LinguaWhat you see and what Brazilians say
Brazilian Portuguese softens the ends of words, and it does so by rule. An unstressed e at the end sounds like i: leite is “LAY-tchee”. An unstressed o at the end sounds like u: tudo is “TOO-doo”. And that new i-sound changes the t and d in front of it: t becomes “tch”, d becomes “dj”. So noite is “NOY-tchee”, tia is “TCHEE-a”, dente is “DEN-tchee” and tarde is “TAR-djee”. The spelling does not change – only the sound.
t, then i. In most of Brazil this pair sounds “tchee”: tia. The same happens when a final e sounds like i: leite, noite.
d, then i: in Brazil “djee”, like the j of “jeans”: dia (day). And with a final e: tarde, dente.
| You see | You hear | Words |
|---|---|---|
| -e | i | leite, doce |
| -o | u | tudo |
| ti, -te | tchee | tia, noite, dente |
| di, -de | djee | dia, tarde |
| -l | u | Brasil, anel, mel |
| -s- | z | rosa, casa |
| -ss-, ç | s | massa, praça |
Two more habits. An l at the end of a syllable sounds like u: Brasil is “bra-ZEEU”, anel “a-NEU”, mel “MEU”. That is why mal (badly) and mau (bad) sound exactly the same. And a single s between two vowels buzzes like z: rosa, casa. To keep it a sharp s, Portuguese doubles it or uses ç: massa, praça.
e, then l. At the end of a word the l is written but heard as u – anel, mel, papel. Write the l; say “eu”.
Two s’s side by side, only between vowels: a sharp s, never z – massa. With one s you would hear z: mesa, rosa.
Boa noite, tia!Good night, auntie!
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| o leite | milk | O leite está na geladeira. The milk is in the fridge. |
| a noite | night, evening | À noite a cidade fica bonita. At night the city looks beautiful. |
| a tia | aunt | Minha tia mora no Rio. My aunt lives in Rio. |
| tudo | everything | Tudo aqui é muito barato. Everything here is very cheap. |
| o dente | tooth | O menino perdeu um dente. The boy lost a tooth. |
| a tarde | afternoon | Eu estudo à tarde. I study in the afternoon. |
| o anel | ring (jewellery) | Ela usa um anel de prata. She wears a silver ring. |
| o mel | honey | Chá com mel é bom para a garganta. Tea with honey is good for the throat. |
| a rosa | rose | Ele comprou uma rosa vermelha. He bought a red rose. |
| a massa | pasta; dough | Hoje o jantar é massa com molho. Tonight dinner is pasta with sauce. |
| o doce | sweet, dessert | Brigadeiro é um doce brasileiro. Brigadeiro is a Brazilian sweet. |
| o Brasil | Brazil | O Brasil é muito grande. Brazil is very big. |
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
In which word does t sound like “tch”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.