Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

caro is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written ˈka.ɾu. It means “expensive.” Say "KAH-roo", with a light, tapped "r" in the middle, not an English "r".

Say "KAH-roo", with a light, tapped "r" in the middle, not an English "r".

caro ˈka.ɾu

Stress falls on the first syllable "ca"; the single "r" between vowels is a quick tap, not the strong guttural r used at the start of a word.

Listen: caro

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Sound it out

ca A stressed, open "kah", like the start of English "car" but without the English r-coloring.

ro A single "r" between vowels is a light tap of the tongue against the ridge behind the teeth, similar to the American English "tt" in "butter" — completely different from the harsh throaty r used word-initially (as in "rápido").

Hear it in a sentence

Este restaurante é caro.

This restaurant is expensive.

Listen: Este restaurante é caro.

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"Este restaurante é caro" uses "ser" (é) because price level is treated as a general, defining characteristic of the restaurant. "Caro" agrees with the masculine "restaurante". This is a straightforward, extremely common adjective useful in shopping and dining contexts throughout Portugal.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often apply the same strong, throaty r they'd use for a word-initial Portuguese r (or an English retroflex r) to this single, intervocalic r, but here it should be a light, quick tap of the tongue — much closer to the "tt" sound in American "butter" than to either an English r or the harsh European Portuguese initial r. Confusing the tapped and guttural r's is one of the more common pronunciation errors at this stage.