salsa
/ˈsaw.sɐ/
In Portuguese, salsa refers to spicy tomato sauce.
The word salsa is used to mean a spicy tomato sauce.
Meaning: spicy tomato sauce (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, people tend to use salsa as an abbreviation for salsinha.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaw.sɐ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use salsa to mean the herb parsley. In Portuguese, salsa is actually the herb. To refer to the spicy tomato sauce, you should use its Spanish name or say molho de tomate picante instead.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word salsa shares an etymological root with the English word 'salt', as both stem from the Latin 'sal'. This reflects the ancient concept of 'salsa' as a 'salted herb'.
- Brazilians often use salsa as a shorthand for salsinha. The suffix -inha is a diminutive, meaning 'little', which is a common way to name herbs in Brazil.
- While salsa means parsley in Portuguese, it is a loanword from Spanish when used to describe the spicy tomato sauce. This can cause confusion because the same word has two different sources and meanings in one sentence.
Examples in context
- Posso ter salsa com isso?Can I have salsa with that?This sentence shows how to ask for salsa with a dish.Tatoeba #8208518 by josivangoncalves, translation #8208439 by CK
- Você conhece alguma academia que ofereça aulas de dança de salão, incluindo salsa?Do you know any dance academies that offer ballroom dancing classes, including salsa?
- Estou procurando uma escola de dança de salão para aprender salsa.I'm looking for a ballroom dance school to learn salsa.
- Eu adoro dançar salsa!I love dancing salsa!
Example conversation
Camila and Rodrigo are eating tacos at home.
- CamilaRodrigo, você quer mais salsa?Rodrigo, do you want more salsa?
- RodrigoSim, por favor, Camila.Yes, please, Camila.
- CamilaVou colocar a salsa aqui.I will put the salsa here.
- RodrigoObrigado, ficou ótimo!Thanks, it turned out great!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry salsa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salsa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
