Portuguese - Táfaldo Pronunciation 4

Front 1

Pronunciation of open /ó,o/ and closed /ô/

Front 2

This dialog illustrates the sounds for /ô/ (also called "closed o") and /ó/ (also called "open o").

Back 2

The "closed o" is similar to the sound of English words "hoed, bode, boat" and exactly like the vowel "o" in Spanish, as in words like "como, tonto, bobo".

Front 3

The "open o" is similar to the regional pronunciation from East Coast speakers who say "caught, hot dog, ball" and this open sound is not generally found in Spanish.

Back 3

As a general rule of thumb, the "open o" is only found in stressed syllables in Portuguese. Of course in actual pronunciation things are more complicated, but as a general rule, if the syllable is not stressed, the "o" will be closed. If the syllable is stress, the "o" may be either open or closed. Here are a few tendencies to keep in mind:

Front 4

Words written with a circumflex accent are closed: ozônio, avô

Back 4

Words written with an acute accent are open: ótimo, história

Front 5

Many words that have the diphthong "ue" in Spanish have an open pronunciation in Portuguese: duerme > dorme, puede > pode

Back 5

Nasal consonants that follow "o" produce a closed sound: encontro (despite SP "encuentro")

Front 6

There are many word pairs that differ only in the pronunciation of "o" and frequently the verb form is pronounced with the"open "o" and the noun form is pronounced with the closed "o": eu gosto – seu gosto, eu olho – seu olho

Back 6

Adjectives that end in "oso" (masculine and singular) have a closed "o", but all other forms are open: gostoso, gostosa, gostosos, gostosas

Front 7

The challenge for learners who speak Spanish is to recognize that not every instance of "o" is pronounced with the closed "o". They need to learn to also use the open "o". Spanish speakers do not have any difficulty saying "todo" with a closed "o" but they find it more difficult to remember to say "toda" with an open "o".

Front 8

Noun

Front 9

bus

Back 9

o ônibus

Front 10

ticket collecter

Back 10

o cobrador

Front 11

card (credit)

Back 11

o cartão

Front 12

money

Back 12

o dinheiro

Front 13

driver (car, bus)

Back 13

o motorista

Front 14

Verb

Front 15

to come

Back 15

vir

Front 16

it/she/he comes (formal, pres)

Back 16

vem

Front 17

to run

Back 17

correr

Front 18

to run (imperative, tu)

Back 18

corre

Front 19

to climb

Back 19

subir

Front 20

to climb (imperative, tu)

Back 20

sube

Front 21

to be able to

Back 21

poder

Front 22

we can

Back 22

podemos

Front 23

to put

Back 23

colocar

Front 24

Phrases

Front 25

here comes our bus

Back 25

lá vem o nosso ônibus

Front 26

run, get on

Back 26

corre, sobe logo!

Front 27

that one next to

Back 27

aquela do lado do

Front 28

Adv

Front 29

soon, right away, later

Back 29

logo

Front 30

only, just

Back 30

só

Front 31

Pron

Front 32

where is, are

Back 32

cadê

Front 33

that (over there)

Back 33

aquela

Front 34

Adj

Front 35

lonely, solitary

Back 35

só