bife
/ˈbi.fi/masculine
Steak in Portuguese is bife.
bife refers to a slice of meat and is the standard term used when ordering a steak in a restaurant.
Meaning: slice of beef (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, Maminha is a specific cut of beef known as the tri-tip. In Portugal, Bife de vaca is used specifically to refer to a beef steak.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of bife is bifes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbi.fi/ (two syllables, stress on the first syllable)
When do people say it?
When you want to specify that a steak is cooked rare, you can use the phrase mal passado.
Did you know?
- In some Brazilian regions, a bife a cavalo literally translates to 'steak on horseback', but it actually means a steak served with two fried eggs on top.
- The word bife is an anglicism, directly borrowed from the English word 'beef'.
- While bife is the general term, Brazilians often use picanha as the gold standard for steak, referring to a specific cut of the rump cap that is rarely called a bife.
Examples in context
- Vou levar um bife.I'll take a steak.This sentence is useful for expressing an intention to take a bife.Tatoeba #2750137 by Ricardo14, translation #620703 by Ricardo14
- Sami comeu o bife.Sami ate the steak.This sentence is useful for describing that someone ate a bife.Tatoeba #7884804 by piterkeo, translation #7144631 by OsoHombre
- Sami pagou o bife.Sami paid the steak.This sentence is useful for describing that someone paid for a bife.Tatoeba #7884807 by piterkeo, translation #7270454 by OsoHombre
- Eu gostaria de um bife, por favorI would like a steak, please
- O restaurante serve uma excelente carne grelhadaThe restaurant serves excellent steak
- Gostaria de uma picanha, por favorI would like a picanha, please
- Vamos comer um bifão hoje à noite?Shall we have a big steak tonight?
- O entrecôte desse restaurante é sensacionalThe entrecôte at this restaurant is amazing
- Você quer uma peça de carne para o churrasco?Do you want a piece of steak for the barbecue?
- Eu adoro maminha grelhadaI love grilled tri-tip
- Quero o meu bife mal passadoI want my steak rare
- Vou a um restaurante amanhã e pretendo pedir um bife bem passado.I'm going to a restaurant tomorrow and plan to order a well-done steak.
- Preciso de dois bifes de picanha frescos, por favor.I need two fresh picanha steaks, please.
- O bifão que comi naquela churrascaria estava suculento e saboroso.The big steak I had at that barbecue restaurant was juicy and delicious.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz are deciding what to order at a restaurant.
- FelipeBeatriz, você quer pedir um bife?Beatriz, do you want to order a steak?
- BeatrizSim, eu estou com muita fome.Yes, I am very hungry.
- FelipeEu vou pedir o meu bife também.I will order my steak too.
- BeatrizÓtimo, o garçom já está vindo.Great, the waiter is already coming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “steak” translations and entries bife, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bife, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
