Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

cama is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈkɐ.mɐ]. It means “bed.” Say 'KUH-muh', with both a's pulled toward a light, nasal-tinged 'uh' rather than a full open 'ah'.

Say 'KUH-muh', with both a's pulled toward a light, nasal-tinged 'uh' rather than a full open 'ah'.

cama [ˈkɐ.mɐ]

Stress is on the first syllable, but even the stressed a here is fronted and slightly nasalized by the following m, giving the whole word a muted, closed quality rather than a bright 'ah'.

Listen: cama

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Sound it out

ca The stressed syllable, but the a is pulled toward a central, slightly nasal 'uh' because of the m that follows — not the bright, open 'ah' of English 'car'.

ma Unstressed, reducing further to a light, quick 'muh'.

Hear it in a sentence

Vou para a cama cedo.

I'm going to bed early.

Listen: Vou para a cama cedo.

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Vou para a cama cedo uses ir (to go) in its eu form vou, followed by para a ('to the') and the adverb cedo ('early') tacked on at the end — a typical Portuguese sentence shape where time expressions trail the main clause rather than opening it as they often do in English.

Where English speakers slip

Learners tend to give cama the same bright, open 'ah' vowel they'd use in Spanish or Italian. In European Portuguese, a vowel before m or n is pulled toward a more central, faintly nasal quality even when it isn't formally marked as nasal — pronouncing cama with two crisp 'ah' sounds is a clear sign of a foreign accent.