LinguaThe whole alphabet at a glance
You have met all 26 letters and the marks. Most letters sound the way you would guess; the table below gathers the ones that surprise learners – their Portuguese names and the one thing to remember about each.
| Letter | Name | Remember | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| H h | agá | never heard on its own | hora |
| J j | jota | like the s of “measure” | janela |
| K k | capa | only in foreign words | kiwi |
| Q q | quê | always followed by u | queijo |
| W w | dâblio | only in foreign words and names | Wagner |
| X x | xis | most often sh | xaile |
| Y y | ípsilon | only in foreign words and names | yoga |
| Ç ç | cê cedilha | an s sound before a, o, u | praça |
Four letters, one shape turned around. b: the post, then the belly at the bottom right. d: the belly first, then the post on its right. p: the post going below the line, then the belly at the top right. q: the belly first, then the post going below the line.
The marks stay on capital letters – on signs and menus you will read PRAÇA, CAFÉ and AVÔ. The mark is written last, just above the capital.
Four spelling rules carry most of the alphabet: c and g are soft before e and i (cidade, gelo); the k sound before e and i is qu (queijo); ç gives an s before a, o, u (praça); and h at the start of a word is silent (hora).
A janela da casa dá para a praça.The window of the house looks onto the square.
O queijo e a maçã estão na mesa.The cheese and the apple are on the table.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a casa | house, home | A casa é pequena. The house is small. |
| a janela | window | Abre a janela, por favor. Open the window, please. |
| 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 xaile | shawl | A avó usa um xaile. Grandma wears a shawl. |
| a avó | grandmother | A avó tem oitenta anos. Grandma is eighty. |
| o avô | grandfather | O avô lê o jornal. Grandpa reads the newspaper. |
| a praça | square (in a town) | A praça tem uma fonte. The square has a fountain. |
| a maçã | apple | Como uma maçã por dia. I eat an apple a day. |
| o açúcar | sugar | Queres açúcar? Do you want sugar? |
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 word starts with a letter that is not pronounced?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.