Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

feliz is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [fɨˈliʃ]. It means “happy.” Say "fuh-LEESH" — the first e all but disappears into a quick "fuh," and the stress lands hard on the second syllable.

Say "fuh-LEESH" — the first e all but disappears into a quick "fuh," and the stress lands hard on the second syllable.

feliz [fɨˈliʃ]

Stress falls on the final syllable, as with almost all Portuguese words ending in a consonant; the unstressed first "e" reduces to a barely-there [ɨ] sound rather than a clear "eh."

Listen: feliz

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Sound it out

fe- Not a clear English "feh" — the vowel collapses toward a hushed "fuh," almost swallowed.

-liz Like English "leesh": the i is a tense "ee," and the final z is pronounced [ʃ], the "sh" of "she," not a "z" buzz.

Hear it in a sentence

Estou muito feliz hoje.

I'm very happy today.

Listen: Estou muito feliz hoje.

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"Estou muito feliz hoje" uses the verb estar (temporary states) rather than ser, because happiness here is treated as a mood of the moment, not a fixed trait. Muito functions as an adverb meaning "very" and stays invariable before the adjective, agreeing with nothing.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers almost always mispronounce the final "z" as a buzzing [z], the way it looks; in European Portuguese, word-final z (like word-final s) devoices to [ʃ], so feliz rhymes with the English word "leash," not with "fees." Brazilian speakers often soften this final sound less sharply, so the crisp "sh" is a distinctly European giveaway.