Are you a native Portuguese speaker who:
- struggles with pronouncing the vowels in American English words like had and head because they end up sounding like the same vowel?
- has difficulty speaking American English with appropriate fluency, connections, and flow?
- is confused about how to pronounce the dark L /l/ consonant in words like little, pull, and feel?
American English Pronunciation for Portuguese Speakers: Top 5 Pronunciation Challenges
If you are a native speaker of Portuguese and you struggle with American English pronunciation, then this resource is for you. Here you’ll learn 5 of the most common pronunciation challenges that native speakers of Portuguese experience when speaking English, and you’ll learn how to improve your pronunciation of American English.
Read about the top 5 pronunciation areas below, and then watch the free English pronunciation video lessons to learn how to pronounce each sound. Don’t forget to click here to download your free Guidebook to the Sounds of American English, too!
Portuguese Challenge #1: The EH /ɛ/ and AA /æ/ Vowels
While Portuguese and American English share several key vowels between the two languages, American English contains several vowel sounds that can be challenging for native speakers of Portuguese to pronounce accurately.
One vowel that is challenging for most native Portuguese speakers is the AA /æ/ as in apple vowel. This vowel is not found in Portuguese, so many times Portuguese speakers will substitute the EH /ɛ/ vowel instead because EH /ɛ/ exists in Portuguese and it sounds similar to AA /æ/.
Click here for a PDF of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) of the American English Vowels
When native speakers of Portuguese use the EH /ɛ/ vowel in place of the AA /æ/ vowel, words like lag and man sound like leg and men to the ears of a native speaker of American English. Since all four words are real words in English, this type of pronunciation pattern can lead to a lot of confusion for the listener.
Consider the following sentence: The man talked quickly. If a native speaker of Portuguese substitutes the EH /ɛ/ vowel instead of AA /æ/ in man, the sentence sounds like this: The men talked quickly. This sentence has a completely different meaning than what the speaker had intended!
How to Pronounce the EH /ɛ/ and AA /æ/ Vowels
in American English
The biggest differences between the pronunciation of EH /ɛ/ and AA /æ/ are lip position, jaw opening, and tongue tension. When you pronounce AA /æ/, the jaw is fully open, the lips retract, and the back of the tongue slightly tenses or lifts towards the back of the throat. But when you pronounce EH /ɛ/, the jaw closes slightly, the lips relax slightly, and the tongue is without any tension at all.
To learn how to pronounce the EH /ɛ/ and AA /æ/ vowels, watch the pronunciation videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the EH /ɛ/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the AA /æ/ Vowel; EH /ɛ/ and AA /æ/ Minimal Pairs.
Portuguese Challenge #2: The TH /θ, ð/ Consonants
The TH /θ, ð/ consonants do not exist in Portuguese, so these can be particularly challenging for native Portuguese speakers to pronounce in English. It can be common for Portuguese speakers to substitute a /t/ or a /d/ for the TH consonants in English words, which results in the words the, this, and that sounding like "duh", "dis" and "dat", and think, thing, and three as "tink", "ting", and "tree".
While these types of pronunciation substitutions aren't likely to cause that much confusion for a speaker of American English, it can distract the listener from the message and cause them to think, "Where is that person from?"
How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants in American English
To pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ consonants, the tongue tip comes out between the upper and lower teeth. The teeth lightly come together to anchor the tongue tip in place (don't bite the tongue!). The body of the tongue is in a wide shape. The air flows out of the mouth along the top of the tongue, between the space where the upper teeth make contact with the upper surface of the tongue. The cheeks come together to push the corners of the lips in towards each other.
The TH /θ/ is voiceless, meaning just air is released as you make this sound (no vocal cord vibration). This is how the "th" in think, thing, and three is pronounced. But the TH /ð/ is voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate as you say this sound, and this is how the "th" in the, this, and that is pronounced.
To learn how to pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ consonants in American English, watch the videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants; Place, Manner, and Voicing of the American English Consonants; English Made Easy: The TH /θ, ð/ Sound.
Portuguese Challenge #3: Final -s and -ed Endings
As you probably already know, American English is not written phonetically, which means that the spelling of a word doesn't always match up with how it is pronounced. This can make pronunciation of American English a "guessing game" for non-native speakers.
The -s and -ed endings in American English can be especially difficult for native speakers of Portuguese to pronounce accurately because there are multiple ways that the same spellings can be pronounced, and most of the pronunciations aren't phonetic. For example, the words plays, cats, and watches all end in -s, but the -s ending is pronounced differently in all three words!
The same is true for the -ed ending in past tense verbs like walked, loved, and needed. These words all end in -ed, but the -ed ending is pronounced differently in all three words!
The final -s and -ed spellings in American English are very important because they represent grammar (plural -s, past tense -ed, etc.). So if a speaker of Portuguese mispronounces the final -s or -ed, it can lead not only to pronunciation mistakes but grammatical mistakes as well, which can be even more noticeable to the ears of a native speaker of American English.
How to Pronounce Final -s and -ed Endings in American English
To know how to pronounce the final -s and -ed endings in American English, you must first look at the infinitive form of the word, which is when the word is in its root form without any special endings. Once you have the infinitive form of the word, then you can apply the following rules to the pronunciation.
The rules of the final -s ending are as follows:
- -s is pronounced as /s/ when a word ends in any voiceless sound other than S /s/, SH /ʃ/, or CH /ʧ/. The words cat, ship, and kick all follow this rule: the final -s in cats, ships, and kicks is pronounced as /s/.
- -s is pronounced as /z/ when a word ends in any voiced sound other than Z /z/, ZH /ʒ/, or J /ʤ/. The words shoe, dog, and love all follow this rule: the final -s in shoes, dogs, and loves is pronounced as /z/.
- -s is pronounced as its own syllable /ɪz/ when a word ends in the following sounds: S /s/, Z /z/, SH /ʃ/, ZH /ʒ/, CH /ʧ/, and J /ʤ/. The words class, watch, and push all follow this rule: the final -s in classes, watches, and pushes is pronounced as its own syllable /ɪz/.
The rules of the final -ed ending are as follows:
- -ed is pronounced as /t/ when a word ends in any voiceless sound other than /t/. The words kiss, type, and look all follow this rule: the final -ed in kissed, typed, and looked are all pronounced as /t/.
- -ed is pronounced as /d/ when a word ends in any voiced sound other than /d/. The words travel, brag, and apply all follow this rule: the final -ed in traveled, bragged, and applied is pronounced as /d/.
- -ed is pronounced as its own syllable /ɪd/ when a word ends in /t/ or /d/. The words vote, divide, and grade all follow this rule: the final -ed in voted, divided, and graded is pronounced as its own syllable /ɪd/.
To learn how to pronounce the -s and -ed endings in American English, watch the videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: Pronounce the Past Tense Like a Native Speaker; Never Delete This Sound!; Speak Smooth and Easy English Using the Flap T.
Portuguese Challenge #4: The Dark L /l/ Consonant
Many native speakers of Portuguese struggle with pronouncing the L /l/ consonant when it occurs at the end of a word or syllable in American English, like in the word pull and the phrase A little over 5 years ago. Portuguese speakers tend to round the lips when pronouncing a final L in American English, which results in a W /w/ consonant instead of L /l/.
This final L /l/ in American English has a special name: the dark L. It gets this name due to the way the tongue is positioned in the mouth when you pronounce it. The dark L is made with the back of the tongue as it pulls down and back into the mouth, and the placement of the sound shifts to the back of the mouth or throat.
This is in contrast to the L /l/ consonant when it comes at the beginning of words and syllables, like in the words love and allow. This type of L /l/ is called the light L, and it is made at the front of the mouth with the front of the tongue as it comes up to the alveolar ridge. The placement of the light L shifts to the front of the mouth.
Click here for a PDF of How to Pronounce the Light L and Dark L in American English
The dark L is an important feature of the overall sound of American English. Mastering the pronunciation of the dark L will help native speakers of Portuguese to speak English more naturally and smoothly, as well as help with using the correct voice placement of American English.
How to Pronounce the Dark L in American English
The key to pronouncing the dark L is in the tongue position. The tongue narrows, pulls back and down, and there should be some amount of tension in the back of the throat. The tongue tip is typically down, but it can sometimes come up to the roof of the mouth depending on the word and context.
To learn how to pronounce the dark L in American English, you can watch the videos below. Or you can read about the pronunciation of the dark L by clicking here: How to Pronounce the L /l/ Consonant; Your #1 Go-To Guide to the Dark L; How to Pronounce the Light L and Dark L Sounds.
Portuguese Challenge #5: Final Consonants T, D, M
In addition to the final -s, final -ed, and the dark L /l/, there are other consonants that can be challenging for native speakers of Portuguese to pronounce, especially when that consonant occurs at the end of a word or syllable. These include the D /d/, T /t/, and M /m/ consonants.
It’s common for native speakers of Portuguese to pronounce the D /d/ consonant like J /ʤ/ when it comes at the end of a word or syllable. This results in words like wade and bad sounding like wage and badge.
Another final consonant that native speakers of Portuguese may struggle with pronouncing accurately is the final T /t/ consonant. Portuguese speakers may substitute the CH /ʧ/ consonant instead, resulting in words like bat and hit sounding like batch and hitch.
Click here for a PDF on How to Pronounce the Three American T Consonants
And lastly, the final M /m/ consonant can also be challenging for native speakers of Portuguese. In Portuguese, when “m” occurs at the end of a word, it’s typically pronounced as a nasal consonant that resembles either N /n/ or NG /ŋ/. However, using this type of pronunciation pattern in English can result in the word beam sounding like bean or bing.
All three types of substitutions can lead to confusion for native speakers of American English, as it’s possible to create many real word minimal pairs if you swap /d/ and /ʤ/, like bad/badge; /t/ and /ʧ/, like bat/batch; and /m/ and /n/ or /ŋ/, like beam/bean/bing.
How to Pronounce D, T, M Final Consonants in American English
The best way to improve your pronunciation of final consonants in American English is to practice minimal pairs that contain the target sounds, with the goal of making the words sound as different as possible.
It’s also helpful to practice these final consonants within the context of linking words together, as this will allow you to perfect their pronunciation in the most natural of settings: American English conversation.
To begin learning how to pronounce the final D /d/, T /t/, and M /m/ consonants in American English, watch the videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations here: How to Pronounce the T /t/ and D /d/ Consonants; Linking with Nasals N /n/, M /m/, and NG /ŋ/; Linking with the Unreleased D /d/ Consonant.
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