Introduction

Cozinhar means “to cook”, and this page covers exactly one thing: cozinhar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for cozinhar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about cozinhar in the present. It means to cook, and it is completely regular: cozinho, cozinhas, cozinha, cozinhamos, cozinhais, cozinham. Its pretérito perfeito is cozinhei, cozinhaste, cozinhou, and its participle is cozinhado. It is the verb for cooking dinner and for working as a cook. For example: “Ele cozinha o jantar todos os dias.” — “He cooks dinner.” Everything on this page uses the forms of cozinhar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Cozinhar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu cozinho
tu cozinhas
ele/ela cozinha
nós cozinhamos
vós cozinhais
eles/elas cozinham
Gerund: cozinhando · Past participle: cozinhado
The gerund is cozinhando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Cozinhando o jantar, aprendo muito.” — “While cooking dinner, I learn a lot.” The past participle is cozinhado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho cozinhado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how cozinhar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cozinhar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of cozinhar is formed

The present tense of cozinhar has six forms: eu cozinho, tu cozinhas, ele cozinha, nós cozinhamos, vós cozinhais, eles cozinham. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. cozinhar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of cozinhar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning cozinhamos and cozinhais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so cozinho can mean both “I cook” and “I am cooking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because cozinhar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of cozinhar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use cozinhar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and cozinhar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” — “I cook dinner.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about cozinhar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele cozinha o jantar todos os dias.” — “He cooks dinner.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with cozinhar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós cozinhamos o jantar todos os dias.” — “We cook dinner.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu cozinhas o jantar todos os dias.” — “You cook dinner.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and cozinhar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles cozinham o jantar todos os dias.” — “They cook dinner.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele cozinha o jantar todos os dias.” — “He cooks dinner”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele cozinhou o jantar ontem.” — “He cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” — “I cook dinner”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu cozinhei o jantar ontem.” — “I cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu cozinhas o jantar todos os dias.” — “You cook dinner”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu cozinhaste o jantar ontem.” — “You cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: cozinhar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” — “I cook dinner”
  2. “Tu cozinhas o jantar todos os dias.” — “You cook dinner”
  3. “Ele cozinha o jantar todos os dias.” — “He cooks dinner”
  4. “Nós cozinhamos o jantar todos os dias.” — “We cook dinner”
  5. “Vós cozinhais o jantar todos os dias.” — “You cook dinner”
  6. “Eles cozinham o jantar todos os dias.” — “They cook dinner”
  7. “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” — “I cook dinner”
  8. “Ele cozinha o jantar todos os dias.” — “He cooks dinner”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu cozinhas o jantar.” Right: “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is cozinho, not cozinhas. cozinhas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós cozinho o jantar.” Right: “Nós cozinhamos o jantar todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form cozinhamos. cozinho belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu cozinhei o jantar ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito cozinhei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu cozinhar o jantar.” Right: “Eu cozinho o jantar todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive cozinhar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form cozinho.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinhas
    • B) cozinho
    • C) cozinha
    • D) cozinhamos

  2. What is the tu form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinho
    • B) cozinha
    • C) cozinhas
    • D) cozinhamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinho
    • B) cozinhas
    • C) cozinhamos
    • D) cozinha

  4. What is the nós form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinhamos
    • B) cozinho
    • C) cozinhas
    • D) cozinha

  5. What is the vós form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinho
    • B) cozinhais
    • C) cozinhas
    • D) cozinha

  6. What is the eles/elas form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinho
    • B) cozinhas
    • C) cozinham
    • D) cozinha

  7. What is the eu form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinhas
    • B) cozinha
    • C) cozinhamos
    • D) cozinho

  8. What is the tu form of cozinhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) cozinhas
    • B) cozinho
    • C) cozinha
    • D) cozinhamos

Answer key

  1. B) cozinho — the correct form is cozinho. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) cozinhas — the correct form is cozinhas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) cozinha — the correct form is cozinha. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) cozinhamos — the correct form is cozinhamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) cozinhais — the correct form is cozinhais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) cozinham — the correct form is cozinham. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) cozinho — the correct form is cozinho. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) cozinhas — the correct form is cozinhas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does cozinhar mean in English?

cozinhar means “to cook”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of cozinhar formed?

The six present forms are: eu cozinho, tu cozinhas, ele cozinha, nós cozinhamos, vós cozinhais, eles cozinham. cozinhar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of cozinhar?

The gerund is cozinhando and the past participle is cozinhado.

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