Portuguese Alphabet

El Alfabeto Portugués: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, X, Z - K, W, Y

What’s up! You ok? Do you know the Portuguese alphabet pronunciation? We’ll learn it today and we’re also going to learn the  Portuguese alphabet sounds.

The Portuguese Alphabet

To begin with, let’s take a look at the Alphabet in Portuguese and we have an example each with a word! Check it out:

A/a Amor Love
B/b Bola Ball
C/c Casa House
D/d Dado Dice
E/e Escova Brush
F/f Faca Knife
G/g Garfo Fork
H/h Hospital Hospital
I/i Igreja Church
J/j  Jornal Newspaper
L/l  Livros Books
M/m Mala Suitcase
N/n  Navio Ship
O/o Óculos Glasses
P/p Peixe Fish
Q/q Queijo Cheese
 R/r Rato Mouse
 S/s Sapato Shoe
T/t Tomate Tomato
U/u Uva Grape
V/v Vassoura Broom
 X/x Xícara Cup
Z/z Zebra Zebra

Special Cases with C

Letter C has two different sounds that people use in Portuguese. With A, O and U, it has the /k/ sound, but when it is combined with E and I, we pronounce the /s/ sound. Let’s and understand the differences between them, take a look.

Examples

Casa House
Corpo Body
Cultura Culture
Cerveja Beer
Cidade City
Cem One hundred

 

The usage of Ç

This form is known as C-cedilha. When this form is combined with A, O, and U, it sounds like /s/ instead of /k/ originally. Let’s take a look at the examples and see how it works.

Examples

Cabeça Head
Preço Price
Açúcar Sugar

 

Special cases with G

This is another letter that has two possible sounds. When it is combined with A, O, U it has the original /g/ sound, but when it is combined with E and I, it has a /j/ sound, just like the letter J. Check out the examples.

Examples

Garfo Fork
Gostoso Tasteful
Gelo Ice
Gilberto Gilbert

 

Special Cases with K,W and Y

Well, the letters K, W and Y didn’t use to be part of the Portuguese language alphabet, they were used only for people’s name, words with an English origin, or acronyms. But they were officially included into our alphabet due to the frequency that people use them. Let’s see some examples with these letters:

Examples

Karla
Rock
William
Wilson
Yury
Yago

Different pronunciations of R

The letter R is more complex in Portuguese, because we have a lot of ways to saying it. It depends on where the letter is located in the word. To learn all its pronunciations, click here.

The usage of L

The letter L is not that hard, but depending on where it is in the syllable or word, its sound can change. Take a look.

Different pronunciations of X

This is tricky. Pronouncing the letter X correctly is an art. Want to master this art? Learn all the different pronunciations of the letter X.

The pronunciation of S

The letter S also has different ways of being pronounced. Let’s see the differences between them and how to pronounce each one.

Pronouncing the vowels in Portuguese

Now you know everything you need about the Portuguese alphabet sounds and some consonants. But did you know some vowels in Portuguese have more than one sound? Come learn all about it in our Dica about vowels! 

Our friend Moisés is going to help us out in the video below, to practice the Portuguese alphabet pronunciation .

Now that you know the Brazilian Portuguese Alphabet, it’s time to practice!

Exercise to practice the Portuguese alphabet

Listen to the sounds and complete with the correct letter.

1 – _ivros

2 – _arro

3 – _ornal

4 – _ato

5 – _esa

6 – _estido

7 – _luno

8 – _omem

9 – _rso

10 – _ogo

That’s it! We hope you’ve all liked our Dica about the Portuguese alphabet.

If you want to learn more Portuguese, you can subscribe at A Dica do Dia and receive lessons in your inbox for free.

You can also watch free Video Dicas on our Youtube channel. 

And, what’s the best way to learn? Having private classes with us! We can help you with whatever you need!

Big hug from Rio & Learn!
See you!

Ler esta Dica em Português             Leer esta Dica en Español
Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Sounds of vowels in Portuguese
Sound of L in Portuguese
How to pronounce R in Portuguese
How to pronounce X in Portuguese

 

Exercise about the Portuguese alphabet: answers

1 – Livros
2 – Carro
3 – Jornal
4 – Gato
5 – Mesa
6 – Vestido
7 – Aluno
8 – Homem
9 – Urso
10 – Fogo

 

 

 

This post is also available in: English Português (Portuguese) Español (Spanish)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search for Portuguese Dicas

Tell us which Portuguese lesson you would like to learn

 

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Suscribe to A Dica do Dia.

Get free Portuguese lessons. Subscribe to A Dica do Dia and get short, daily lessons in Portuguese completely free.


EXCELLENT rating
Based on 282 reviews
This is the best way to learn portuguese in Rio! Great atmosphere, vers good teachers and very efficient active learning method through one big bonus of this school: Rio&live !! Definitely recommand!!
Kanso M
Kanso M
2023-08-04
Llevo solo unas semanas estudiando en línea con Rio & Learn y puedo decir que mi portugués ya ha mejorado notablemente! Espero poder visitar la escuela pronto para realizar una inmersión completa y conocer a todos los profesores que son geniales. Muchas gracias Rio & Learn!
Pablo Gonzalez
Pablo Gonzalez
2023-07-29
I have been taking online group classes here for about a month. The entire class is in Portuguese so you learn super fast. The class sizes are small and after each class the teacher evaluates you, so you learn at your own pace. All the teachers I've had are super enthusiastic and encouraging. You're also put in a WhatsApp group to practice and there are extra online activities which are super fun. I both laugh and learn a ton in my classes. I highly recommend this school and I hope someday in the future I can visit in person!
Sam Terlizzi
Sam Terlizzi
2023-07-27
I had a lovely time with the teachers and my fellow students during the classes and the activities the school provided. They push you to speak as much Portuguese as possible during and outside the classes. This made it possible for me to start smal conversation after one week!!! Thank you very much for all the fun and teachable moments! “Eu gosto Rio and Learn!”
Mathieu Vandemaele (MathieuV)
Mathieu Vandemaele (MathieuV)
2023-07-26
Rio & Learn is a one stop shop for learning Portuguese while enjoying the amazing Carioca lifestyle. The teachers and the staffs are very accommodating and they always encourage you to speak and immerse in the language. The immersion classes would take you on amazing journeys to local historic spots of the city while keeping you extra fit. Highly recommend!!!
Khoa Pham
Khoa Pham
2023-07-25
excelente experiencia, quero visitar novamente, os professores foram maravilhosos - Diogo e Ana Paula! A escola é bem organizada, bem localizada e funciona bem. Obrigada a todos!
C G
C G
2023-07-24
Wonderful experience of Portuguese learning! The curriculum combines class room lectures and RioLIVE! field trips. My favorite activities are samba and cooking lesson. Staff and teachers are very friendly and helpful.The school is perfectly suited few steps away from beautiful Copacabana beach. Diogo is amazing and fun, he makes a beginner like feels really comfortable and able to learn!
Hong Lynn Zeng
Hong Lynn Zeng
2023-07-21
E ai pessoal! Rio & Learn fue una experiencia maravillosa. En la escuela tuve clases muy interesante que mezclan temas gramaticales con conversación de una forma muy bien planificada. Adicionalmente, las actividades programadas por la escuela en la tarde y los fines de semana son muy divertidas y son una extensión de las clases por lo que se puede continuar practicando portugués en un escenario más pragmático. Complementario a esto, los profesores son muy buenos y tienen mucho ánimo y disposición para enseñar, preocupándose de que el estudiante aprenda ya sea en un entorno individual o grupal; debido a que el profesor que dicta la clase cambia con cierta frecuencia uno tiene la posibilidad de desarrollar más la habilidad de escucha con los diferentes acentos y dinámicas de cada uno. Finalmente, como solo traveler es el lugar ideal para hacer amigos en clase y pasar un buen rato con las actividades de RioLive mientras conoces Rio y practicas el idioma objetivo así que es una excelente combinación. Recomiendo completamente, amé mi experiencia, cree amistades para toda la vida y mejoré mi portugués tal como quería, superó mis expectativas con creces.
karolina roa correa
karolina roa correa
2023-07-14
la escuela es muy útil para aprender portugués, las clases son interactivas y divertidas. Tiene excelentes profesores que ayudan al aprendizaje de manera efectiva.
Daniela Camacho
Daniela Camacho
2023-07-13
I highly recommend Rio and Learn, especially as a solo-traveler. You will make so many friends from the classes and have a lot of support from teachers as well. The group classes are quite great and allow you to maximize your time in the city. I love how you spend the first half of the day focusing on grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary and then afterwards you actually apply it while visiting some of the coolest places in Rio.
michael alcorn
michael alcorn
2023-07-11