Breaking Down Portuguese Vowels: The Pronunciation of I, O, and U
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The Portuguese language has a soft, delicate quality, and even certain poetry to it. However, before you can express your deepest feelings in this lyrical language, you’ll need to master its sounds. No, you don’t need to fear. Lucky for all of us, the alphabet in Portuguese is quite similar to the English ABC. The biggest challenge you will find when it comes to the Portuguese alphabet is Portuguese vowels.
After all, it’s vowels that give this language its indescribable musicality.
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Last time, we brought you a detailed guide on how to pronounce the letters A and E as if you had been born in Lisbon or Rio de Janeiro.
Today, we are finishing our Portuguese vowels lesson with a guide to the three remaining vowels: I, O, and U.
I
If you have a very good memory, you may remember that the letters A and E had lots of different pronunciations depending on their phonetic environment.
It is my pleasure to kick off this article by talking about a Portuguese letter that is pronounced the same way in almost every context.
Well, almost.
When followed by an M or an M, the letter I has a nasal pronunciation. This means that the natural air puff involved in its production is not released through the mouth but through the nose.
Here are a few common words in which the letter I is followed by an M or an N.
minha — my
minuto — minute
mimo — treat
limão — lemon
In all other circumstances, I is pronounced like the long /i/ sound in words like “see” or “tree”.
Say these words imagining that the I is a EE:
bife — beef
si — if
Oh, and If you happen to see a letter Í with a rising accent mark, don’t worry, and please don’t think we forgot to tell you what that means in terms of pronunciation!
With this letter, the mark does not affect pronunciation. It just shows where the stress should go.
O
Not as straightforward as I but not as complex as E, the letter O comes with a few pronunciation rules that you should bear in mind if you want to sound like a native speaker of Portuguese.
In most other contexts, the letter O has two possible pronunciations. The open O, which is the most common one, is the long, lax type of sound that we hear in words like “more” or “caught”.
If the Ó appears with the rising stress mark, it is always open.
Say these words trying to make the /o/ sound long and lax.
pó — powder
acórdão — ruling
The other type of Portuguese O is the closed, short sound, more similar to the one in “clock” than to the one in “bought”. If the Ô appears with the roof accent mark, it is always the case.
cômodo — room
ônibus — bus
As it happens with the rest of the vowels, when O is followed by an M or an N it is released nasally. The same happens when it appears with the tilde stress mark: Õ.
onde — where
relações* — relationships
*ç is pronounced like an S and –as we’ve already mentioned– final “es” is pronounced /is/, so this word is pronounced /reh-lah-soh-is/
If O is part of the diphthong OI, that also changes its articulation. If the combination is OI, without a stress mark, the two sounds are pronounced separately, and the O is pronounced as a closed, short vowel (as in “clock”). However, if the combination is ÓI, with the rising stress mark, the resulting sound will be like the more open “oy” diphthong in “boy” or “joy”.
Say these words imagining that the “oi” part in them is like the /oi/ diphthong in “boy”.
noite — night
herói — hero
U
The pronunciation of U, the last vowel in the Portuguese alphabet, presents rules that you will find very familiar by now. In most phonological environments, U is consistently pronounced like the “oo” in “hoot.”
With this tip in mind, try saying these words:
fruta — fruit
mundo — world
The only exception to the rule above is that, when U appears before an M or an N, it has a nasal pronunciation, just like the rest of the vowels.
funil — funnel
luminoso — luminous
And, if you see the letter Ú with a rising stress mark, remember it’s only there to indicate where the stress falls.
See? No new rules for Portuguese U!
For now, that’s it for the vowels in Portuguese! We hope you enjoyed this quick and easy guide, and that you are looking forward to our next blog: Portuguese consonants!
Meanwhile, would you like to take your pronunciation skills to the next level? At Language Trainers, we work with native teachers who can help you achieve your goals! Contact us today for a free trial lesson, and we will get started on designing a Portuguese course tailored specifically for you.
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Oh, and if you want to keep learning while you wait for our tailormade course proposal, don’t forget to check out our other articles on Portuguese slang expressions, core Portuguese words for travellers, and our special guide on how to move to Portugal from Spain