A1Lesson 5: Sounds of Brazilian Portuguese
The letter R in Brazilian Portuguese has multiple pronunciations depending on its position in the word, making it one of the most complex yet distinctive features of the language, with sounds ranging from an English H to a Spanish rolled R.
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| Position | Sound | IPA | Examples | Like... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial R | Strong | /h/ or /x/ | Rio, Roberto | English "h" in "house" |
| Double RR | Strong | /h/ or /x/ | carro, terra | English "h" in "house" |
| Between vowels | Soft tap | /ɾ/ | cara, para | Spanish single R |
| End of syllable | Varies | /h/, /x/, /ɾ/ | falar, porta | Soft "h" or harder |
| After consonant | Soft tap | /ɾ/ | prato, Brasil | Quick tongue tap |
| Soft R /ɾ/ | Meaning | Strong R /h/ | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| caro | expensive | carro | car |
| cora | he/she blushes | corra | run! |
| era | was | erra | he/she errs |
| coro | chorus | corro | I run |
