bacalhau
/ba.kaˈʎaw/masculine
The English word "cod" is translated into Portuguese as bacalhau.
bacalhau refers to any marine fish belonging to the family Gadidae.
Meaning: any marine fish of the family Gadidae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form bacalhau is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and the stress is on the third syllable: /ba.kaˈʎaw/.
Did you know?
- Despite being the national dish of Portugal, the bacalhau is not native to Portuguese waters and is primarily caught in the North Atlantic.
- Portugal is famous for having over 100 different traditional recipes for preparing bacalhau. It is often called the fiel amigo or 'faithful friend' because it is a staple of the national diet.
- The origin of bacalhau may be linked to the Latin word baculum, meaning 'stick', which refers to how the fish were traditionally dried on wooden poles.
Examples in context
- "O bacalhau fica uma delícia com este molho." "Vou experimentar."“The cod tastes delicious with this sauce.” “I'll give it a try.”This sentence shows how to describe the taste of bacalhau with a sauce.Tatoeba #14035219 by carlosalberto, translation #14035253 by carlosalberto
- Durante quase um quarto de século, ele pescou bacalhau, arinca, juliana e solhas de vários tipos. Mas depois, diz ele, "devemos ter apanhado tudo o que havia".For nearly a quarter century, he caught cod, haddock, pollock, and flounders of various types. But then, he says "I guess we caught them all up."This sentence provides a context where bacalhau is part of a list of different fish caught by a fisherman.Tatoeba #12414090 by Cangarejo, translation #12414089 by Cangarejo
- Com a chegada de novos concorrentes e predadores, mesmo a espécie mais abundante do Ártico no norte do Mar de Barents, o bacalhau-polar local, poderá ficar extinta.As new competitors and predators arrive, even the most abundant Arctic species in the northern Barents Sea, the local Polar cod, could become extinct.This sentence discusses the potential extinction of a specific type of cod, the bacalhau-polar.Tatoeba #10766451 by Cangarejo, translation #5354734 by Hybrid
- Eu gostaria de pedir o bacalhau com batatas, por favor.I would like to order the cod with potatoes, please.
- A receita tradicional portuguesa pede bacalhau salgado.The traditional Portuguese recipe calls for salted cod.
- Nossa família gosta de preparar pratos de bacalhau durante ocasiões especiais.Our family enjoys preparing cod dishes during special occasions.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Camila are at a restaurant looking at the menu.
- FelipeVocê gosta de bacalhau?Do you like cod?
- CamilaSim, eu adoro esse peixe.Yes, I love that fish.
- FelipeEntão vamos pedir o bacalhau assado.Then let's order the baked cod.
- CamilaCombinado, parece ótimo!Agreed, it sounds great!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cod” translations and entries bacalhau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bacalhau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
