A1Lesson 5: Sounds of Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese has seven oral vowel sounds with the distinctive feature of open and closed versions of /e/ and /o/, which can change word meanings and are essential for being understood correctly.
Read the guide publicly, then use Falando to save progress and practice this A1 grammar point.
Free accounts can study A1 grammar in the app and keep track of exercises and review.
| Letter | Sound | IPA | Description | Example Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | [a] | Always open, like "ah" | casa, falar, água |
| E | closed /e/ | [e] | Like "ay" without glide | você, dedo, mesa |
| E | open /ɛ/ | [ɛ] | Like "bed" | café, pé, festa |
| I | /i/ | [i] | Like "see" | filho, amigo, isto |
| O | closed /o/ | [o] | Like "go" without glide | novo, todos, bolo |
| O | open /ɔ/ | [ɔ] | Like "law" | avó, pó, porta |
| U | /u/ | [u] | Like "food" | tudo, lua, azul |
| Closed Sound | Meaning | Open Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| avô /o/ | grandfather | avó /ɔ/ | grandmother |
| poço /o/ | well | posso /ɔ/ | I can |
| gosto /o/ | I like | gosto /ɔ/ | taste |
| sede /e/ | thirst | sede /ɛ/ | headquarters |
| peso /e/ | I weigh | peso /ɛ/ | weight |
