Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

dez is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈdɛʃ]. It means “ten.” Sounds like English "desh" — an open "e" as in "bed," followed by a "sh" sound instead of a "z."

Sounds like English "desh" — an open "e" as in "bed," followed by a "sh" sound instead of a "z."

dez [ˈdɛʃ]

One syllable, with an open "e"; the word-final "z" is devoiced to a "sh" sound in European Portuguese, not pronounced like an English "z."

Listen: dez

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Sound it out

d A true, crisp dental "d," tongue at the teeth — not softened at all here since it's followed by "e," not "i."

e An open vowel, like the "e" in English "bed."

z At the end of a word, "z" is pronounced like "sh" in European Portuguese, matching how final "s" behaves too.

Hear it in a sentence

Espera dez minutos, por favor.

Wait ten minutes, please.

Listen: Espera dez minutos, por favor.

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"Espera dez minutos, por favor" means "Wait ten minutes, please." "Espera" is an informal command form (used with someone you'd address as "tu"), and "por favor" is the standard way to soften a request, appearing at the end of the sentence here rather than the beginning, which is equally natural.

Where English speakers slip

The clearest mistake is pronouncing the final "z" as a voiced "z" sound, the way it looks in English. European Portuguese devoices word-final "z" into "sh," the same fate that befalls final "s" — Brazilian Portuguese, by contrast, generally keeps final "z" closer to a plain "z" or "s" sound, so this word is a small but telling test of which accent a learner has absorbed.