7 sounds · pronunciation
European Portuguese is not hard to read. It is hard to hear. These seven sounds are where English speakers give themselves away — and where fixing one thing changes how much of a sentence you understand.
How the two buttons work. “Hear it” uses your own device’s speech voice, forced to European Portuguese — if your device has no pt-PT voice the button is hidden rather than reading the word in a Brazilian or Spanish accent. “Record yourself” asks for the microphone only when you press it; the recording stays in this tab and is never uploaded, never stored, and gone when you leave.
Your device has no European Portuguese voice installed, so the “hear it” buttons are hidden — reading these words in a Brazilian or Spanish accent would teach you the wrong thing. The written guidance and the recorder still work, and Marta’s videos have her own voice.
Start on the «ow» of «now», push it up into your nose, and finish with a small «w». It is one sound, not two.
The usual mistake: English speakers say «ow» and stop. The whole character of the sound is the air going through the nose — if your nose is blocked you literally cannot make it.
Now the whole sentence
Não, obrigado — só quero pão.
No, thank you — I only want bread.
Like the «lli» in «million», but firmer: the middle of the tongue presses against the roof of the mouth.
The usual mistake: Saying it as a plain «l» turns «filho» (son) into something that means nothing. English has the sound, but only ever in the middle of a word, so it feels wrong at first.
Now the whole sentence
O meu filho vai para o trabalho.
My son is going to work.
The «ny» of «canyon». Tongue flat against the roof of the mouth, air through the nose.
The usual mistake: English speakers separate it into «n» + «y» and you can hear the join. In Portuguese it is a single sound, and «vinho» has three sounds, not four.
Now the whole sentence
Amanhã de manhã, um copo de vinho não.
Tomorrow morning, no glass of wine.
In Portugal this is made at the back, near where you say «loch» in Scottish — closer to a French r than to a Spanish rolled one.
The usual mistake: The English «r» is made with the tip of the tongue and sounds nothing like it. Note that a single «r» between vowels («caro») is a light tap, but «rr» and any «r» starting a word («rua») go to the back.
Now the whole sentence
O carro está na rua, ao pé do restaurante.
The car is in the street, next to the restaurant.
At the end of a word or before a consonant, «s» is «sh»: «os livros» sounds like «oosh leevroosh». Between two vowels it is a «z»: «casa» is «kaza».
The usual mistake: This one single rule is most of what makes Portuguese sound like Portuguese rather than Spanish. Keep every «s» as a hissing «s» and you will be understood, but you will never sound Portuguese.
Now the whole sentence
Dois cafés e dois pastéis, por favor.
Two coffees and two pastries, please.
Unstressed vowels almost disappear. «Telefone» is closer to «tlefon», «pequeno» to «pkenu», and a final «e» is barely there at all.
The usual mistake: This is why Portuguese sounds fast even when it is not. English speakers pronounce every vowel clearly and end up with the right words in the wrong rhythm — and Brazilian Portuguese, which keeps the vowels, will not prepare you for it.
Now the whole sentence
O apartamento pequeno é perfeito para nós.
The small flat is perfect for us.
Same trick as «ão», different starting vowel. «Mãe» starts on «my», «põe» on «poy», «bem» on «beh» — and all of them go up into the nose.
The usual mistake: Say «bem» as «beng» with a hard g at the end and it is wrong; the nose does the work, the throat does not. «Muito» is the odd one out: it is nasal even though nothing in the spelling says so.
Now the whole sentence
A minha mãe está muito bem, obrigada.
My mother is very well, thank you.
It will get the vowels roughly right and the rhythm roughly wrong. For the real thing, watch Marta’s videos — she is a native speaker filming in the street — and, if you want someone to actually correct you, that is what the live lessons are for.