Brazilian Portuguese vs European Portuguese - Pronunciation Differences

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In this lesson, you’ll learn what are the pronunciation differences between Portuguese spoken in Brazil and Portuguese spoken in Portugal.

To talk about this topic, I invited teacher Mia Esmeriz who is Portuguese and also teaches Portuguese as a second language. Watch the video to compare our pronunciation and learn more about the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese.

These are the topics that we discuss in the video:

1. The letter L at the end of syllables

Portugal - In Portugal, the letter L is pronounced clearly.

Brazil - In Brazil, the L is not pronounced at the end of syllables. Instead, we pronounce it as a weak "U" sound.

Examples: Brasil, Portugal

2. Vowels

Portugal - In Portugal, sometimes the vowels disappear, especially the vowel E.

Brazil - The vowels are pronounced more clearly.

Examples: Excelente, colesterol

3. The letter S at the end of syllables

Portugal - The letter S is pronounced as SH

Brasil - The letter S is pronounced as a tradicional S (there are variations)

Examples: Casas, amarelas

4. The letters D and T before the vowels E and I

Portugal - Regular pronunciation

Brazil - The letter D is pronounced as /djee/ and the letter T is pronounced as /tchee/ before the vowel "I" and "E" (at the end of words).

Examples: Cidade, diferente

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the differences between Portuguese spoken in Brazil and Portuguese spoken in Portugal.

I’d like to know what you found most interesting about this lesson. Did you already know these differences? Leave a comment below with your answer.

Would you like to learn more about Mia's work? Click here to visit her YouTube channel.

Até a próxima!