bufê
/buˈfe/masculine
The Portuguese word for food buffet is bufê.
bufê refers to a food buffet or smorgasbord.
Meaning: food (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, the expression buffet livre is used to mean an all-you-can-eat buffet.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/buˈfe/
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the term buffet livre is often contrasted with buffet por quilo, where customers pay based on the exact weight of their plate.
- While bufê describes the food arrangement, the term bufete in Portuguese refers to a much more serious setting: a lawyer's office or a legal practice.
- Portuguese uses bufê for a food spread, but for a 'buffet' of options in a non-food context, like a variety of services, speakers prefer the word leque, which literally means 'fan'.
Examples in context
- No seu uoque flamejante, um chefe de cozinha num hotel em Banguecoque está a adicionar um ingrediente invulgar a vários pratos que serão apresentados no bufê.On his flaming wok, a chef in a Bangkok hotel is adding an unusual ingredient to several dishes that will be set out on the buffet.This sentence shows how a chef prepares dishes for a bufê.Tatoeba #10824356 by Cangarejo, translation #10824355 by Cangarejo
- Vamos almoçar no buffet hoje?Shall we have lunch at the buffet today?
- Onde podemos encontrar um bom refeitório self-service?Where can we find a good self-service dining room?
- Vamos a um rodízio de pizzas à noite?Shall we go to a pizza buffet tonight?
- Conheço um restaurante ótimo com buffet livre no centro.I know a great restaurant with an all-you-can-eat buffet downtown.
- O bufê de frutas é maravilhoso.The fruit buffet is wonderful.
- Eles oferecem um bufê de doces no casamento.They offer a sweet buffet at the wedding.
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are arriving at a wedding party.
- RodrigoCamila, olhe como o bufê está cheio!Camila, look how full the buffet is!
- CamilaNossa, tem tanta comida gostosa aqui.Wow, there is so much tasty food here.
- RodrigoEu vou pegar um prato no bufê agora.I am going to get a plate from the buffet now.
- CamilaEspere por mim, Rodrigo!Wait for me, Rodrigo!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “buffet” translations and entries bufê, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
