How to Pronounce 'Jovem': Portuguese (Portugal) Pronunciation Guide

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

jovem is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written ['ʒɔvɐ̃j̃]. It means “young.” Say "ZHOH-vaingh" — the j is a soft "zh" like the s in "pleasure," and the final -em is a nasal diphthong pushed through the nose, not a plain "em" like in English.

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

Say "ZHOH-vaingh" — the j is a soft "zh" like the s in "pleasure," and the final -em is a nasal diphthong pushed through the nose, not a plain "em" like in English.

jovem ['ʒɔvɐ̃j̃]

Stress falls on the first syllable; the final -em is a nasal diphthong, roughly [ɐ̃j̃], pronounced with air escaping through the nose rather than as a clean English "em."

Listen: jovem

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Sound it out

j Always a soft "zh" sound in Portuguese, like the s in English "measure" or "pleasure" — never the hard "j" of English "jump."

o An open "oh" sound, similar to English "saw" but shorter — this is the stressed vowel.

vem The v is a clear English-like v, but the -em ending is nasalized: say "eh" while letting sound resonate through the nose, ending in a faint y-glide, rather than a plain English "em" as in "gem."

Hear it in a sentence

Ela é muito jovem.

She is very young.

Listen: Ela é muito jovem.

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"Ela é muito jovem" (She is very young) is another simple "ser" sentence, since age category is treated as an inherent, lasting trait. "Jovem" is one of the few common Portuguese adjectives that doesn't change form between masculine and feminine (unlike "alto/alta"), which is a useful pattern for learners to notice — adjectives ending in -e or certain consonants are often invariable for gender.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers tend to pronounce the ending -em as a flat, oral "em," the way it sounds in English words like "stem." In European Portuguese, this ending is nasal — air flows through the nose, and the vowel quality shifts toward "ay-ing" rather than a plain "em." This nasal quality is present in both European and Brazilian Portuguese, but EU Portuguese keeps the vowel more closed and clipped than the more open Brazilian pronunciation.