LinguaFourteen more letters, and three of them are guests
The rest of the alphabet, M to Z, with the names they have in Portugal. Two letters behave in a special way: q never comes without u (queijo, quatro), and x has several sounds – most often it sounds like English “sh”, as in xaile (shawl). Three letters – k, w and y – are guests: they appear only in foreign words and names such as kiwi, Wagner and yoga.
Capital M: two posts joined by a V that hangs from their tops. Small m: a short post, then two arches side by side. Capital N: up, diagonally down, up again. Small n: a short post and one arch.
O: one oval, started at the top and drawn round to the left. Capital P: the post, then one belly at the top. Small p: a post that goes below the line, then a belly on the right.
Capital Q: an O with a short tail across its lower right. Small q: the round part, then a post on its right that drops below the line. Capital R: a P, then a leg down to the right. Small r: a short post and a little arch that stops in the air.
S: one stroke – start at the upper right, curve left, cross the middle and curve back to the lower left. Capital T: the roof first, then the post down from its middle. Small t: a post with a little turn at the bottom, then the short bar across.
Capital U: down, round the bottom and up again, in one stroke. Small u: down, round and up, then a short post on the right. V: two strokes that meet at the bottom.
W: four strokes, down-up-down-up, like two V’s side by side. X: two crossing diagonals – the one from the upper left first.
Capital Y: two short arms that meet in the middle, then the post down. Small y: a short stroke down to the right, then a long one from the upper right to below the line. Z: the top bar, the diagonal back to the lower left, the bottom bar.
| Letter | Name in Portugal | How it sounds | In a word |
|---|---|---|---|
| M m | eme | m; at the end of a word it only makes the vowel nasal (unit 2) | mesa |
| N n | ene | n | nome |
| O o | ó | open ó or closed ô; unstressed it sounds like u (unit 2) | olho |
| P p | pê | p, without a puff of air | pato |
| Q q | quê | always with u: k before e, i (u silent); kw before a | queijo, quatro |
| R r | erre | strong at the start of a word; a quick tap between vowels (unit 2) | rua |
| S s | esse | s at the start; z between vowels; sh at the end (unit 2) | sol |
| T t | tê | t – always t, also before i | tasca |
| U u | u | oo, as in “too” | uva |
| V v | vê | v | vaca |
| W w | dâblio | only in foreign words and names | Wagner |
| X x | xis | most often sh; it has four sounds (unit 2) | xaile |
| Y y | ípsilon | i; only in foreign words and names | yoga |
| Z z | zê | z, as in “zoo” | zero |
O queijo está na mesa.The cheese is on the table.
Na rua há uma tasca.There is a little tavern in the street.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a mesa | table | O livro está na mesa. The book is on the table. |
| o nome | name | O meu nome é Rui. My name is Rui. |
| o olho | eye | O gato tem um olho fechado. The cat has one eye closed. |
| o pato | duck | O pato nada no lago. The duck swims in the lake. |
| o queijo | cheese | O queijo da Serra é famoso. Serra cheese is famous. |
| a rua | street | A rua é estreita. The street is narrow. |
| o sol | sun | Hoje há sol. It is sunny today. |
| a tasca | tasca (small traditional tavern) | Jantamos numa tasca. We have dinner in a tasca. |
| a uva | grape | Esta uva é doce. This grape is sweet. |
| a vaca | cow | A vaca come erva. The cow eats grass. |
| o xaile | shawl | A avó usa um xaile. Grandma wears a shawl. |
| o zero | zero | O código começa por zero. The code starts with zero. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which letter is always followed by u?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.