sal
/ˈsaw/masculine
The English word "salt" is sal in Portuguese.
sal refers to the substance sodium chloride. In formal, scientific or medical contexts, the technical term used is cloreto de sódio. Related to this, salgar is the verb meaning "to add salt to" and salino is the adjective for "saline".
Meaning: sodium chloride (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun sal is masculine and should be used with masculine articles and adjectives. To describe something as "salty", you can use the adjective salgado or its feminine form salgada, depending on the gender of the noun being described.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsaw/
Did you know?
- The word sal is the root of the Portuguese word for 'salary', which is salário, reflecting the historical practice of paying soldiers with salt.
- In Brazil, the term sal grosso refers to coarse salt used not only for cooking but also for spiritual cleansing baths to remove negative energy.
- In a metaphorical sense, if someone is 'salgado' (salty), it can mean they are 'expensive' or 'costly', often used to describe food prices or even people who are difficult to deal with.
Examples in context
- Isto não é sal.This is not salt.This sentence is useful for identifying what is or is not sal.Tatoeba #5170419 by bill, translation #2940713 by AlanF_US
- Não tem mais sal.There is no salt left.This sentence is useful for expressing that there is no sal left.Tatoeba #970645 by alexmarcelo, translation #25759 by CK
- Precisa de mais sal.It needs more salt.This sentence is useful for stating a need for more sal.Tatoeba #7371463 by Ricardo14, translation #7371425 by Eccles17
- Por favor, pode passar o sal?Could you please pass the salt?
- Está muito salgadoIt is too salty
- 150 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Camila and Lucas are having dinner at home.
- CamilaLucas, você pode passar o sal?Lucas, can you pass the salt?
- LucasClaro, Camila. Aqui está.Sure, Camila. Here it is.
- CamilaObrigada. A comida está ótima.Thank you. The food is great.
- LucasFico feliz que tenha gostado.I am glad you liked it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salt” translations and entries sal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
