Master The Sounds Of Portuguese
The Open E Sound
The Open E sound, written as é, is bright, clear, and fully open. It is similar to the “e” in the English word bed, but slightly more forward and pure. In European Portuguese, this sound must remain open and strong when stressed.
To produce the Open E, lower your jaw slightly and relax your mouth. Your lips stay neutral — not rounded — and your tongue sits forward in the mouth. The sound should feel open and resonant, never tight or muted.
Open E Sound
Click the audio on the left and scroll down to follow the text as you listen.
This is a short preview of a FalaPT lesson.
Listen first
Then repeat each word out loud
Listen again and speak with the recording
Café
Café (coffee).
Queria um café.
Queria um café curto, por favor.
I’d like a short (espresso) coffee, please.
Até
Até (until / see you).
Até amanhã.
Até amanhã, dorme bem.
See you tomorrow, sleep well.
Pé
Pé (foot).
O meu pé dói.
O meu pé dói depois de caminhar.
My foot hurts after walking.
You’ll hear the Open E in everyday words like café, pé, até, médico, and é. The acute accent (´) often signals that the vowel is open and stressed, but careful listening is still important.
Take care not to make the open e sound into a dipthong. Most English speakers tend to turn vowels into the two sounds of a diphthong. Think ayee, iyee, ohoo. The open e is a lot like a hard of hearing person asking “eh”?
In European Portuguese, many unstressed vowels reduce in fast speech — but stressed é stays clear. Confusing open éwith closed ê can change meaning and make speech harder to understand.
Training your ear to recognize this vowel will improve both listening accuracy and pronunciation confidence. Open it clearly. Keep it relaxed. Let the sound stay bright and steady.
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