American Accent Training for Portuguese Speakers

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The sound system of your native language affects how you hear and pronounce other languages.  When speaking American English, native Portuguese speakers have accent patterns based on first hearing and speaking Portuguese.  Use the chart below to learn more about the Portuguese accent in English.  Click on the individual sounds  for recordings and help with pronunciation. 

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sound

p

t


b

d


g

v

th (as in “think”)

th (as in “those”)

s


z

ch


j


n


ng

l

r


h

consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)

error pattern

can sound like b at the start of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can be left off the ends of words

can sound like p at the ends of words

can sound like t at the ends of words, or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k at the ends of words

can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like s or t at the start of words
can sound like f, t or s at the ends of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can sound like voiceless th at the  ends of words

can have an extra “eh” sound in the start of words, can sound like z at the ends of words

can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like sh at the start or ends of words


can sound like ch at the start of words
can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words


sounds like n or has an extra g or k sound

can be left off the ends of words

can be rolled at the start of words, can sound like “uh” at the ends of words

can be missing at the start of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above

Example

pig sounds like big

two sounds like do
light sounds like lie

robe sounds like rope

code sounds like coat,
or we’d sounds like we

pig sounds like pick

leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like sing or ting
with sounds like wiff, wit or wih

those sounds like dose
breathe sounds like breeth

school sounds like eh-school, miss sounds like miz

buzz sounds like bus

cheese sounds like she’s
which sounds like wish

job sounds like chob
ridge sounds like rich or rizh

thin sounds like thing or thih


thing sounds like thin or think

ball sounds like baw

paper sounds like papuh


hello sounds like ello

lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word