A1Lesson 5: Sounds of Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese nasal sounds, produced by letting air flow through both mouth and nose simultaneously, are marked by til (~) or occur before m/n, creating five distinct nasal vowels that don't exist in English.
Five nasal vowels: ã, ẽ, ĩ, õ, ũ (like saying the vowel while humming)
Til (~) always makes vowels nasal: não, são
Vowel + m/n in same syllable = nasal: tempo, banco
-am/-em endings = nasal: falam, ontem
NH = Spanish ñ sound: tenho, senhor
Nasal diphthongs: -ão (most common), -ãe, -õe
Final -m is not pronounced, just nasalizes the vowel
Essential for basic words: não, bom, tem, um
Nasal sounds are everywhere in Portuguese – you can't even say "no" (não) or "good" (bom) without them! Missing nasalization makes you hard to understand: "pau" (stick) vs. "pão" (bread), or "tom" (tone) vs. "tô" (I am). These sounds appear in the most basic Portuguese words, numbers, and everyday expressions, making them absolutely essential from day one.
vowel + til (~) OR vowel + m/n (same syllable) = nasal vowel
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| Letter | Nasal Sound | How to Produce | Example Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | /ã/ | "ah" through nose | mãe, pão, falam |
| E | /ẽ/ | "eh" through nose | bem, tempo, sem |
| I | /ĩ/ | "ee" through nose | sim, fim, jardim |
| O | /õ/ | "oh" through nose | bom, com, ontem |
| U | /ũ/ | "oo" through nose | um, algum, jejum |
Start saying the regular vowel
"Não, obrigado" (No, thank you)
"Bom dia" (Good morning)
"Um café, por favor" (A coffee, please)
"Tem pão?" (Is there bread?)
"Sim, com certeza" (Yes, certainly)
um (one)
cinco (five)
cem (hundred)
quinhentos (five hundred)
Some speakers nasalize differently:
"muito" - some say [mũjtu], others [mujtu]
"entre" - can be [ẽtri] or [entri]
Regional and individual variation
When words combine, nasals sometimes disappear:
"bem" + "vindo" = bem-vindo (often loses full nasalization)
"bom" + "dia" = bom dia (bom stays nasal)
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