Eating with friends and family is an important part of Brazilian culture, so it’s important to learn phrases and expressions that deal with meals. Está servido is a useful phrase to know for eating with others, and it can be a little confusing if you hear it for the first time.

Literally, this expression means, “Have you been served?”or “Are you served?” But when used when eating, it means “Would you like some?” or “Want some?” or “Help yourself!” Let’s take a look at some examples.

You’re at the food court with friends. Your friend is eating French fries. He says to you and the others, “Galera, estão servidos?” So you say, “Sim, obrigado!” and take a few fries. [Guys, help yourselves! Ok, thanks!”]

You’re having beers with a friend. She’s eating from a basket of bolinho de bacalhau and slides them toward you. “Está servida?” she asks. [Want some?] “Não, obrigada,” you respond. [No, thank you]

You’re on a date, and your girlfriend tries a bite of her meal. “O frango está muito gostoso. Está servido?” [The chicken is really delicious. Would you like some?] “Aceito, obrigado.” [I’ll have some, thanks] *Note: to get a little fancier, you can use the verb aceitar to accept the offer for food.

An interesting note: as far as strict Brazilian grammar goes, this expression is considered “against the rules.” Technically, you should use experimentar (to try), instead, as in “Quer experimentá-lo?” [Want to try some?] But you’ll find that there are quite a few common expressions in Brazilian Portuguese that don’t adhere to strict grammar rules, but they’re widely used nonetheless.