0.4.1 Pronunciation Gotchas

Question 1

Say the Portuguese alphabet:

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

Answer 1

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

The Portuguese alphabet has the same 26 letters as the English alphabet (A-Z), but with significant differences in letter names and sounds.

Question 2

Say the five vowels in Portuguese:

a, e, i, o, u

Answer 2

• a [a]
• e [e] / [ɛ]
• i [i]
• o [ɔ] / [o]
• u [u]

Question 3

Pronounce in Portuguese:

irmã

(sister)

Answer 3

irmã

Note that the ã has a nasal sound; the air must come out through the nose. This sound does not exist in English, so you may need to take your time in learning it.

Question 4

Pronounce in Portuguese:

pão

(bread)

Answer 4

pão

To pronounce this diphthong correctly, you should pronounce both vowels clearly: ÃO. The first vowel is strong, closed and nasal, and the second vowel has a weak “u” sound.

Note that pão can change meaning if it is not spelled correctly.

Question 5

Pronounce in Portuguese:

dança

(dance)

Answer 5

dança

Note that ç is a “c” with a special mark called a cedilla (¸). This mark tells you that the “c” must sound like “s”, not “k’. It is always pronounced with an “s” sound.

Question 6

Pronounce in Portuguese:

com licença

(excuse me)

Answer 6

com licença

Note that when a c in Portuguese is followed by an “a, o, or u”, it has a hard “C” sound, like a “k”.

Note that this works similarly in English (e.g., “cat” vs. “city”).

Question 7

Pronounce in Portuguese:

chá

(tea)

Answer 7

chá

In Portuguese, ch is a single sound and pronounced like “sh” in English (as in”shoe”).

Question 8

Pronounce in Portuguese:

dia

(day)

Answer 8

dia

Note that here d sounds like j (like j in “DJ”). Before “a, o, or u”, it usually keeps the d sound.

In some regions of Brazil, particularly in the South, the letter “d” may sound more like the English “d” (as in “day”).

Question 9

Pronounce in Portuguese:

cidade

(city)

Answer 9

cidade

In the middle of words, the sound of d follows the same pattern as usual. What matters is the vowel that comes after d. So, “da/de/do/du” usually keeps the typical “d” sound.

In Brazilian Portuguese, at the end of words, the syllable -de is often pronounced like “dji” in everyday speech. e.g., cidade would sound like ci-da-dji.

Note: This pronunciation is the most common, but it can vary by region and speaking style.

Question 10

Pronounce in Portuguese:

gente

(people)

Answer 10

gente

When the “g” in Brazilian Portuguese is followed by “e” or “i”, it is pronounced as the English “zh” sound.

It sounds like the “s” in “measure” or the “g” in “genre”.

Question 11

Pronounce in Portuguese:

gueixa

(geisha)

Answer 11

gueixa

When gu comes before “e” or “i” (like in gueixa), the “u” is usually silent, making it sound like “ge” or “gi.”

Question 12

Pronounce in Portuguese:

pinguim

(penguin)

Answer 12

pinguim

Note that here the letters gu are pronounced with a “gwe” sound, even though gu comes before “i’. That’s because in the past, Portuguese used a special mark called a trema (¨) to show that the “u” was pronounced as in “Gwen”.

Today, the signal is abolished, so you have to know the words. But don’t worry, you catch these with time.

Question 13

Pronounce in Portuguese:

homem

(man)

Answer 13

homem

Note that the “h” is silent in Portuguese (unless it’s used in a foreign word where it is pronounced).

Question 14

Pronounce in Portuguese:

país

(country)

Answer 14

país

Note that the accent marks the stressed syllable. e.g., pa-Í- s. It has a long “ee” sound.

Question 15

Pronounce in Portuguese:

janta

(dinner)

Answer 15

janta

In Portuguese, “j” is pronounced like a soft “zh”. It is like “g” in “genre”.

Question 16

Pronounce in Portuguese:

mulher

(woman)

Answer 16

mulher

In Brazilian Portuguese, lh is a single sound. It often sounds like there is a soft “ye” sound after the “l”. It sounds like “moo - lyair.”

Think of it as “lli”, as in “million”.

Question 17

Pronounce in Portuguese:

sim

(yes)

Answer 17

sim

Note that at the end of a word, m makes the vowel nasal. The “m” itself is not clearly pronounced.

Question 18

Pronounce in Portuguese:

banheiro

(bathroom)

Answer 18

banheiro

In Portuguese, nh is a single sound. It often sounds like there is a soft “y” sound after the “h”. It sounds like “bu -nyeyro.”

Think of it as “ny”, as in “canyon”.

Question 19

Pronounce in Portuguese:

avó

(grandmother)

Answer 19

avó

Note that ó is an open “o” sound. It sounds like the “o” in “off”.

Question 20

Pronounce in Portuguese:

avô

(grandfather)

Answer 20

avô

Note that ô is a closed “o” sound. It sounds like the “o” in “go”.

Question 21

Pronounce in Portuguese:

daqui

(from here)

Answer 21

daqui

Note that in Portuguese, before “e” or “i”, the “u” is silent; qu sounds like “k”. So, daqui sounds like “da-kee.”

Question 22

Pronounce in Portuguese:

qual

(what / which)

Answer 22

qual

Note that in Portuguese, before “a” or “o”, the “u” is pronounced: it sounds like “ku”. So, qual sounds like “kwal.”

Question 23

Pronounce in Portuguese:

carro

(car)

Answer 23

carro

Note that rr has a strong sound, and it appears only in the middle of the words. It sounds like the “h” in “house”.

Question 24

Pronounce in Portuguese:

caro

(expensive)

Answer 24

caro

Note that a single r in the middle of a word has a light sound, different from “rr”.

Question 25

# Pronounce in Portuguese: **r**estaurante | (restaurant)

Answer 25

**r**estaurante ## Footnote Note that if *r* is at the beginning of a word, it has a strong sound, just like "rr".

Question 26

# Pronounce in Portuguese: **s**obreme**s**a | (dessert)

Answer 26

**s**obreme**s**a ## Footnote Note that this word has two different *s* sounds. That occurs because, in Portuguese, when *S* comes at the beginning of the word, it sounds like *s* in “sun”. When between two vowels, *s* is often pronounced like "z".

Question 27

# Pronounce in Portuguese: pa**ss**aporte | (passport)

Answer 27

pa**ss**aporte ## Footnote Note that *ss* always has the "s" sound, like "s" in "sun." It appears in the middle of a word only.

Question 28

# Pronounce in Portuguese: men**s**agem | (message)

Answer 28

men**s**agem ## Footnote Usually, *s* in the middle of a word sounds like "z"; however, here, *s* has an *s* sound. This occurs in Portuguese: when *s* follows a consonant, especially "n", it usually sounds like *s*, not "z".

Question 29

# Pronounce in Portuguese: **ti**a | (aunt)

Answer 29

**ti**a ## Footnote In Brazilian Portuguese, *ti* is often pronounced like “ch” (as in “cheese”). So *tia* sounds like “chia.”

Question 30

# Pronounce in Portuguese: presen**t**e | (gift)

Answer 30

presen**t**e ## Footnote In Brazilian Portuguese, when the last syllable of a word is *-te* or *-ti*, the *t* is often pronounced like “ch.” e.g., *passaporte* would sound like *passaportchy*. There are a few regional exceptions.

Question 31

# Pronounce in Portuguese: m**ú**sica | (music)

Answer 31

m**ú**sica ## Footnote Note that the *ú* is used to mark stress, not a new sound. It shows which syllable is emphasized, e.g., *MÚ-si-ca*. With or without the accent, the letter "u" sounds like “oo” in “food”.

Question 32

# Pronounce in Portuguese: e**x**emplo | (example)

Answer 32

e**x**emplo ## Footnote Note that here *x* sounds like "z" in "zoo". This occurs when the letter *x* is used between vowels or in words of scholarly origin; it sounds like "z". The sound of *x* depends on position, nearby letters, and word origin. These tips will show you the most common cases and will help you recognize them.

Question 33

# Pronounce in Portuguese: te**x**to | (text)

Answer 33

te**x**to ## Footnote In Brazilian Portuguese, after the letter *e* (e.g. *texto*), *x* usually sounds like “s”. But there are many exceptions to this rule, especially for historical or foreign-originating words.

Question 34

# Pronounce in Portuguese: **x**ícara | (cup)

Answer 34

**x**ícara ## Footnote Note that in many historical words, especially those starting with *x*, the *x* is pronounced like a "sh" in Brazilian Portuguese. But there are exceptions to this rule, and some pronunciations are learnt on a case-by-case basis.

Question 35

# Pronounce in Portuguese: tá**x**i | (taxi)

Answer 35

tá**x**i ## Footnote In Portuguese, when *x* appears in scientific, foreign-origin, or historical words, it often keeps the "ks" sound. But remember that there are many exceptions to this rule; you typically need to learn the pronunciations individually.