Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

lua is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈlu.ɐ]. It means “moon.” Say "LOO-uh", with a clear stressed "oo" and a quick, weak "uh" at the end.

Say "LOO-uh", with a clear stressed "oo" and a quick, weak "uh" at the end.

lua [ˈlu.ɐ]

Stress falls on the first syllable "lu"; the final unstressed "a" reduces to a short schwa-like "uh", never a full "ah".

Listen: lua

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Sound it out

l A regular, light English "l" as in "look" — this one isn't dark because it starts a syllable.

u A pure, tense "oo" as in English "moon", held clearly since it carries the stress.

a Unstressed final "a" in European Portuguese collapses to a quick central "uh" sound, much lighter than the "a" in "spa".

Hear it in a sentence

A lua está cheia esta noite.

The moon is full tonight.

Listen: A lua está cheia esta noite.

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"A lua está cheia esta noite" means "The moon is full tonight." Again "está" appears because being full is a phase, a changeable state — pair this with the sol example to reinforce that weather- and sky-related descriptions almost always take estar rather than ser.

Where English speakers slip

Learners coming from Spanish or Italian often give the final "a" its full open value, saying something closer to "LOO-ah". In European Portuguese that final vowel is swallowed almost to a whisper — much more reduced than in Brazilian Portuguese, where the "a" stays fuller and clearer.