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==Sounds==
''main article:'' [[Portuguese sounds]]
===Vowels===
The sound system of Portuguese is somewhat more complicated compared to Spanish. There are a greater number of [[vowel]]s, and there is not a simple rule relating written vowels to their sounds, as there is in Spanish. Similarly to French, Portuguese has a set of [[nasal vowel]]s and a set of nasal diphthongs.
{| cellpadding="2"
! colspan="4" | Oral monophthongs
|-
|i || vi || ''vi'' || 'saw' (1 sg)
|-
|e || ve || ''vê'' || 'see' (3 sg)
|-
|ɛ || sɛ || ''sé'' || 'cathedral'
|-
| ɔ || sɔ || ''só'' || 'alone'
|-
| o || so || ''sou'' || 'I am'
|-
| u || ˈmudu || ''mudo'' || 'mute' (m)
|-
| ɐ || pɐˈɡaɾ || ''pagar'' || 'to pay'
|-
| ɯ || pɯˈgar || ''pegar'' || 'to grip'
|-
! colspan="4" | Nasal monophthongs
|-
| ı̃ || vı̃ || ''vim'' || 'came' (1 sg)
|-
| ẽ || ˈẽtɾu || ''entro'' || 'enter'
|-
| ɐ̃ || ˈɐ̃tɾu || ''antro'' || 'den'
|-
| õ || sõ || ''som'' || 'sound'
|-
| ũ || ˈmũdu || ''mundo'' || 'world'
|-
! colspan="4" | Oral diphthongs
|-
| ɛi || ɐˈnɛiʃ || ''anéis'' || 'rings' (n)
|-
| ai || sai || ''sai'' || 'go out' (3 sg)
|-
| ɐi || sɐi || ''sei'' || 'know' (1 sg)
|-
| ɔi || mɔi || ''mói'' || 'grind' (3 sg)
|-
| oi || ˈmoitɐ || ''moita'' || 'thicket'
|-
| ui || ɐˈnuiʃ || ''anuis'' || 'agree' (2 sg)
|-
| iu || viu || ''viu'' || 'saw' (3 sg)
|-
| eu || meu || ''meu'' || 'mine' (poss m)
|-
| ɛu || vɛu || ''véu'' || 'veil'
|-
| au || mau || ''mau'' || 'bad' (m sg)
|-
! colspan="4" | Nasal diphthongs
|-
| ɐ̃i || sɐ̃i || ''cem'' || 'hundred'
|-
| õi || ɐˈnõiʃ || ''anões'' || 'dwarves' (m)
|-
| ũi || ˈmũitɐ || ''muita'' || 'much, many' (f)
|-
| ɐ̃u || mɐ̃u || ''mão'' || 'hand' (n)
|}
Unstressed '''o''' is normally /u/, and unstressed '''a''' is normally an open central vowel.
===Consonants===
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"
|
|[[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
|[[Dental consonant|Dental]]
|[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
|[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
|[[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
|[[voiceless bilabial plosive|p]] [[voiced bilabial plosive|b]]
|[[voiceless dental plosive|t]] [[voiced dental plosive|d]]
|
|[[voiceless velar plosive|k]] [[voiced velar plosive|g]]
|-
|[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|[[bilabial nasal|m]]
|[[dental nasal|n]]
|[[palatal nasal|ɲ]]
|
|-
|[[Lateral approximant]]
|
|[[lateral dental approximant|l]]
|[[lateral palatal approximant|ʎ]]
|
|}
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"
|
|[[Labiodental consonant|Labiodental]]
|[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
|[[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
|[[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
|-
|[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|[[voiceless labiodental fricative|f]] [[voiced labiodental fricative|v]]
|[[voiceless alveolar fricative|s]] [[voiced alveolar fricative|z]]
|[[voiceless postalveolar fricative|ʃ]] [[voiced postalveolar fricative|ʒ]]
|[[voiced uvular fricative|ʁ]]
|-
|[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
|[[alveolar tap|ɾ]]
|
|
|}
{| cellpadding="2"
| p || ˈpatu || ''pato'' || 'duck' (m)
|-
| b || ˈbatu || ''bato'' || 'I strike'
|-
| m || ˈmatu || ''mato'' || 'I kill'
|-
| f || ˈfatu || ''fato'' || 'costume'
|-
| v || ˈviɲɐ || ''vinha'' || 'vine'
|-
| t || ˈtatu || ''tacto'' || 'tact'
|-
| d || ˈdatu || ''dato'' || 'I date'
|-
| n || ˈnatu || ''nato'' || 'innate' (m)
|-
| s || ˈkasu || ''caço'' || 'I hunt'
|-
| z || ˈkazu || ''caso'' || 'I marry'
|-
| k || ˈkatu || ''cacto'' || 'cactus'
|-
| ɡ || ˈɡatu || ''gato'' || 'cat'
|-
| ɲ || ˈpiɲɐ || ''pinha'' || 'pine cone'
|-
| ʃ || ˈʃatu || ''chato'' || 'flat'
|-
| ʒ || ˈʒatu || ''jacto'' || 'jet'
|-
| ɾ || ˈpiɾɐ || ''pira'' || 'pyre'
|-
| ʁ || ˈʁatu || ''rato'' || 'mouse' (m)
|-
| l || ˈliɲɐ || ''linha'' || 'line'
|-
| ʎ || ˈpiʎɐ || ''pilha'' || 'battery'
|}
There are [[palatal consonant]]s '''lh''' and '''nh''' (the equivalent of Spanish ''ll'', ''ñ''). The consonants '''ch''', '''j''' are [[postalveolar]] fricatives, [[SAMPA]] /S/, /Z/, or the same sound as in French.
The letter '''s''' when final or followed by another voiceless consonant is /S/, or before a voiced consonant /Z/. So the ''[[escudo]]'' (the previous currency - now Portugal uses the [[Euro]]) is /@SkuDu/, plural ''escudos'' /@SkuDuS/. This peculiarity is only valid however in Portugal (most dialects) and in the metropolitan area of the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In other regions of Brazil and other former Portuguese colonies, the '''s''' is merely voiced (to /z/) when before a voiced consonant. The Beirão dialect of central Portugal, pronounces the final 's' as 'j'.
The letter '''l''' when final in some regions of Brasil is pronounced as /u/ and in the Caipira dialect as /r/. In Rio de Janeiro and other areas of southestern Brazil, the syllables '''te''' and '''ti''' are pronounced as 'tchi' and '''de''' and '''di''' as 'dji'. In most of Brazil with the exception of the deep south ''r'' is pronounced as aveolar fricative.
In northern Portugal, in the Alto-Minhoto and Transmontano dialects, '''Ch''' is spoken as 'tch'. Also, in Northern Portugal's dialects, 'v' is pronounced as /b/.
''The following Table of Sounds is valid both in European, African and Brazilian Portuguese.''
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|'''letter'''
|'''Portuguese'''
|'''Meaning'''
|'''Sound'''
|'''letter'''
|'''Portuguese'''
|'''Meaning'''
|'''Sound'''
|-
|a, ã
| '''a'''njo
| angel
|'''a'''rea
|n-
|'''n'''úmero
|number
|'''n'''othing
|-
|b
| '''b'''ola
| ball
|'''b'''egin
|nh
|ni'''nh'''o
|nest
|si'''ng'''
|-
|ca, co, cu
| '''ca'''sa
| house
|'''c'''ake
|o
|sant'''o''', b'''o'''nito
|saint, pretty
|'''w'''ant, b'''oo'''
|-
|ça, ce, ci, ço, çu
| '''ce'''do, ma'''ç'''ã
| early, apple
|'''c'''ity
|ó
|m'''o'''rte, m'''o'''da, n'''ó'''
|death, fashion, knot
|l'''aw'''
|-
|ch
| '''ch'''eque
| check
|'''sh'''e
|ô
|'''o'''vo, '''o'''lho, av'''ô'''
|egg, eye, grandparent
|kn'''o'''w
|-
|d
| '''d'''edo
| finger
|'''d'''ay
|p
|'''p'''arte
|part
|'''p'''ark
|-
|e
| leit'''e''', val'''e'''
| milk, valey
|ch'''ee'''se
|qu
|'''qu'''anto, cin'''qu'''enta
|how much, fifty
|'''qu'''ick
|-
|é
| r'''e'''sto, f'''e'''sta, caf'''é'''
| rest, party, coofe
|b'''e'''d
|que qui
|a'''que'''le, a'''qui'''
|that one, here
|'''k'''ey
|-
|ê
| m'''e'''do, l'''e'''tra, voc'''ê'''
|fear, letter, you
|th'''e'''m
|r
|ca'''r'''o, ba'''r'''co
|expensive, boat
|ca'''r'''
|-
|f
| '''f'''erro
| iron
|'''f'''ear
|rr
|'''r'''osa, ca'''rr'''o
|rose, car
|''(French '''rr''')''
|-
|ga, go
| '''g'''ato
| cat
|'''g'''as
|s-, ss
|'''s'''apo, a'''ss'''ado
|frog, roasted
|'''s'''amba
|-
|ge, gi
| '''g'''elo
| ice
|an'''g'''el
|sc, sç
|pi'''sc'''ina, de'''sç'''a
|pool, go down
|'''s'''ea or '''sh'''e
|-
|gu
| á'''gu'''a
| water
|Nicara'''gu'''a
|-s
|galinha'''s''', arco'''s'''
|chikens, arcs
|'''sh'''e or '''s'''ea
|-
|gu
| portu'''gu'''ês
| Portuguese
|'''g'''ive
|''(vowel)'''s'''(vowel)''
|ra'''s'''o
|evenness
|'''z'''ero
|-
|h
| '''h'''arpa
| harp
| ''silent letter''
|t
|'''t'''osta
|toast
|'''t'''omato
|-
|i
| '''i'''d'''i'''ota
| idiot
| m'''ea'''t
|u
|'''u'''vas
|grapes
|b'''oo'''
|-
|j
| '''j'''ogo
| game
| '''J'''apan
|v
|vento
|wind
|'''v'''erb
|-
|l
| '''l'''ogo
| soon
| '''l'''ake
|x
|cai'''x'''a, Mé'''x'''ico, '''X'''adrez
|box, Mexico, chess
|'''sh'''e
|-
|lh
|a'''lh'''o
|garlic
|''(spanish '''ll''')''
|x
|pró'''x'''imo
|next
|'''s'''ea
|-
|m-
|'''m'''apa
|map
|'''m'''ust
|'''ex'''''(consonant)''
|'''exc'''elente, t'''ext'''o
|excelent, text
|'''s'''ea or '''sh'''e
|-
|-m, -n
|ca'''m'''po, ca'''n'''to, Berli'''m'''
|field, corner, Berlin
|si'''ng'''
|z, exa, exe, exi, exo, exu
|e'''x'''ame, nature'''z'''a
|exam, nature
|'''z'''ero
|}
==Grammar==
| 