The final m that only nasalizes in Portuguese

1. 1
   bem/bẽj̃/

   welladverb

   Healthy, not sick or hurt.
2. 2
   também/tɐ̃ˈbẽj̃/iAlso said tɐ̃ˈmẽj̃.

   alsoadverb

   Used to say that the same applies to another person or thing.
3. 3
   assim/aˈsĩ/

   like thisadverb

   In this way.
4. 4
   ruim/ʁuˈĩ/

   badadjective

   Not good.
5. 5
   comum/koˈmũ/

   ordinaryadjective

   Nothing special about it.
6. 6
   viagem/viˈaʒẽj̃/

   tripnoun

   A journey to a faraway place.
7. 7
   mensagem/mẽˈsaʒẽj̃/

   messagenoun

   A message someone sends to another person.
8. 8
   garagem/ɡaˈɾaʒẽj̃/

   garagenoun

   A place where a car is kept.
9. 9
   álbum/ˈawbũ/

   albumnoun

   A book for keeping photos in.
10. 10
    fim/fĩ/

    endnoun

    The point where something ends.

The sentences

1. Cheguei em casa e está todo mundo bem.

   I got home and everyone's doing well.

2. Estou morrendo de saudade de você também.

   I've been missing you a ton too.

3. Nunca tinha visto um lugar assim antes.

   I had never seen a place like this before.

4. O tempo estava ruim só no primeiro dia.

   The weather was bad only on the first day.

5. O hotel era bem comum, só que a vista compensava tudo.

   The hotel was pretty ordinary, but the view made up for everything.

6. A viagem foi ótima, depois eu te conto tudo.

   The trip was great, I'll tell you all about it later.

7. Só vi a sua mensagem quando o avião pousou.

   I only saw your message when the plane landed.

8. Deixei a mala no carro, lá na garagem.

   I left the suitcase in the car, in the garage.

9. Vou montar um álbum com as fotos da praia.

   I'm going to make an album with the beach photos.

10. No fim, a gente perdeu o último ônibus.

    In the end, we missed the last bus.

Pronunciation

• bem/bẽj̃/

  Sounds like 'bẽi', with the nasal e closing through the nose.

• também/tɐ̃ˈbẽj̃/

  The stress falls on the last syllable and the final -em sounds like a nasal 'ẽi'.

• assim/aˈsĩ/

  The final im is just a nasal i: the mouth doesn't close on the m.

• ruim/ʁuˈĩ/

  The stress falls on the i, which is nasal: ru-IM, not RU-im.

• comum/koˈmũ/

  The final um is a nasal u, without closing the lips on the m.

• viagem/viˈaʒẽj̃/

  The final -gem is nasal and rhymes with bem.

• mensagem/mẽˈsaʒẽj̃/

  The men at the start is already nasal, with the same closed e as in bem.

• garagem/ɡaˈɾaʒẽj̃/

  The final gem sounds like a nasal 'jayn', and the stress falls on the ra in the middle.

• álbum/ˈawbũ/

  The l before the b sounds like a u, similar to 'ow-bum'.

Good to know

áudio de voz

Sending a voice message to tell someone about a trip instead of writing is common between friends in Brazil. It's normal for the message to be long, with no rush to get to the point.

saudade

It's common to say you already miss someone right after getting back from a trip, even a short one. The word has no direct translation and expresses missing something or someone dear to you.

contar depois

It's common to promise to tell the details of a trip later, calmly, instead of trying to sum it all up on the spot.

Questions

How do you say 'trip' in Portuguese?

Viagem, as in 'a viagem foi ótima, depois eu te conto tudo' (the trip was great, I'll tell you all about it later).

What does mensagem mean?

Mensagem means a message someone sends to another person, as in 'só vi a sua mensagem quando o avião pousou' (I only saw your message when the plane landed).

How do you say the trip's end in Portuguese?

Fim means the point where something ends, as in 'no fim, a gente perdeu o último ônibus' (in the end, we missed the last bus).