Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "barato" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

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

barato is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written bɐ.ˈɾa.tu. It means “cheap.” Say "buh-RAH-too", with a reduced first syllable, a tapped r, and stress on "RA".

Say "buh-RAH-too", with a reduced first syllable, a tapped r, and stress on "RA".

barato bɐ.ˈɾa.tu

Stress falls on "ra"; the initial "ba" is unstressed and reduces toward a quick "buh", and the final "o" shortens to "oo".

Listen: barato

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Sound it out

ba Unstressed, reduced toward a short "buh" rather than a full, clear "bah".

ra The stressed syllable, with a single intervocalic r pronounced as a light tongue tap, like the "tt" in American "butter" — not a harsh guttural sound.

to A true dental "t" (never softened to "ch") with a short, reduced final "oo".

Hear it in a sentence

Encontrei um hotel barato.

I found a cheap hotel.

Listen: Encontrei um hotel barato.

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"Encontrei um hotel barato" uses "encontrei" (I found, from "encontrar"), the first-person singular preterite, for a completed past action. "Barato" agrees with the masculine "hotel". This is a very practical, common phrase for travel contexts, and its antonym "caro" is worth learning alongside it.

Where English speakers slip

As with "caro", the intervocalic single "r" in "barato" is a common trap — learners often reach for a stronger, more English or guttural r, when it should be a light, quick tongue tap. Also, don't give the unstressed first syllable "ba" its full, clear vowel value; European Portuguese compresses it noticeably compared to how it might be read off the spelling.