2Module 1

The Portuguese Alphabet

Alfabeto e Numerais Cardinais

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Key Concept

To spell words and communicate precisely, you need the Portuguese alphabet and its special characters. Portuguese uses all 26 letters of the Latin alphabet plus diacritics (accents and tildes) that change pronunciation.
粵

發音貼士

葡文用拉丁字母，你學過英文或者拼音就會認得！ 但發音同英文唔同。

葡文有鼻化元音 ã, õ，與廣東話鼻韻母相似（如「生」saang 唄韻尾）。ç（c cedilha）讀似英文 s，lh 讀似廣東話「利」(lei) 唄聲母，nh 讀似廣東話「年」(nin) 唄聲母。

The Portuguese alphabet was standardized in 2009 to include K, W, and Y (previously only used in foreign words). Special characters like ã, õ, and ç are essential to Portuguese pronunciation. Knowing letter names helps you spell your name, read abbreviations, and understand pronunciation patterns.

Key Phrase — Try saying it!

Como se soletra?

The Alphabet (O Alfabeto)

Aah
Bbeh
Cseh
Ddeh
Eeh
FEH-feh
Gzheh
Hah-GAH
Iee
JZHOH-tah
KKAH-pah
LEH-leh
MEH-meh
NEH-neh
Oaw
Ppeh
Qkeh
REH-rreh
SEH-seh
Tteh
Uoo
Vveh
WDAH-blee-oo
Xsheesh
YEEP-see-lon
Zzeh

Special Characters (Caracteres Especiais)

ã
tilnasal 'ah'Nasal a, as in mão (hand), irmã (sister)
õ
tilnasal 'oh'Nasal o, as in põe (puts), limões (lemons)
ç
c cedilhass soundSoft c before a/o/u, as in almoço (lunch)
á
agudoopen 'ah'Stressed open a, as in água (water)
é
agudoopen 'eh'Stressed open e, as in café (coffee)
ê
circunflexoclosed 'eh'Stressed closed e, as in português (Portuguese)
ô
circunflexoclosed 'oh'Stressed closed o, as in avô (grandfather)

Spelling Rules (Regras de Ortografia)

Rule 1: K, W, and Y were added to the Portuguese alphabet in 2009 but are mainly used in foreign words.

Rule 2: H is always silent in Portuguese — hora (hour) is pronounced 'OH-rah'.

Rule 3: The cedilla (ç) only appears before a, o, and u — never before e or i.

Rule 4: The tilde (~) indicates nasal vowels and only appears on a and o.

Examples

How do you spell it?
Can you spell your name?
My name is Maria. M-A-R-I-A.
How do you write 'thank you'?
O-B-R-I-G-A-D-O.
What is the letter?
It is the letter C.
Lisbon: L-I-S-B-O-A.
Porto: P-O-R-T-O.
Does it have an accent?
agudo.
Yes, it has an acute accent.
No, it doesn't have an accent.
Escreve-se cedilha.
It is written with a cedilla.
escreve-se til.
'Mão' is written with a tilde.
The Portuguese alphabet has twenty-six letters.
One hundred and one dalmatians.
One hundred and fifty people came.
Two hundred meters to the beach.
Five hundred grams of meat.
A thousand people attended the concert.
One thousand five hundred kilometers away.
Two thousand and twenty-six.
Five thousand euros.
Ten thousand inhabitants.
milhão
One million people.
The letter H is always silent.
cedilha
C cedilla only appears before a, o, and u.
e-mail?
What is your email?
Can you repeat, please?
I don't understand. Can you spell it?
O Alfabeto Português — Summary of Special CharactersCharacterNameSoundExamplesãa tilnasal 'ah'mão, irmãõo tilnasal 'oh'põe, limõesçc cedilha'ss' soundalmoçoáa agudoopen 'ah'águaée agudoopen 'eh'caféêe circunflexoclosed 'eh'portuguêsôo circunflexoclosed 'oh'avôKey Spelling Rulesçonly appears before a, o, u (never before e or i)~(til) only appears on a and o — ã, õHis always silent in Portuguese
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