How to Talk About Seasoning in Brazilian Portuguese
Describe whether a dish needs salt, herbs, or more seasoning, and ask about spicy ingredients in a clear, polite way.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Provar means to taste or try a food. Temperar means to season it, and tempero means seasoning. You can say Está bem temperado (It is well seasoned) or Precisa de mais sal (It needs more salt).
Taste and describe the seasoning
A bit too much is um pouco demais. Use the adjective salgado or salgada to describe something salty, and apimentado or apimentada for spicy food. Match the ending to the dish or ingredient when the adjective changes.
Vou provar o molho antes de servir.
I’m going to taste the sauce before serving.
A sopa está salgada demais.
The soup is too salty.
Esse molho é muito apimentado?
Is this sauce very spicy?
Ask for less or more of an ingredient
Use sem for ‘without’ and pouco or pouca for ‘little’ or ‘not much.’ Sem pimenta means without pepper or chili; pouca pimenta asks for only a little. If the ingredient is countable, use poucos or poucas.
A gosto means ‘to taste’ or ‘as desired’ in a recipe. At a meal, ask whether an ingredient is already mixed in before requesting that it be left out.
Pode colocar pouca pimenta, por favor?
Could you use just a little pepper, please?
Prefiro sem coentro.
I prefer it without cilantro.
Make a gentle adjustment request
When cooking with someone, offer a specific suggestion: Talvez precise de mais alho (Maybe it needs more garlic) or Acho que já está bom assim (I think it is good as it is). Talvez softens a suggestion, while acho que introduces your opinion.
If you are ordering at a restaurant, ingredient changes may depend on how the dish is prepared. Ask whether an adjustment is possible rather than assuming every request can be accommodated.
Você pode servir o molho à parte?
Could you serve the sauce on the side?
Para mim, está ótimo assim.
For me, it is great as it is.
Put it into practice
Name the seasoning and say whether you want more, less, or none. A specific request is easier to understand than ‘make it different.’
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Is this sauce very spicy”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.