How to say “Can you pass the cutting board?” in Portuguese

Introduction

Learn how to ask for the cutting board in Brazilian Portuguese with natural, beginner-friendly phrases you can use at the table, in a kitchen, or at a market. This guide explains useful vocabulary, polite forms, short dialogues, and common mistakes so you can confidently say and understand the phrase Can you pass the cutting board? in everyday situations.

Basic phrase and literal translation

The most direct and common way to ask Can you pass the cutting board? in Brazilian Portuguese is Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar?

Breakdown of the phrase:

Você — you (informal polite; common in everyday speech)

pode — can / are able to

me — to me / me

passar — to pass

a — the (feminine article)

tábua de cortar — cutting board (literally board of cutting)

Polite variations and tone

Different situations call for slightly different wording. Here are polite or casual options that beginners can use.

Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar, por favor? — Add por favor to be polite in most situations.

Você pode me passar a tábua? — Shorter; acceptable when context makes it clear you mean cutting board.

Me passa a tábua, por favor? — Informal and common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese; starts with the object pronoun.

Você pode passar a tábua pra mim? — Uses pra mim instead of me passar; very natural in speech.

Key vocabulary and quick meanings

Tábua de cortar — cutting board

Faca — knife

Prato — plate

Pegar — to grab / to take

Segurar — to hold

Por favor — please

Obrigado / Obrigada — thank you (male/female speaker)

Claro — of course

When to use each phrase: context examples

At home while cooking with family or roommates: use informal forms like Me passa a tábua, por favor? or Você pode me passar a tábua?

At a friend’s dinner table: a short polite request works well, for example Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar?

In a cooking class or with someone you don’t know well: prefer more polite phrasing with por favor and a slightly formal tone: Você poderia me passar a tábua de cortar, por favor?

At a food stall or shared kitchen: if you need to ask staff, use Por favor, pode me passar a tábua? which is both polite and clear.

Short beginner dialogues

Dialogue 1 — Home kitchen

João: Me passa a tábua, por favor?
Mariana: Claro, aqui está. Segura firme.
João: Obrigado!

Dialogue 2 — Friends at a barbecue

Ana: Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar?
Pedro: Pode sim. Precisa da faca também?
Ana: Sim, por favor.

Dialogue 3 — Cooking class

Instrutor: Alguém pode me passar a tábua?
Lucas: Posso, professor. Aqui está.
Instrutor: Obrigado, Lucas.

Pronunciation tips for beginners

Tábua — the stressed syllable is tá; pronounce as TAH-boo-ah with a clear open a.

Passar — pah-SAR, the r at the end can sound like an English r or an aspirated h depending on regional accent; in many Brazilian accents it is more like an English r in this position.

Você — voh-SEH, the ç is soft like s and the final e sounds like eh.

Por favor — por fah-VOR; say both words smoothly and emphasize the second syllable of favor.

Common replies you will hear

Claro — Of course

Segura — Hold it (informal feminine command) or Segura firme — Hold tight

Pronto — Here you go / Ready

Aqui está — Here it is

Toma — Take it (informal)

Practical variations using different verbs

Instead of passar, you might hear pegar or alcançar in some contexts. These are useful to know:

Me pega a tábua, por favor? — Can you grab the cutting board for me, please?

Você pode alcançar a tábua? — Can you reach/pass the cutting board?

Me entrega a tábua, por favor? — Could you hand me the cutting board, please?

Politeness and formality notes

Você is the standard informal pronoun for everyday situations. To sound more formal or very polite, you can use the conditional poderia instead of pode:

Você poderia me passar a tábua de cortar? — More polite and slightly more formal.

Using por favor and obrigado/obrigada is always appreciated and common in Brazil, even in casual settings.

Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them

Forgetting the gender of tábua — tábua is feminine, so use a tábua, not o tábua.

Incorrect pronoun placement — Spanish word order can differ. In Brazilian Portuguese, both Você pode me passar and Me passa are acceptable; avoid literal English order like Me passar você a tábua.

Overusing formal structures with friends — Using excessively formal phrasing with close friends can sound stiff; match the tone to the situation.

Useful mini-phrases to expand the conversation

Você precisa da faca também? — Do you need the knife too?

Onde está a tábua? — Where is the cutting board?

Segura aqui, por favor — Hold here, please

Tem uma tábua limpa? — Is there a clean cutting board?

Short menu and market examples where this phrase is helpful

At a market vendor selling kitchen items: Você tem tábua de cortar? — Do you have cutting boards?

On a kitchen supply sign or label: Tábua de cortar — Cutting board

When reading a recipe or shopping list: Preciso da tábua de cortar — I need the cutting board

Practice scenario: inviting a neighbor to help in the kitchen

Scenario script:

Neighbor arrives to help

You: Oi! Pode me ajudar na cozinha?
Neighbor: Claro.
You: Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar, por favor?
Neighbor: Pode sim. Aqui está.
You: Obrigada!

Tips to remember the phrase

Associate tábua de cortar with the object visually — picture a wooden board labeled tábua de cortar.

Practice short exchanges with friends or language partners using the dialogues above.

Listen to native speakers in videos or cooking shows to hear natural intonation for pedir (asking) and passar (passing).

Conclusion

Mastering how to say Can you pass the cutting board? in Brazilian Portuguese gives you a small but practical phrase for kitchens, markets, and social meals. Use Você pode me passar a tábua de cortar? for clarity, add por favor for politeness, and try the shorter Me passa a tábua? in casual settings. With the vocabulary, dialogues, and tips here, you can ask and respond naturally in everyday situations.