Paulista Path

Alfabeto e pronúncia básica

Alphabet, vowels, and basic pronunciation

schedule 25 min Level A1 Block 1: Contact and foundations
Open textbook and notes on a desk for language study

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Learning Objectives

  • check_circle By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:
  • check_circle Recite the Portuguese alphabet and recognize letter names used when spelling words aloud.
  • check_circle Pronounce basic vowel sounds and identify stressed syllables in common words.
  • check_circle Spell your name and ask Como se escreve? in a short exchange.

Warm-up (3 min)

Quick revision from Lecture 01.

  1. Greet your partner: Oi! Bom dia! Tudo bem?
  2. Respond and say goodbye: Tudo bem! Até logo!
  3. Repeat the five vowels slowly: a, e, i, o, u

Part 1 — O alfabeto (The alphabet)

LetterName (BR)Example
A aáamigo
B bbêbom
C ccêcasa
D ddêdia
E eéeu
F féfefalar
G ggêgente
H hagáhora (silent h)
I iiir
J jjotajanela
K kcákilo
L lélelivro
M mémemorar
N nénenome
O oóolá
P ppêpor favor
Q qquêque
R rérrerua
S sésseser
T ttêter
U uuum
V vvêvocê
W wdábliowifi
X xxistaxi
Y yípsilonyoga
Z zzêzero

Spelling aloud: Brazilians say the letter name, often with a pause between letters.

  • Alex → A – L – E – X (xis)
  • São Paulo → S – ã – o – P – a – u – l – o

Part 2 — Pronúncia básica (Basic pronunciation)

1. Nasal vowels (very Brazilian — practice these!)

SpellingSoundExample
ã, am, annasal “a”mãe, são, não
õnasal “o”põe, limões
em, ennasal “e”tem, bem
om, onnasal “o”bom, nono

2. Open vs closed vowels (important for meaning)

OpenClosed
é (pé)ê (você)
ó (avó)ô (avô)

3. São Paulo speech

  • Você is the standard “you” — use it everywhere in SP.
  • Tu exists in southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná) but you don’t need it in São Paulo.
  • In casual speech you’ll hear: tá (está), pra (para), pro (para o) — learn the full forms first.

4. Stress

Portuguese words have a strong syllable. Accents on the page (á, é, ê, ó, ô, ã…) usually mark it — clap there.

WordStressed syllable
por-tu-guêsguês
bra-si-lei-rolei
o-bri-ga-doga
o-lálá
São Pau-loPau

Rule of thumb: Words ending in -s / -z / -r / -l / -x / -i / -u often stress the last syllable (português, Brasil). Many other everyday words stress the next-to-last (obrigado, tudo). When unsure: listen and clap on the loudest syllable.

Practice (5 exercises)

1. Letter names

Write the Portuguese name of each letter.

  1. R → ___
  2. J → ___
  3. H → ___
  4. X → ___
  5. W → ___

1-érre, 2-jota, 3-agá, 4-xis, 5-dáblio

2. Open or closed vowel?

Is the bold vowel open or closed?

  1. avó (grandmother) — the ó is ___
  2. avô (grandfather) — the ô is ___
  3. você — the ê is ___

1-open (ó), 2-closed (ô), 3-closed (ê)

3. Mark the stressed syllable

Write the stressed syllable for each word.

  1. obrigado → ___
  2. português → ___
  3. apartamento → ___
  4. tudo → ___

1-ga, 2-guês, 3-men, 4-tu

4. Spell at the padaria

You are ordering and they ask your name. Write 3–4 lines: say your name, ask Como se escreve?, then spell one short name with Portuguese letter names.

Sample answers

A: Me chamo Ana. B: Como se escreve? A: A – ÉNE – Á. B: Obrigada!

Your answer may vary.

5. Translate classroom phrases

Translate each line to Portuguese.

  1. How do you spell it?
  2. Can you repeat, please?
  3. Slower, please.

1-Como se escreve?; 2-Pode repetir, por favor?; 3-Mais devagar, por favor.

Spelling names

Marina

Oi! Me chamo Marina. E você?

Hi! My name is Marina. And you?

Alex

Oi! Eu sou Alex.

Hi! I'm Alex.

Marina

Alex? Como se escreve?

Alex? How do you spell it?

Alex

A – L – E – X. E o seu nome?

A – L – E – X. And your name?

Marina

M – A – R – I – N – A.

M – A – R – I – N – A.

Alex

Prazer, Marina!

Nice to meet you, Marina!

Marina

Igualmente!

Likewise!

Pronunciation

Drill — nasal sounds (repeat 3× each):

  • não, são, bem, bom, mãe

Drill — stress (clap on the bold syllable):

  • por-tu-GUÊS
  • bra-si-LEI-ro
  • o-bri-GA-do
  • o-LÁ

Silent H: The letter h is never pronounced in Portuguese.

  • hora → sounds like ora
  • hotel → sounds like otel

Homework

Written

  1. Spell your full name using Portuguese letter names.
  2. Spell these São Paulo words letter by letter: Pinheiros, Paulista, Brasil.
  3. Write 3 words from Lecture 01 and mark the stressed syllable in each.

Oral

  1. Record yourself spelling your name and your bairro.
  2. Practice the nasal words: não, são, bem, bom — say each one 5 times slowly.

Optional challenge

Spell oi, sim, and não aloud using only Portuguese letter names.

Summary cheat sheet

TopicKey forms
Ask how to spellComo se escreve?
Repeat / slowerPode repetir, por favor? / Mais devagar, por favor.
Silent letterH is silent: hora → “ora”
Nasal vowelsã, õ, em/en, om/on
Open vs closedé/ó (open) vs ê/ô (closed)
StressListen and clap: por-tu-guês, o-lá, o-bri-ga-do

Next lecture: Pronomes pessoais e o verbo ser — say who you are and where you’re from.

Até a próxima aula!