Zé video-calls his friend Sara to ask for help choosing an outfit for an upcoming wedding. Language focus: Pronunciation of s, z, ç, and ch
Vestido a Rigor
Dressed Up
Os Carvalhos do Vizinho
The Neighbor's Oaks
Practice that tricky “lh” sound as Carlos tells Sara about his daily troubles. Try listening line by line and repeating the words containing ‘lh’ out loud.
As Recordações Da Rita
Rita's Memories
The arrival of spring reminds Rita of the weekends spent at her grandparents’ farm. As you hear about her favourite memories, you can practice your “R” pronunciation and the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo tense.
Pronunciation Variations
After exploring the Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Vowels and Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Consonants, you probably had a better sense of how to pronounce the various sounds of Portuguese in isolation. However, when you listened for these sounds throughout the Units and in the Shorties, you may have heard some things you didn’t expect! […]
How to Pronounce R in European Portuguese
The Portuguese R is one of the more difficult sounds to master. We covered it briefly in our Pronunciation Guide to European Portuguese Consonants, but it deserves a bit more explanation! Pronunciation varies across different Portuguese dialects, so you will likely hear variations in the the R (as well as other sounds). We’ll focus on […]
Um Roubo e um Rombo
A Robbery And A "Leak"
Jorge tells Rute about all the bad luck he’s had lately. As a pronunciation challenge, see if you can notice all the similar sounding words (i.e. Minimal Pairs) spread throughout the dialogue.
A Fotografia Perfeita
The Perfect Photo
A photographer struggles to take the perfect photo. See how many minimal pairs you can find throughout the narrative.
Pronunciation of The Letter X in Portuguese
How Do You Pronounce the Letter X in Portuguese? The letter X is one of the most challenging sounds in Portuguese because the pronunciation rules are quite variable. Let’s hear what Sherlock has to say on the topic: To review, let’s look at the 5 groups of possible pronunciations:
Vamos Falar Algarvio!
In this article by Lena Strang, originally published in Tomorrow Magazine, she shares an inside look at the Algarvian dialect and how it complements the lively culture of the Algarve region of Portugal. Throughout the article, you can listen to examples of how Portuguese is spoken in the Algarve. Then, to explore the character and […]
Aula De Edição De Imagem
Image Editing Class
A teacher explains the basics of image editing to her class. While the students practice with tools and techniques, you can practice nasal vowels with all the words that end in -em, -am, -um, -im, and -om!
Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Consonants
Portuguese and English share a common alphabet, for the most part, and many of the sounds associated with each consonant are quite similar. If you’re a native English speaker, the pronunciations to pay special attention to are those associated with the vowels, which we will cover in a separate learning note, as well as […]
Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Vowels
It’s time to take a deep dive into the pronunciation of vowels in European Portuguese! First we’ll invite you to play around with this interactive guide and then we’ll cover all the factors that go into creating the variety of subtle variations between each vowel sound. Pronunciation of Vowels in European Portuguese Explore the guide […]
European vs Brazilian Portuguese
What’s the difference between European Portuguese vs Brazilian Portuguese? For starters, European Portuguese is the variant spoken in Portugal and is more similar to the dialects spoken in Africa and Asia. (It is sometimes called Continental Portuguese, or even Portuguese Portuguese! 😄 ) Given the size and population of Brazil, however, the Brazilian Portuguese set […]
How to Pronounce ‘S’ in Portuguese
As is the case with most languages, the same letter can be associated with different phonemes — that is to say, the same letter can be pronounced in many different ways. You’ve probably noticed that Portuguese is no exception. In this guide, we’ll focus on S, Z, C, and Ç. We’ve grouped these together because […]
Minimal Pairs
Have you heard of Minimal Pairs? A minimal word pair consists of two words that vary by only a single sound. For example, and – the only difference is in the final sound (the vowel sounds represented by a and o). Practicing with Portuguese minimal pairs is a great way to perfect your pronunciation and […]