Master The Sounds Of Portuguese
The Sh Sound
The “sh” sound is one of the most common consonant sounds in European Portuguese. It appears frequently in everyday words and plays an important role in the rhythm and flow of the language. This sound is produced by pushing air through a narrow space between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, creating a soft, continuous “shhh” sound, like the English word “shoe.”
In Portuguese spelling, this sound can be represented by several different letter combinations. You will often hear it in words containing ch, x, or sometimes s when it appears at the end of a syllable. For example, words like chá, caixa, and puxe all contain the same “sh” sound even though they are spelled differently.
Listen and Practice the sh Sounds
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
Mês (Month)
Mês
Este mês
Este mês agora
Este mês passa rápido (This month passes quickly)
Caixa (Box)
Caixa
A caixa
A caixa grande
A caixa grande caiu (The big box fell)
Deixa (Leave / Let)
Deixa
Deixa ver
Deixa ver isso
Deixa ver isso agora (Let me see that now)
At the end of many Portuguese words, the letter s is pronounced as “sh.” This is especially noticeable in European Portuguese pronunciation. For example, dois, três, and português all end with this soft “sh” sound.
For English speakers, this sound is usually easy to recognize, but the challenge is learning when it appears in Portuguese spelling. Listening carefully to native speakers and practicing common words will help you quickly become comfortable hearing and producing this sound in everyday speech.
With practice, you will soon be able to sound like the captain on a SATA flight, saying: “Senhores passageiros”, except it sounds like “snrzsh psajeiroosh”.
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