Portuguese Phrase
Evita ao máximo cortar e preparar.
Meaning
The sentence tells someone to avoid cutting and preparing as much as possible. It’s a piece of practical advice, most often heard in cooking or safety contexts where handling food or materials should be minimized to preserve texture, flavor, or safety.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving instructions in a recipe, a kitchen safety briefing, or any situation where you want to stress that the fewer steps of cutting and preparing, the better.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Evitaaomáximocortarepreparar
Evita (imperative)
‘Evita’ is the 3rd‑person singular present indicative of ‘evitar’, used colloquially as an informal imperative for ‘você’.
ao máximo
A contraction of ‘a’ + ‘o’, meaning ‘to the maximum’ or ‘as much as possible’, often used to intensify advice.
Infinitive coordination
‘cortar e preparar’ are two infinitive verbs linked by ‘e’, indicating the actions to be avoided.
🗨In Conversation
Preciso picar a cebola antes de refogar?
Do I need to chop the onion before sautéing?
Evita ao máximo cortar e preparar; use a cebola inteira e retire a casca depois.
Avoid cutting and preparing as much as possible; use the whole onion and peel it later.
✕Common Mistakes
Evite ao máximo cortar e preparar.
‘Evite’ is the formal imperative; using it in a casual kitchen chat can sound too stiff. Choose ‘Evita’ for informal contexts.
Cortar e preparar ao máximo.
Placing ‘ao máximo’ after the verbs changes the meaning to ‘cut and prepare to the maximum’, which is the opposite of the intended advice.
Cortar e preparar ao máximo evita.
Word order must keep the verb ‘evita’ at the beginning; otherwise the sentence becomes ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Tente não cortar nem preparar tanto quanto puder.
Try not to cut or prepare as much as you can.
Evite ao máximo cortar e preparar.
Avoid cutting and preparing as much as possible.
Corte e prepare o mínimo necessário.
Cut and prepare only what is necessary.
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, ‘evita’ (informal) and ‘evite’ (formal) are both acceptable imperatives. The informal form is common in everyday conversation, especially in kitchens. The expression ‘ao máximo’ adds emphasis and is a typical way to stress a recommendation without sounding overly rigid.