The nasal vowels: ã, õ and friends in Portuguese
You wake up at your sister's house, the smell of warm fresh bread comes from the kitchen and everyone is already sitting at the table.
The phrase
O cheiro de pão quente toma a casa toda de manhã.10 words10 sentences
The ten words
- manhã/mɐ̃ˈɲɐ̃/
morningnoun
Part of the day that goes from sunrise to noon.
- pão/pɐ̃w̃/
breadnoun
Baked food made from flour, water and yeast.
- maçã/maˈsɐ̃/
applenoun
Round fruit with red or green skin, firm and sweet.
- irmã/iʁˈmɐ̃/Also said iɾˈmɐ̃.
sisternoun
A woman who has the same parents as another person.
- banho/ˈbɐ̃ɲu/
showernoun
The act of washing yourself under the shower.
- sonho/ˈsõɲu/
dreamnoun
The images and stories that go through your head while you sleep.
- cansado/kɐ̃ˈsadu/
tiredadjective
Without energy, feeling like resting or sleeping.
- ontem/ˈõtẽj̃/Also said ˈõtʃi.
yesterdayadverb
The day before today.
- também/tɐ̃ˈbẽj̃/Also said tɐ̃ˈmẽj̃.
alsoadverb
Used to say that the same applies to another person or thing.
- bem/bẽj̃/
welladverb
Healthy, not sick or hurt.
The sentences
O cheiro de pão quente toma a casa toda de manhã.
The smell of fresh bread fills the whole house in the morning.
Passa o pão para mim, por favor?
Could you pass me the bread, please?
Você quer uma maçã para levar no caminho?
Do you want an apple to take with you?
Minha irmã acorda cedo para fazer café da manhã.
My sister gets up early to make breakfast.
Vou tomar um banho rápido antes do café da manhã.
I'm going to take a quick shower before breakfast.
Ontem eu tive um sonho muito estranho com você.
Yesterday I had a really strange dream about you.
Você está cansado ou dormiu bem essa noite?
Are you tired, or did you sleep well last night?
Cheguei tarde ontem, então ainda estou meio cansado.
I got in late yesterday, so I'm still a bit tired.
Você também quer um pedaço desse pão quente?
Do you want a piece of this warm fresh bread too?
Dormi bem, mesmo assim ainda estou um pouco cansado.
I slept well, but I'm still a little tired.
Pronunciation
manhã/mɐ̃ˈɲɐ̃/
Both syllables are nasal and the stress falls on the last one: ma-NHÃ.
pão/pɐ̃w̃/
Just one syllable: the ão is a nasal diphthong, it comes out through the nose and ends in a nasal u.
irmã/iʁˈmɐ̃/
The r before the m is scraped in the throat, not the tapped r; the stress falls on the nasal ã at the end.
banho/ˈbɐ̃ɲu/
The a is nasal and the final o comes out as u: BÃ-nhu.
sonho/ˈsõɲu/
The o at the start is nasal and the one at the end comes out as u: SÕ-nhu.
cansado/kɐ̃ˈsadu/
The first syllable has a nasal vowel, the stress falls on 'sa' and the final o comes out as u.
ontem/ˈõtẽj̃/
The stress falls on 'on', which is nasal; the final -em sounds like a nasal 'ẽi' through the nose.
também/tɐ̃ˈbẽj̃/
The stress falls on the last syllable and the final -em sounds like a nasal 'ẽi'.
bem/bẽj̃/
Sounds like 'bẽi', with the nasal e closing through the nose.
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Past days are part of the Pass. Practice the first 3 of the 10 words free, or all of them with the Pass.
Get the Pass7 days free, then USD 5.99 a monthToday's words are freeQuestions
- How do you say 'sister' in Portuguese?
- Irmã. In the scene: 'Minha irmã acorda cedo para fazer café da manhã.'
- How do you say 'bread' in Portuguese?
- Pão, as in 'Passa o pão para mim, por favor?'
- What does cansado mean?
- It means tired, without energy, feeling like resting or sleeping.