Mastering English: Food Vocabulary, Grammar & Social Etiquette

Posted on Jun 21, 2025 in English

Food & Language Skills

Food Preparation Vocabulary

  • Bake: assar; cozinhar no forno
  • Boil: ferver
  • Fry: fritar
  • Grill: grelha
  • Melt: fundição; derreter
  • Microwave: microondas
  • Roast: assado; carne assada
  • Steam: vapor

Understanding the Present Passive Voice

The active voice places the focus of a sentence on the doer of an action. The passive voice places the focus on the receiver of the action. Use the passive voice when the doer is not known or is not important.

  • Active: You serve satay with peanut sauce. / The cook fries the empanadas. / The vendor boils and then bakes the bagels.
  • Passive: Satay is served with peanut sauce. / The empanadas are fried. / Bagels are boiled and then baked.
  • Tamales are a traditional Mexican food. They are sold (sell) on street corners all over the country. They are made (make) by filling dough with meat or vegetables. Then the dough is wrapped (wrap) in corn husks and it is steamed (steam).
  • Crepes are eaten (eat) as a street snack all over France. Flour, eggs, and milk are mixed (mix) together to make a batter. The batter is poured (pour) onto a hot, flat pan, and then it is cooked (cook). Crepes are filled (fill) with a variety of ingredients, such as cheese, chocolate, or vegetables.
  • In Japan, taiyaki is a popular snack that is shaped (shape) like a fish. The sides of a mold are covered (cover) with batter. Then a filling such as sweet red bean paste is added (add) to the mold. The mold is closed (close), and the taiyaki cakes are cooked (cook) until they are golden brown.

Giving and Accepting Recommendations

  • Giving a recommendation:
    • Why don’t you try…
    • If I were you, I’d…
    • My recommendation would be to…
  • Accepting a recommendation:
    • That’s a good idea.
    • Sounds good to me.
    • OK, I think I’ll do that.

Food Tastes and Textures Vocabulary

  • Tastes:
    • Bland: brando; suave
    • Salty: salgado
    • Sour: azedo
    • Spicy: picante
    • Sweet: doce
  • Textures:
    • Chewy: com textura de borracha; difícil de mastigar
    • Creamy: cremoso
    • Crunchy: crocante
    • Juicy: suculento
    • Sticky: pegajoso; grudento

Mastering Time Clauses in English

Use time clauses to show the order of events.

  • Before you start the cheese sauce, you make some popcorn. (Antes)
  • After you make the popcorn, you start the cheese sauce. (Após)
  • Heat some cheese and butter in a pan until they melt. (Até)
  • Once they’re melted, add some salt and red pepper. (Uma vez)
  • As soon as it’s done, pour it over the popcorn. (Assim que)

Social Etiquette & Advanced Grammar

Polite and Impolite Behavior Vocabulary

  • Cut in line (furar a fila): Impolite
  • Admit a mistake (admitir um erro): Polite
  • Drop litter (soltar lixo): Impolite
  • Talk loudly in public (falar alto em público): Impolite
  • Give someone a compliment (dar um elogio a alguém): Polite
  • Offer someone your seat (oferecer a alguém o seu lugar): Polite
  • Keep someone waiting (deixar alguém esperando): Impolite
  • Give someone a gift (dar algum presente): Polite

Second Conditional for Unreal Situations

Describe “unreal” or imaginary situations. Use a past tense verb in the if clause. Use would in the main clause. Use were for the past tense of be in the condition.

  • If a stranger were talking loudly behind you in a movie theater, what would you do? I’d change seats. I wouldn’t ask the person to be quiet.
  • If a stranger dropped litter in front of you, would you pick it up? Yes, I would. I’d probably throw it away.
  • How would you feel if someone gave you a gift for no reason? If someone gave me a gift for no reason, I’d feel happy.
  • A: If someone were playing (play) loud music on the subway, what would you do (do)?
  • B: I would ask (ask) the person to turn it down.
  • A: What would you do (do) if a friend gave (give) you a compliment?
  • B: I’d thank (thank) him.
  • A: If someone cut/were cutting (cut) in line in front of you, what would you say (say)?
  • B: I wouldn’t say (not/say) anything. I would wait (wait) for my turn.
  • A: What would you do (do) if an elderly man were standing (stand) on your bus?
  • B: I’d offer (offer) him my seat.

Expressing and Acknowledging Expectations

  • Expressing an expectation:
    • It’s the custom to…
    • You’re supposed to…
    • You’re expected to…
  • Acknowledging an expectation:
    • Really? I didn’t realize that.
    • Oh, I didn’t know that.
    • Oh, really? I wasn’t aware of that.

Acknowledging: reconhecendo. / Aware: ciente.

Common English Word Partners

  • offer / accept – an apology (uma desculpa)
  • ask for / offer – an explanation (uma explicação)
  • agree with / disagree with – an opinion (uma opinião)
  • make / turn down – a request (um pedido)
  • give / accept – a compliment (um elogio)
  • ask for / return – a favor (um favor)
  • reach / suggest – a compromise (um compromisso/um acordo)
  • accept / turn down – an invitation (um convite)
  • make / offer – an excuse (uma desculpa)

Past Modals for Hypothetical Situations

Situations in the past. Use should have to talk about the right thing to do, could have to talk about possibilities, and would have to imagine your behavior.

  • I should have lent him my laptop.
  • I shouldn’t have said no.
  • He could have offered you an explanation.
  • It would have depended.
  • Should I have lent it to him?
  • Yes, you should have.
  • No, you shouldn’t have.
  • What would you have done?
  • A: My sister loves her new haircut. I told her I hated it. Now she’s mad at me.
  • B: That wasn’t nice! I wouldn’t have said (wouldn’t/say) that. You could have given (could/give) her a compliment instead.
  • A: Should I have invited (should/invite) the whole class to my party? I didn’t, and now some people are angry.
  • B: Yes, you should have. But your apartment is really too small.
  • A: My cousin asked me for a favor. He wanted to borrow my new car. What would you have done (would/do)?
  • B: I would have said (would/say) no.
  • A: A few days ago, I broke the microwave at my office by accident.
  • B: You should have offered (should/offer) to buy a new microwave.

Reflecting on Living Abroad

If I were in a country abroad and didn’t know the language there, I would try to keep calm and I would search for someone who could understand Portuguese or a little English. If it were not possible, I would try to communicate through signals and with the help of a translation application. I’d find a place to stay cheaply, maybe a hostel, and would look for a restaurant that sells healthy and inexpensive food. If the goal was to stay longer in this country, I would look for a job, even if it was simple, like working in a coffee shop (many Brazilians do it abroad), so that I could support myself and rent an apartment to live in. I would probably get lost a few times, but I would try to locate myself on the maps and would ask for help from people on the streets. To endure the homesickness of family and friends, I would send pictures and would communicate with them through social networks. Life abroad brings many challenges, but it helps you to grow as an individual and professionally.