Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

este is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈeʃ.tɨ]. It means “this.” Say 'ESH-tuh', with a soft 'sh' in the middle, not a hard 's' — think of the 's' before 't' turning into an 'sh'.

Say 'ESH-tuh', with a soft 'sh' in the middle, not a hard 's' — think of the 's' before 't' turning into an 'sh'.

este [ˈeʃ.tɨ]

Stress falls on the first syllable; the 's' before the consonant 't' becomes 'sh' [ʃ], and the final 'e' reduces to the near-silent [ɨ].

Listen: este

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Sound it out

es Stressed syllable where the 's' — sitting before a consonant — softens to 'sh' [ʃ], so it sounds like English 'esh', not 'ess'.

te A true dental 't' (tongue against the upper teeth, crisper than English 't') followed by the near-silent final [ɨ].

Hear it in a sentence

Este livro é meu.

This book is mine.

Listen: Este livro é meu.

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'Este livro é meu' places the demonstrative 'este' before the noun to mean 'this book'. 'Este' must agree in gender and number with its noun, so it becomes 'esta' for feminine nouns and 'estes/estas' for plurals — a pattern to memorize alongside articles.

Where English speakers slip

The 't' in 'este' is the biggest trap for learners exposed to Brazilian media: in Brazilian Portuguese, 't' before 'e/i' often palatalizes into a 'tch' sound (like 'gente' → 'jentchi'). In Lisbon-standard European Portuguese, 't' stays a crisp, true dental 't' — 'este' should never sound like 'eshtchi'.