🇵🇹 Portuguese Phonetics – Complete, Self‑Contained, Non‑Contradictory Guide
🔠 0. How this page is organized
This guide covers the core Portuguese phonetics you’ll actually meet: VowelsOpen vs. ClosedNasal vowels & diphthongsConsonant patternsDiacritics & stress. IPA is given for clarity, with বাংলা glosses where helpful. Dialect notes are kept explicit and consistent:
- EU‑PT = European Portuguese
- BR‑PT = Brazilian Portuguese
Principle for consistency: where EU‑PT and BR‑PT differ, we label it. Otherwise, the rule applies to both.
🟡 1. Basic Vowels (oral)
Portuguese oral vowels roughly match these IPA values (quality varies with stress):
| Letter | Typical IPA | Example | IPA | Meaning | বাংলা |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A a | /a ~ ɐ/ | casa | /ˈkazɐ/ (BR), /ˈkazɐ/ (EU) | house | বাড়ি |
| E e | /e ~ ɛ/ | mesa | /ˈmezɐ/ | table | টেবিল |
| I i | /i/ | fita | /ˈfitɐ/ | tape/ribbon | ফিতা |
| O o | /o ~ ɔ/ | bola | /ˈbɔlɐ/ | ball | বল |
| U u | /u/ | luz | /lus/ (EU final /s/), /lus/∼/luz/ (BR) | light | আলো |
Open vs. closed mid vowels (/ɛ ~ e/, /ɔ ~ o/) depend on stress and spelling with accents; see section 2.
🔄 2. Open vs. Closed E/O (with accents)
Accents mark stress and often the quality of mid vowels:
Letter E
- é → open /ɛ/ (e.g., pé /pɛ/ ‘foot’)
- ê → closed /e/ (e.g., você /voˈse/ BR)
- plain e varies with stress (e.g., mesa /ˈmezɐ/)
Letter O
- ó → open /ɔ/ (e.g., avó /aˈvɔ/ ‘grandma’)
- ô → closed /o/ (e.g., avô /aˈvo/ ‘grandpa’)
- plain o varies with stress (e.g., bolsa /ˈbolsɐ/)
Bangla: উচ্চারণে মাঝের স্বরধ্বনি E/O কখনো খোলা (ɛ, ɔ), কখনো বন্ধ (e, o)—অ্যাকসেন্ট দেখে বোঝা যায়; না থাকলে stress‑এর ওপর নির্ভর।
🌫️ 3. Nasal Vowels & Nasal Diphthongs
Nasalization is shown with ~ (tilde) or by m/n after a vowel in the same syllable. Core patterns:
| Spelling | Typical IPA | Example | IPA | Meaning | বাংলা |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ã | /ɐ̃/ | irmã | /iʁˈmɐ̃/ (BR/EU) | sister | বোন |
| õ | /õ/ | bom | /bõ/ | good | ভাল |
| ão | /ɐ̃w̃/ → often [ɐ̃ũ] | pão | /pɐ̃w̃/ (BR/EU) | bread | রুটি |
| ãe | /ɐ̃j̃/ | mãe | /mɐ̃j̃/ | mother | মা |
| õe | /õj̃/ | ações → ações (plurals like ações) | /aˈsõj̃s/ (EU final /ʃ/→/s/), /aˈsõjs/ (BR) | actions | কর্মসমূহ |
| em/en (final) | /ẽj̃/ (BR), /ẽ/ (EU) | bem | BR /bẽj̃/, EU /bẽ/ | well | ভালো |
| om/on (final) | /õ/ (EU), /õw̃/~[õũ] (BR) | bom | EU /bõ/, BR /bõw̃/ | good | ভাল |
Dialect note: word‑final nasalization often has a glide in BR‑PT (e.g., /ẽj̃, õw̃/), while EU‑PT tends to be a plain nasal vowel (/ẽ, õ/).
🧊 4. Core Consonant Patterns
| Spelling | Rule | Example | IPA | Meaning | বাংলা |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ch | /ʃ/ | chá | /ʃa/ | tea | চা |
| j; g before e,i | /ʒ/ | janela; gente | /ʒaˈnɛlɐ/; /ˈʒẽtʃi/ (BR), /ˈʒẽtɨ/ (EU) | window; people | জানালা; মানুষ |
| g before a,o,u | /g/ | gato; agora | /ˈgatu/; /aˈgɔɾɐ/ | cat; now | বিড়াল; এখন |
| gu + e,i | /g/ (u usually silent) | guerra; guitarra | /ˈgɛʁɐ/; /giˈtaʁɐ/ | war; guitar | যুদ্ধ; গিটার |
| c before e,i | /s/ | cerveja; cidade | /seʁˈveʒɐ/; /siˈdadʒi/ (BR), /siˈðaðɨ/ (EU) | beer; city | বিয়ার; শহর |
| c before a,o,u | /k/ | casa; cultura | /ˈkazɐ/; /kuɫˈtuɾɐ/ (EU), /kuwˈtuɾɐ/ (BR) | house; culture | বাড়ি; সংস্কৃতি |
| ç (cedilla) | /s/ before a,o,u | quem? não — (see next row for q/qu) | — | — | — |
| q; qu | qu + e,i → /k/ (u silent); qu + a,o → /kw/ | que / quem; quatro | /ki/; /ˈkwatɾu/ | what / who; four | কি / কে; চার |
| lh | /ʎ/ (palatal L) | filho | /ˈfiʎu/ (EU), /ˈfiʎu/∼/ˈfiʎo/ (BR) | son | ছেলে |
| nh | /ɲ/ (palatal N) | banho | /ˈbɐɲu/ (EU), /ˈbɐɲu/∼/ˈbɐɲo/ (BR) | bath | স্নান |
Bangla: lh = বাংলা “ল”‑এর নরম জিহ্বা‑পালেট ধ্বনি (/ʎ/), nh = “ঞ/ন্য”‑র মতো (/ɲ/), ch=/ʃ/, j/g(e,i)=/ʒ/.
🧩 5. The S, Z, and X Puzzle
S (s, ss)
- Word‑initial s‑: /s/ → sol /sɔw/ (BR), /sɔl/ (EU)
- Between vowels: usually /z/ → casa /ˈkazɐ/
- ss between vowels: fixed /s/ → massa /ˈmasɐ/
- Word‑final -s: EU‑PT /ʃ ~ s/ depending on following sound; BR‑PT varies by region, often /s/ (interior) or /ʃ/ (Rio/Recife). Consistent safe notation here: /s/.
Z (z)
- Between vowels: /z/ → zero /ˈzɛɾu/
- Word‑final -z: commonly /s/ → luz /lus/
X (x) – multiple values, learn by example
| Sound | Example | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ʃ/ | xícara | /ˈʃikaɾɐ/ | cup |
| /s/ | tórax | /ˈtɔɾaks/ | thorax |
| /z/ | exame | /eˈzɐmi/ (BR), /ɨˈzamɨ/ (EU) | exam |
| /ks/ | táxi | /ˈtaksɪ/ (BR), /ˈtaksɨ/ (EU) | taxi |
Rule of thumb: x after e as in exame often /z/; many others /ʃ/; compounds keep /ks/ like in Latin roots. Memorize frequent words.
🐯 6. The R Family (quick recap)
- Word‑initial R and rr: strong guttural /ʁ/ → rato /ˈʁatu/, carro /ˈkaʁu/
- Single r between vowels: flap /ɾ/ → caro /ˈkaɾu/
- Word‑final -r: EU‑PT often very weak or not realized; BR‑PT varies, many regions use /h/ → comer (EU /kuˈme/, BR /koˈmeʁ/)
This section summarizes earlier work; see your dedicated “R” page for more drills.
🫧 7. BR‑PT Palatalization: D/T before i (and unstressed e)
Brazilian Portuguese often palatalizes d, t before i (and many dialects also before unstressed e):
| Spelling | BR‑PT | EU‑PT | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| di | /dʒi/ | /di/ | dia → BR /ˈdʒiɐ/, EU /ˈdiɐ/ | day |
| ti | /tʃi/ | /ti/ | tia → BR /ˈtʃiɐ/, EU /ˈtiɐ/ | aunt |
This is a reliable BR‑PT feature. European Portuguese does not palatalize in this context.
🪵 8. L: clear, dark, and vocalized
- Before vowels: clear /l/ → lata /ˈlatɐ/
- Word/ syllable‑final: EU‑PT often “dark L” /ɫ/; BR‑PT frequently vocalized to a glide /w/.
| Word | EU‑PT | BR‑PT | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| mal | /maɫ/ | /maw/ | bad/evil |
| Brasil | /bɾɐˈziɫ/ | /bɾaˈziw/ | Brazil |
🧷 9. Common Oral Diphthongs
| Spelling | IPA | Example | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ai | /aj/ | pai | /paj/ | father |
| ei | /ej/ | lei | /lej/ | law |
| oi | /oj/ | dois | /dojs/ | two |
| eu | /ew/ | eu | /ew/ | I |
| ou | /ow/ | outro | /ˈowtɾu/ | other |
These are stable across EU‑PT and BR‑PT; slight vowel quality may vary by region.
⏱️ 10. Stress & Diacritics (´ ^ ~ `)
- Acute (´): marks stress and open mid vowels: pé /pɛ/, avó /aˈvɔ/.
- Circumflex (^): marks stress and closed mid vowels: avô /aˈvo/, você (BR) /voˈse/.
- Tilde (~): nasal vowels: irmã /iʁˈmɐ̃/, ação /aˈsɐ̃w̃/.
- Grave (`): mainly marks crasis (contraction a + article a) → à. Phonetically like plain a; it’s grammatical, not phonetic.
Bangla: অ্যাকসেন্ট চিহ্ন stress দেখায়; ´ খোলা স্বর, ^ বন্ধ স্বর; ~ নাসাল; ` কেবল ব্যাকরণগত (উচ্চারণ বদলায় না)।
🧪 11. Practice Sentences (mixed features)
- O pão é ótimo, mas é caro. → /u pɐ̃w̃ ɛ ˈɔtʃimu (BR) ~ ˈɔtimʊ (EU), maz ɛ ˈkaɾu/ — পাউরুটি দারুণ, কিন্তু দামী।
- Minha filha gosta de chá. → /ˈmiɲɐ ˈfiʎɐ ˈgɔstɐ dʒi ʃa/ (BR) ~ /ðɨ ˈʃa/ (EU) — আমার মেয়ে চা পছন্দ করে।
- Eu vou ao Brasil em maio. → /ew vow aw bɾaˈziw ẽj̃ ˈmaju/ (BR), /ew vow aw bɾɐˈziɫ ẽ ˈmajʊ/ (EU) — আমি মে মাসে ব্রাজিল যাচ্ছি।
IPA shows common pronunciations; minor regional variants exist but won’t block comprehension.
📙 12. Quick Reference Cheatsheet
Consonants
ch → /ʃ/j, g(e/i) → /ʒ/g(a/o/u) → /g/lh → /ʎ/nh → /ɲ/c(e/i) → /s/c(a/o/u) → /k/ç → /s/qu(e/i) → /k/qu(a/o) → /kw/x → /ʃ,s,z,ks/r/rr → /ɾ, ʁ/
Vowels
é → /ɛ/ê → /e/ó → /ɔ/ô → /o/ã → /ɐ̃/õ → /õ/ão → /ɐ̃w̃/ãe → /ɐ̃j̃/õe → /õj̃/
Made for learners building a complete Portuguese phonetics module. Copy‑paste into any site—no external libraries.
🇵🇹 Portuguese Phonetics – Letter R Explained
🔠 1. Overview of Portuguese R
In Portuguese, the letter R has different pronunciations depending on its position in the word.
- Initial /ʁ/: At the beginning of a word, it’s a strong guttural sound like French “R”.
- Double RR /ʁ/: In the middle, written as rr, it keeps the strong guttural sound.
- Single R /ɾ/: Between vowels, it’s a light flap, like Spanish single “r”.
- Final R: Often silent or very soft depending on dialect (Lisbon vs. Brazil).
📘 Bangla: পর্তুগিজ R শব্দের অবস্থার ওপর নির্ভর করে আলাদা হয়। শুরুতে বা “rr” হলে গলার ভেতরের আওয়াজ /ʁ/, কিন্তু মাঝখানে নরম flap হয় /ɾ/।
🎤 2. Strong Guttural R – /ʁ/
At the start of a word or when written as rr, Portuguese R is pronounced like a French guttural R.
| Portuguese | IPA | Meaning | Bangla |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rua | /ˈʁu.ɐ/ | Street | রাস্তা |
| Rato | /ˈʁatu/ | Rat | ইঁদুর |
| Correr | /koˈʁeʁ/ | To run | দৌড়ানো |
💡 Tip: Try to gargle softly in your throat – that’s the strong Portuguese “R”.
🔗 3. Flap R – /ɾ/ Between Vowels
When a single R comes between two vowels, it becomes a light tap (similar to Spanish “pero”).
| Portuguese | IPA | Meaning | Bangla |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caro | /ˈkaɾu/ | Expensive / Dear | দামী / প্রিয় |
| Para | /ˈpaɾɐ/ | For | জন্য |
| Maria | /maˈɾi.ɐ/ | Maria (name) | মারিয়া |
📘 Bangla: মাঝখানে একক R হলে নরম টোকা দেওয়ার মতো আওয়াজ হয়, যেমন “ঢকঢক” শব্দ।
🌀 4. Final R – Dialectal Variations
In European Portuguese, final R is often very soft or silent. In Brazilian Portuguese, especially São Paulo or Rio, it can be pronounced like /h/.
- Amor (love) → Lisbon: /ɐˈmo/ ; Rio: /aˈmoʁ/
- Comer (to eat) → Lisbon: /kuˈme/ ; Rio: /koˈmeʁ/
📘 Bangla: শেষের R ইউরোপে প্রায় শোনা যায় না, কিন্তু ব্রাজিলে অনেকসময় ইংরেজি h-এর মতো।
🧪 5. Practice Sentences
- O rato corre rápido. (The rat runs fast) – ইঁদুর দ্রুত দৌড়ায়।
- Maria mora na rua. (Maria lives on the street) – মারিয়া রাস্তায় থাকে।
- O amor é forte. (Love is strong) – ভালোবাসা শক্তিশালী।
🎤 Record yourself and compare with natives. Focus on rato, correr, amor.
📙 6. Rule Recap
- 🔹 Word-initial or “rr” → Strong guttural /ʁ/
- 🔹 Between vowels → Flap /ɾ/
- 🔹 Final position → Often silent (EU) or /h/ (BR)
💡 Mnemonic: “R roars at the start, taps in the middle, fades at the end.”
R শুরুতে গর্জে, মাঝখানে টোকা দেয়, শেষে মিলিয়ে যায়।
R শুরুতে গর্জে, মাঝখানে টোকা দেয়, শেষে মিলিয়ে যায়।