Collins Gem. Collins Dictionaries

Reference

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English – Portuguese	A – C
	D – F
	G – I
	J – L
	M – O
	P – R
	S – U
	V – Z
Portuguese – English	A – C
	D – F
	G – I
	J – L
	M – O
	P – R
	S – U
	V – Z

       LIFELINE words and phrases

       About the Publisher

Pronouncing Portuguese

      Portuguese is much easier to read than to speak. However, the pronunciation guide used in this book gives as accurate a guide as possible to the sounds of the language. The syllable to be stressed is printed in bold. Note that in conversation words tend to run together.

      Vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

vowel	example	pronunciation	sounds like
a	saco	sah-koo	as in father
fama	fumuh	hum
fica	feekuh	about
e	terra	terr-uh	terror
enorme	eh-norm	ehenquire
especial	eesh-pessyahl	happy
de	duh	about
i	fica	feekuh	police
médico	medeekoo	happy
o	cobra	koh-bruh	all
homem	omayñ	au pair
vaso	vah-zoo	boot
u	luvas	loovush	boot

      Notes:

      The article a sounds like uh (as in the), unless stressed, i.e. à (ah).

      e can sound like ay, e.g. fecho (fayshoo), but tends to be silent at the end of words, e.g. pode (pod) unless stressed, e.g. bebé (be-be). The word e (meaning and) always sounds like ee.

      The article o and the letter o at the end of words always sound like oo.

      Vowel combinations

ai	mais	mysh
ei	peixe	paysh
oi	coisa	koy-zuh
ou	outro	oh-troo

      Nasal vowels

      Vowels with a tilde ~ or followed by m or n in the same syllable should be pronounced nasally (letting air out through the nose as well as the mouth), as in French. We have represented this sound in the pronunciation by ñ, e.g.

tem = tayñ	com = koñ	um = ooñ
pão = powñ	manhã = mun-yañ	põe = poyñ

      Other letters

	example	pronunciation	sounds like
ç	serviço	serveesoo
ch	chá	shah
g	gelo	zhay-loo	as in measure
h			always silent
j	loja	lozhuh	as in measure
Ih	mulher	mool-yehr
nh	tenho	ten-yoo
r/rr		always rolled; ‘r’ at beginning of word and double ‘rr’ are forceful and guttural (similar to French ‘r’)
s	(between vowels) coisa	koy-zuh
(after vowel and at end of word) está lápis	shtalah-peesh
x	caixa	ky-shuh
z	(at end of word) faz	fash

Top ten tips

      1 Use the formal form of address until you are asked to use the familiar form. Wait until you are invited to use first names.

      2 There is no official religion, but the population predominantly identifies as Roman Catholic, this being stronger in the north than in the south.

      3 It is a legal requirement in Portugal that everyone carries photographic proof of identity at all times.

      4 Portuguese people are very proud of their culture, which is different from that of Spain!

      5 To hire a car you often have to be at least 21, depending on the car hire company and on the vehicle. Often your driving licence must have been issued at least one year before, and if you are under 25 there may be an extra fee to pay.

      6 Portuguese people have a sweet tooth; try some of their specialities such as Toucinho do Céu (heaven’s bacon) and Barriga de Freira (nun’s belly).

      7