Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

forte is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written ˈfɔɾ.tɨ. It means “strong.” Say "FAWR-tuh", with an open "aw"-like o, a softly tapped r, and a nearly-silent final e.

Say "FAWR-tuh", with an open "aw"-like o, a softly tapped r, and a nearly-silent final e.

forte ˈfɔɾ.tɨ

Stress falls on the first syllable, which has an open "o" sound; the syllable-final r is a soft, light sound rather than a strong American r.

Listen: forte

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Sound it out

for An open "o" (like the "aw" in English "law") followed by a soft, syllable-final r — in Lisbon speech this is often a light, fricative-ish sound, quite different from an English r.

te A true dental "t" (not the Brazilian "tch" sound) with an almost-silent final e, closer to "tuh" than "teh".

Hear it in a sentence

Ele é muito forte.

He is very strong.

Listen: Ele é muito forte.

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"Ele é muito forte" uses "ser" (é) because physical strength is presented as an inherent characteristic of the person. "Forte" has the same form for masculine and feminine subjects, so no gender agreement adjustment is needed. This is a simple, high-frequency adjective useful for describing people, coffee, arguments, and much more.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers tend to pronounce the r in "forte" with a strong American-style retroflex quality that colors the vowel before it (as in English "fort"), but European Portuguese keeps the "o" open and clear before a much lighter, softer r sound. The final "te" should also stay a crisp dental "t" with a nearly swallowed vowel, unlike the fuller, more affricated "tchee"-like ending sometimes heard in Brazilian Portuguese.