and Mozambique, the term mata-bicho is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, café da manhã is the standard, though mata-bicho is used in the Northeastern region. The term mata-bicho is also the word for breakfast in Angola and Mozambique.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you are having breakfast, it is typical to use the verb tomar (to take/drink) rather than comer (to eat). For example, you would say tomar o café da manhã or tomar o pequeno-almoço.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈfɛ da mɐ̃ˈɲɐ̃/
Did you know?
- The term mata-bicho literally means 'kill the bug'. It refers to the idea of killing the 'worm' or hunger bug in the stomach to start the day.
- The word desjejum is formed from the prefix des- and the word jejum, meaning 'fast'. To have breakfast is literally to 'break the fast'.
- The word manhã in café da manhã shares a common ancient root with the English word 'mature', stemming from a concept of 'ripening'.
Examples in context
- Tome o café da manhã.Have breakfast.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to have breakfast using café da manhã.Tatoeba #4865601 by carlosalberto, translation #4625806 by Arondayot
- Ela fez café da manhã.She made breakfast.This sentence shows how to use the verb to say someone made breakfast with café da manhã.Tatoeba #2868859 by alexmarcelo, translation #2868011 by Amastan
- Tomamos o café da manhã.We had breakfast.This sentence demonstrates how to say 'we' had breakfast using café da manhã.Tatoeba #3466015 by piterkeo, translation #2241100 by CK
- Gostaria de marcar uma reunião de negócios durante o café da manhã?Would you like to schedule a business meeting during breakfast?
- Peço desculpas, mas será que você poderia agendar a refeição matinal para as 8 horas?I apologize, but could you schedule the morning meal for 8 o'clock?
- Vamos marcar um café da manhã juntos amanhã!Let's meet for breakfast tomorrow!
- Vou preparar um desjejum maravilhoso para nós amanhã!I'm going to prepare a wonderful breakfast for us tomorrow!
- Quer tomar um café da manhã ou comer um mata-bicho?Do you want to have breakfast or have a mata-bicho?
- Vamos experimentar um delicioso café colonial amanhã cedo?Let's try a delicious colonial breakfast tomorrow morning?
- 318 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home in the morning.
- RodrigoMariana, você quer o café da manhã agora?Mariana, do you want breakfast now?
- MarianaSim, Rodrigo, estou com muita fome.Yes, Rodrigo, I am very hungry.
- RodrigoEu fiz frutas e pão para o café da manhã.I made fruit and bread for breakfast.
- MarianaPerfeito, parece ótimo!Perfect, it sounds great!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breakfast” translations and entries café da manhã, desjejum, pequeno-almoço, mata-bicho, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries café, café da manhã, da, desjejum, manhã, mata-bicho, pequeno-almoço, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
