Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

hoje is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈoʒɨ]. It means “today.” Say "OH-zhuh" — the "h" is completely silent, and "j" makes the soft "zh" sound like in "measure".

Say "OH-zhuh" — the "h" is completely silent, and "j" makes the soft "zh" sound like in "measure".

hoje [ˈoʒɨ]

Stress is on the first syllable; the initial "h" is always silent in Portuguese, and the final "e" is barely whispered.

Listen: hoje

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Sound it out

h Always silent in Portuguese — never pronounce it, unlike English "h".

o Stressed, a clear closed "oh" as in English "go".

je The "j" sounds like the "s" in English "measure" or "j" in French "jour"; the final "e" reduces to a faint "uh", almost dropped.

Hear it in a sentence

Hoje está muito calor.

Today it's very hot.

Listen: Hoje está muito calor.

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"Hoje está muito calor" (Today it's very hot) places the time word "hoje" at the start of the sentence, a common and flexible position for time adverbs in Portuguese. "Está" is the present tense of "estar" used for temporary states like weather, contrasting with "ser" for permanent characteristics.

Where English speakers slip

The most common mistake is pronouncing the "h", perhaps as an English "h" sound, when it should be completely silent. A second common error is hardening the "j" into an English "j" (as in "jump"), when EU Portuguese uses the soft "zh" fricative sound instead, identical in both European and Brazilian varieties here.