Portuguese Phrase
Quando chega nossa comida?
Meaning
Literally, ‘When does our food arrive?’ It is a polite way to ask the staff or the delivery person for the expected time of arrival of the meal you are waiting for.
When to use
Use this sentence while waiting at a restaurant, in a café, or when you have ordered delivery and want to know the ETA. It works both in informal settings with friends and in more formal contexts with waitstaff, as long as you keep a courteous tone.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quandocheganossacomida?
Quando (question word)
Used to ask about time; equivalent to 'when' in English.
chega (3rd‑person singular of chegar)
Present indicative of ‘chegar’ (to arrive). The subject is implicit – ‘the food’.
nossa (possessive adjective)
Agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies; here ‘comida’ is feminine singular.
comida (noun, feminine)
Means ‘food’ or ‘meal’; can refer to a dish, a whole order, or a delivery.
Question mark
In Portuguese the whole sentence, including the verb, is inverted in intonation; the written ? marks the question.
🗨In Conversation
Quando chega nossa comida?
When does our food arrive?
Em cerca de cinco minutos, já está na cozinha.
In about five minutes, it’s already in the kitchen.
✕Common Mistakes
Quando chega nosso comida?
‘Comida’ is feminine, so the possessive must be ‘nossa’, not ‘nosso’.
Quando chega a nossa comida?
The article ‘a’ is optional in Brazil; adding it is not wrong but can sound overly formal in casual conversation.
Quando chegar nossa comida?
Using the infinitive ‘chegar’ after ‘quando’ is incorrect; you need the conjugated form ‘chega’.
↔Alternatives
Quando vai chegar a nossa comida?
When will our food be arriving?
Em quanto tempo a comida chega?
How long until the food arrives?
Qual o tempo de espera para a comida?
What is the waiting time for the food?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil it is considered polite to add a softener such as ‘por favor’ or ‘desculpe’ before the question: ‘Desculpe, quando chega nossa comida?’ In more formal restaurants you might address the waiter by name or use ‘senhor/senhora’. In the North of Brazil, people often drop the article and say ‘Quando chega nossa comida?’, while in Portugal you’ll hear the article more frequently: ‘Quando chega a nossa comida?’. Both are understood everywhere.