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MASTER THE SOUNDS OF THE LANGUAGE

IPA SYMBOLS
HOW TO PRODUCE THE SOUNDS
EXAMPLES
AUDIO
SPEAKING PORTUGAL - EUROPEAN PORTUGUESE PRONUNCIATION

Learn to identify and produce the different sounds of European Portuguese.

Each section highlights a specific sound, featuring:

1) the corresponding IPA symbol (International Phonetic Alphabet);

2) an audio track (with examples);
3) the letters that have the sound;
4) a selection of words with the sound marked in bold.

If you don’t want to get too technical with the International Phonetic Alphabet, you can focus on the
letters where you can find the sound, listen to the examples and try to replicate them.

IPA /a/
track 1
2 found in a, á

3 1) sal
2) mal
3) cá
4) lá
5) má
6) vá
7) dá

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1. FIXED ORAL VOWELS

In a fixed oral vowel, the mouth does not move (it’s in a fixed position), and the air escapes only
through the mouth.

IPA /a/ IPA /ɐ/

track 1 track 2 track 3
found in a, á found in unstressed a found in ej, elh, enh, ei

1) sal 1) mas 1) fedelho

2) mal 2) na 2) tenho
3) cá 3) banana 3) queijo
4) lá 4) lama 4) venho
5) má 5) cada 5) ovelha
6) vá 6) mana 6) joelho
7) dá 7) chama 7) cereja

IPA /ɨ/ IPA /ɛ/

track 4 track 5 track 6
found in unstressed e found in i (fast) found in stressed e, é

1) parte 1) utilizado 1) Tejo

2) se 2) vigiar 2) boné
3) me 3) dissimular 3) mel
4) lhe 4) eliminar 4) ela
5) de 5) distribuição 5) janela
6) come 6) aquisição 6) café
7) nove 7) exigir 7) bebé

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1. FIXED ORAL VOWELS (cont.)

IPA /e/ IPA /i/ IPA /ɔ/

track 7 track 8 track 9
found in unstressed e, ê found in i, í found in stressed o, ó

1) ver 1) imitar 1) pó
2) mesa 2) vi 2) bota
3) pêra 3) picar 3) oral
4) dê 4) rima 4) corda
5) lê 5) si 5) porta
6) Pedro 6) China 6) gola
7) letra 7) sílaba 7) ótimo

IPA /o/ IPA /u/

track 10 found in u, unstressed o, final -o
found in o, ô, ou track 11 track 12

1) doce 1) tudo 1) do
2) pôr 2) uva 2) tubo
3) cor 3) rua 3) uso
4) bolo 4) nu 4) no
5) calor 5) usa 5) falo
6) estou 6) tu 6) Portugal
7) dou 7) fumo 7) aluno

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2. ORAL DIPHTHONGS
In an oral diphthong, there is a vowel sound and a semi-vowel sound (softer vowel) together, so there
is movement of the mouth to make both sounds. The air escapes only through the mouth.

IPA /aj/ IPA /ɐj/ IPA /oj/

track 1 track 2 track 3
found in ai found in ei, éi found in oi

1) pai 1) dei 1) doido

2) vai 2) cadeira 2) dois
3) cai 3) seis 3) boi
4) baixo 4) deixa 4) foi
5) orais 5) leite 5) loiça
6) sai 6) painéis 6) oiro
7) eventuais 7) anéis 7) toiro

IPA /ɔj/ IPA /uj/ IPA /aw/

track 4 track 5 track 6
found in ói found in ui found in au

1) dói 1) fui 1) causa

2) herói 2) azuis 2) mau
3) constróis 3) cuidado 3) pausa
4) paióis 4) flui 4) pau
5) anzóis 5) alui
6) sóis 6) Rui
7) destróis 7) contribui

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2. ORAL DIPHTHONGS (cont.)

IPA /ɐw/ IPA /ew/ IPA /ɛw/

track 7 track 8 track 9
found in au found in eu found in éu

1) saudade 1) eu 1) céu
2) valeu 2) véu
3) seu 3) léu
4) leu 4) réu

IPA /iw/ IPA /wa/ /wɐ/ /wɛ/ /we/ oral triphthongs

track 10 /wi/ /wo/ /wɔ/ /wu/ IPA /waj/ /wɐj/ /wiw
found in iu track 11 track 12
found in ua, ue, ui, uo found in uai, uei, uiu
1) abriu
2) saiu 1) quase 1) Paraguai
3) riu 2) qualidade 2) averiguei
4) viu 3) sequela 3) delinquiu
4) lingueta
5) linguiça
6) aquoso
7) aquosa
8) iníquo

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3. FIXED NASAL VOWELS

In a nasal vowel, the air escapes through the mouth and nose simultaneously.

IPA /ɐ/̃ IPA /ẽ/ IPA /ĩ/

track 1 track 2 track 3
found in ã, am(+b/p), found in em(+b/p), found in in(+consonant),
an(+consonant) en(+consonant) im(+b/p), final -im

1) cantar 1) enviar 1) fim

2) romã 2) tempo 2) vinte
3) ambos 3) encarnado 3) impossível
4) cambiar 4) sentinela 4) sim
5) amputar 5) vento 5) invisível
6) manhã 6) empilhar 6) inverno
7) fã 7) fluente 7) pintar

IPA /õ/ IPA /ũ/

track 4 track 5
found in on(+consonant), found in un(+consonant),
om(+b/p), final -om um(+b/p), final -um

1) comprimido 1) um
2) computador 2) mundo
3) bombom 3) fundar
4) som 4) segundo
5) contar 5) nenhum
6) construir 6) cúmplice
7) ponte 7) atum

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4. NASAL DIPHTHONGS
In a nasal diphthong, there is a nasal vowel sound and a semi-vowel sound (softer vowel) together, so
there is movement of the mouth to make both sounds.

IPA /ɐj̃ /̃ IPA /ɐw

̃ / IPA /õj/
track 1 track 2 track 3
found in ãe, ãi, final -em found in ão, final -am found in õe

1) quem 1) mão 1) leões

2) sem 2) cão 2) aviões
3) tem 3) pão 3) põe
4) Benfica 4) irmão 4) lições
5) mãe 5) falam 5) ações
6) cães 6) contam 6) feijões
7) cãibra 7) compram 7) melões

IPA /ũj/
track 4
found in the word below
(and derived words)

1) muito

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1. BILABIAL CONSONANTS
The lips touch to produce these sounds.

IPA /p/ IPA /b/ IPA /m/

track 1 track 2 track 3
found in p found in b found in m(+ vowel)

1) pato 1) bom 1) mas

2) pois 2) bebé 2) maca
3) pente 3) bata 3) monte
4) pão 4) boca 4) mel
5) computador 5) saber 5) ama
6) capaz 6) acaba 6) uma
7) arpão 7) também 7) cama

track 4
Note that the letter m
can also have a nasal
sound as seen before.

1) ambos
2) emprestar
3) importar
4) fim
5) comprar
6) com
7) cumprir
8) atum
9) também
10) esperam

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2. LABIODENTAL CONSONANTS
The lower lip is in contact with the upper teeth to produce these sounds.

IPA /f/ IPA /v/

track 1 track 2
found in f found in v

1) faca 1) vai
2) funil 2) vaca
3) foi 3) vila
4) fundo 4) voz
5) fora 5) avia
6) afia 6) ouve
7) afinal 7) avião

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3. DENTAL CONSONANTS
The lower and upper teeth are in contact to produce these sounds.

IPA /s/
track 1

found in s-(beginng) found in (consonant+)s found in ç(+a/o/u)

1) sala 9) tensa 21) caçar

2) sai 10) persa 22) canção

3) som 11) dorso 23) dançar

4) subi 12) consome 24) taça

25) paço

found in ss found in c(+i/e) 26) viçoso

5) assoa 13) acima 27) braço

6) assim 14) cisto 28) faço

7) isso 15) cinzento

8) girassol 16) cimo

17) acém
18) doce
19) face
20) certo

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3. DENTAL CONSONANTS (cont.)

IPA /z/
track 2

found in (vowel+)s(+vowel) found in (vowel+)z(+vowel) found in ex

1) casa and z-(beginning)
2) frase 9) azul 16) exame
3) coisa 10) zinco 17) exato
4) casaco 11) Zé 18) exemplo
5) nasal 12) zebra 19) exemplar
6) paisagem 13) fazer 20) examinador
7) poiso 14) zoo 21) exercício
8) rosa 15) zero

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4. ALVEOLAR CONSONANTS
The tongue touches the area where the gumline touches the upper teeth to produce these sounds.

IPA /t/ IPA /d/ IPA /ɾ/

track 1 track 2 track 3
found in t found in d found in r(+ vowel), final -r

1) taco 1) dado 1) caro

2) todo 2) dália 2) carta
3) tal 3) dedo 3) tarde
4) tampa 4) adeus 4) perto
5) atira 5) induz 5) porta
6) então 6) vida 6) par
7) atado 7) admira 7) lar

IPA /l/ IPA /n/

track 4 track 5
found in l at the beginning found in n(+ vowel)
of a word or syllable
1) nada
1) Luís 2) nota
2) lã 3) ano
3) lago 4) pano
4) leve 5) anual
5) lápis 6) canal
6) ali 7) final
7) além

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5. POSTALVEOLAR CONSONANTS
The tongue touches the roof of the mouth to produce these sounds.

IPA /ʃ/ IPA /ʎ/

track 1 track 2

found in final -s, s(+consonant) found in ch found in lh

1) país 12) chato 1) alho
2) pés 13) chá 2) talho
3) cais 14) cachopa 3) filho
5) escola 15) chávena 4) palha
6) castanha 16) choro 5) calhar
6) escolhe
found in final -z found in x (sometimes) 7) melhor
7) paz 17) baixo
8) faz 18) coxo
9) rapaz 19) lixo Note: when speaking fast, the
10) luz 20) xadrez final /ʃ/ turns to /z/ when the
following word begins with a
11) capaz 21) lixar vowel.

IPA /Ʒ/
track 3

found in s(+b/m) found in j found in g(+e/i)

1) Lisboa 6) já 11) giro
2) mesmo 7) jeito 12) gente
3) casmurro 8) jota 13) age
4) cismar 9) jejum 14) gelo
5) fantasma 10) jantar 15) fugir

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5. POSTALVEOLAR CONSONANTS (cont.)

IPA /ɲ/
track 4
found in nh

1) canhão
2) ponha
3) ranho
4) estanho
5) castanho
6) pinho
7) linho
8) pinhão

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6. VELAR CONSONANTS
The back of the tongue rises to touch the soft palate (the back of your mouth) to produce these
sounds.

IPA /k/ IPA /g/

track 1 track 2
found in c(+a/o/u) found in q found in g(+a/o/u)

1) caro 8) quero 1) galo

2) costa 9) quando 2) gota
3) copo 10) quilo 3) guru
4) toca 11) quem 4) guitarra
5) foca 12) quinta 5) agora
6) frasco 13) sequência 6) água
7) acampar 14) sequóia 7) engoma

IPA /R/ IPA dark /l/

track 3 track 4
found in r- (beginning), found in -l at the end of
rr a word or syllable

1) rato 1) mel
2) Rui 2) cal
3) roupa 3) real
4) rede 4) papel
5) arruina 5) Portugal
6) corre 6) Alberto
7) carro

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