How to Pronounce 'Assim Que': Portuguese (Portugal) Pronunciation Guide

Q: How do you pronounce assim que in Portuguese (Portugal)?

assim que is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɐˈsĩ kɨ/. It means “as soon as.” Say "uh-SEENG kuh" — a nasal "SEENG" (let it hum through your nose) followed by a soft, quick "kuh".

How do you pronounce "assim que" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

Say "uh-SEENG kuh" — a nasal "SEENG" (let it hum through your nose) followed by a soft, quick "kuh".

assim que /ɐˈsĩ kɨ/

Stress falls on "SIM" within "assim"; "que" that follows is unstressed and reduces to "kuh", unlike the fuller "keh" "que" carries when it means "that/because".

Listen: assim que

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Sound it out

as The unstressed "a" reduces toward "uh", and since it's not word-final here the "s" stays a normal "s" sound.

sim A nasal vowel — say "seeng" through your nose, similar to how "sim" (Portuguese for "yes") sounds, not "seem" with a hard English "m".

que Reduced to "kuh" here because it's unstressed in the phrase, quite different from its fuller pronunciation as a standalone word.

Hear it in a sentence

Ligo-te assim que chegar.

I'll call you as soon as I arrive.

Listen: Ligo-te assim que chegar.

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"Ligo-te assim que chegar" translates as "I'll call you as soon as I arrive", with "assim que" functioning as a time connector just like English "as soon as". Notice "chegar" is in the future subjunctive, not a simple future tense — Portuguese requires the subjunctive after time expressions referring to a not-yet-happened future event, a structure with no direct English equivalent. "Ligo-te" also shows the object pronoun "te" attached after the verb, a common EU Portuguese word-order pattern.

Where English speakers slip

The biggest slip is denasalizing "sim", saying it like English "seem" with a closed lips "m" instead of letting the vowel resonate through the nose while the "m" itself barely gets articulated. Learners also often keep "que" fully stressed as "keh", making the phrase sound choppy instead of the smooth, forward-flowing "uh-SEENG-kuh" native speakers produce.