Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

filme is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈfilmɨ]. It means “film.” Say "FEEL-muh", with the final e almost disappearing into a faint, swallowed "uh" rather than a clear English "eh" or "ee".

Say "FEEL-muh", with the final e almost disappearing into a faint, swallowed "uh" rather than a clear English "eh" or "ee".

filme [ˈfilmɨ]

Stress is on the first syllable FIL; the final unstressed e reduces so much in Lisbon speech that it can sound nearly silent.

Listen: filme

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Sound it out

FIL- Stressed syllable, close to the English word "feel" but shorter and crisper.

-m- A straightforward English-like m sound linking the two syllables.

-e This final e is a classic European Portuguese "ghost vowel" — a barely-there "uh" sound, very different from a full, clear vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

Vamos ver um filme esta noite.

Let's watch a film tonight.

Listen: Vamos ver um filme esta noite.

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"Vamos ver um filme esta noite" again uses vamos + infinitive as "let's...", this time with ver (to see/watch). Esta noite ("tonight", literally "this night") shows how Portuguese expresses time expressions without a preposition, unlike English "at night" or "tonight" as a single word.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often pronounce the final e clearly as "eh" or even add an extra syllable; in European Portuguese this vowel is one of the most reduced sounds in the language and should almost vanish, whereas Brazilian speakers tend to pronounce a fuller final e (sometimes even close to "ee"), which is a useful contrast to keep in mind.