Portuguese Phrase
Este prato está salgado demais.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘This dish is too salty.’ It conveys that the amount of salt in the food exceeds what is pleasant, indicating a temporary condition of the dish.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re tasting food—at a restaurant, at a friend’s house, or while cooking at home—and want to let the cook or server know that the seasoning is excessive.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estepratoestásalgadodemais
Este (demonstrative adjective)
Used to point out a specific masculine singular noun that is close to the speaker.
prato (noun)
Masculine singular noun meaning ‘dish’ or ‘plate’.
está (verb estar)
Third‑person singular present of estar, used for temporary states or conditions.
salgado (past participle as adjective)
Functions as an adjective meaning ‘salty’; agrees in gender and number with the noun.
demais (adverb)
Placed after an adjective to mean ‘too much, excessively’.
🗨In Conversation
Como está o prato?
How is the dish?
Este prato está salgado demais.
This dish is too salty.
✕Common Mistakes
Este prato está salgado muito.
Learners often replace ‘demais’ with ‘muito’, but ‘demais’ after an adjective means ‘too much’, while ‘muito’ just intensifies without the sense of excess.
Este prato é salgado demais.
Using ‘é’ (ser) instead of ‘está’ changes the meaning to a permanent characteristic, which is not appropriate for a temporary taste.
↔Alternatives
Este prato está muito salgado.
This dish is very salty.
Este prato tem sal a mais.
This dish has too much salt.
O prato está excessivamente salgado.
The dish is excessively salty.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil and Portugal, it’s common to give honest feedback about food, but do it politely. Adding a softener like “por favor” or “poderia reduzir um pouco o sal?” shows respect. Also note that ‘demais’ after an adjective always means ‘too much’; it is not interchangeable with ‘muito’ when you want to express excess.