Pronunciation
Pronunciation

Pronunciation

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Scan the QR code with your phone (or click here) and play the audio for each phrase.
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The two most important pronunciations in English
Words ending in L/Z/R/U/I 5
Noun vs Verb 6
BBH Assignment 7

Why?

It is important to learn how to correctly spell and pronounce a language early in your language learning adventure because it avoids learning two versions of the same language. For example, if I learned the meaning of the word “filha” but never learned to pronounce it correctly, I would know it means daughter but would think it is pronounced as “fill-ha”. Then, when I finally use it with a native speaker or perhaps hear it pronounced, I will have to forget the pronunciation I originally linked to the word and replace it with the correct one. As you can see, it is definitely worth investing some time upfront to avoid this situation. I promise it won’t be too painful!
Portuguese Alphabet & Pronunciation
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Letter
Name
Pronunciation
Example
Approx. Sound
Notes
a
á
open - ah closed - uh nasal - uhn(g)
casa banana falam
father but sung
á is always open â is always closed ã or -m/n
b
b
berço
basement
c
c s
vaca centro
car cent
-e/i/y
d
d dg*
data verde difícil
dance judge
-i/e (if last letter since it turns into long i)
e
é
open - eh closed - ay nasal - ayn(g) reduced - long e
camiseta medo centro onze
set neigh - fee
é is always open ê is always closed -m/n When last letter
f
efe
f
fala
fact
g
g jheh
gato agente
gecko measure
-e/i/y
h
agá
[silent]
hotel
[silent]
i
i
long i nasal -ihn(g)
cinco sim
ski -
-m/n
j
jota
-
pleasure
k
k
kiwi
kitchen
Not in original alphabet
l
ele
l w
leste brasil alface
loud eww
When last letter or end of syllable
m**
eme
m m (don’t finish)
mesa sim
mouse -
When last letter
n**
ene
n n (don’t finish)
nunca hein
never -
When last letter
o
ó
open - awe closed - long o nasal - ohn(g) reduced - oo
bola nome bom dedo
awful gnome - dude
ó is always open ô is always closed õ or -m/n When last letter
p
p
pintar
point
q
keh
quê
quinze
key
See digraphs below
r
erre
r breathy h* h
caro certo falar rio carrego
better park (Boston) car (Boston) heap
Vwl - r - Consonant Last letter First letter or rr rr
s
esse
s z sh*
santo tosse casa mês
simple zebra mesh
ss Between vowels Last letter (after vow.)
t
t ch*
tempo ardente tigre
steak cheese
-i/e (if last letter since it turns into long i)
u
u
u nasal - uhn(g)
caju algum
juice -
-m/n
v
v
veja
very
w
dáblio
v w
Wagner Winderson
very water
Not in original alphabet
x
xis
sh s x z
xícara roxo excelente texto anexo exemplo
shoe essence fix zebra
First letter -c
y
ípsilon
y
Gisely
year
Not in original alphabet
z
z s*
zebra rapaz
zebra fuss
Last letter
  • Depends on regional accent.
  • *When at the end of a word or syllable, indicates that the previous vowel is nasalized.

Digraphs

Pairs of letters which represent a single sound different from the sum of their components.
Digraphs
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Digraph
Pronunciation
Example
Approx. Sound
Notes
nh
ny
minha
Like the ñ in Spanish
lh
ly
filho
medallion
ch
sh
chá
shave
rr
h
carro
tahoe
Occurs between vowels
ss
s
tosse
class
Occurs between vowels
qu
k kw
quebra quase
key Kwanzaa
-e/i: either pronunciation* -a/o: second pronunciation *The trema (ü) used to be used to differentiate.
gu
g gw
sangue guaraná
singer gwa

Stress Pattern

Default stress is on the next-to-last syllable.
Examples
como estuda comida eles vizinha revistas velho

Words ending in L/Z/R/U/I

Stress is on the last syllable.
Examples
jornal papel rapaz falar urubu comi

Accent Marks

Automatically pulls stress to the syllable containing the accent mark.
Examples
Autotico Pronúncia Àquilo ônibus met

Accent Marks

Accent Marks
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Mark(s)
Name
Effect
Example
Shortcut (OSX/WIN*)
á,é,í,ó,ú
agudo (acute)
stress/open á - ah é - eh í - ó - ú -
[option e] + a/e/i/o/u [‘] + a/e/i/o/u
â,ê,ô
circunflexo (circumflex)
stress/closed â - uh ê - ay ô -
câmera
[option i] + a/e/o [^] + a/e/o
à
grave (grave)
a+a = à à - ahh
À casa
[option `] + a [`] + a
ã,õ
til (tilde)
Nasalization
irmã, caminhões
[option n] + a/o [~] + a/o
ç
cedilha (cedilla)
soft ‘s’
calças
[option c] [‘] + c

Other Important Tips

Noun vs Verb

It is common for a verb in the 1st person present form and the related noun to be the same word but they are usually pronounced slightly different. When this happens, the noun is pronounced with a closed vowel and the verb is pronounced with an open vowel.
Examples
o remo, eu remo o piloto, eu piloto o almoço, eu almoço

Back-to-Back Consonants

Often, when two consonants come one after another in a word, it can be hard for Brazilians to pronounce them so instead, they will throw a “e” in between.
Examples
ritmo objetivo digno advogado

Closing

Pronunciation can be annoying to study but will pay off huge in the end. Learning how the different vowels, constants, accent marks, and stresses work in Portuguese will allow you to pronounce the words you learn correctly from the start.
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The trickiest pronunciation there is

Resources

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