Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carne de porco | /ˈkaʁ.ni d͡ʒi ˈpoʁ.ku/ (Brazil, word by word) | feminine |
| porco | /ˈpoʁ.ku/ (Brazil) /ˈpoɾ.ku/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
The standard and most common way to say pork is carne de porco. If you are referring specifically to bacon or pork belly, you should use toucinho.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase carne de porco literally means meat of pig.
Which one should you use?
Carne de porco specifically refers to the meat. In a colloquial sense, the word porco can refer to the meat itself, but it also refers to the pig as an animal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You may encounter the adjective suíno in formal or technical contexts, such as on food labels or in professional culinary descriptions.
How does it change in a sentence?
Carne de porco is a feminine noun phrase, while porco is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkaʁ.ni dʒi ˈpoʁ.ku/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When in a formal setting, avoid using porco to mean the meat. Instead, use the more precise carne de porco or carne suína.
Did you know?
- In some regional dialects, porco can be used as an intensifier in swear words to express anger or frustration.
- In Portuguese, calling someone a porco is a common insult that means they are 'dirty' or 'unhygienic', similar to calling someone a 'pig' in English.
- The word porco is a direct descendant of the Latin porcus, which is also the root for the English word 'pork'.
Examples in context
- Nós não comemos porco.We don't eat pork.This sentence shows how to express that you do not eat porco.Tatoeba #8648676 by JGEN, translation #8595449 by CK
- Tom não gosta de porco.Tom doesn't like pork.This sentence is used to say that someone does not like porco.Tatoeba #1318844 by alexmarcelo, translation #1026027 by CK
- É carne de porco ou nada.It's pork or nothing.This sentence uses carne de porco to state an exclusive preference.Tatoeba #3989312 by Laudemilson, translation #3989264 by danepo
- Poderia me indicar um bom restaurante que sirva carne de porco?Could you recommend me a good restaurant that serves pork?
- Vamos cozinhar uns bons bifes de porco hoje?Let's cook some delicious pork steaks today?
- Omelete com toucinho é uma das minhas receitas favoritas!Omelette with bacon is one of my favorite recipes!
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to cook for dinner at home.
- GabrielCamila, você quer comer carne de porco?Camila, do you want to eat pork?
- CamilaSim, Gabriel, eu adoraria.Yes, Gabriel, I would love to.
- GabrielTemos um pouco de carne de porco na geladeira.We have some pork in the fridge.
- CamilaPerfeito, então vamos preparar o jantar.Perfect, let's prepare dinner then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pork” translations and entries porco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (carne, de, porco) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carne, de, porco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
