Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

Rhymes with 'eu' (I) but with an 'm' in front — say 'meh-oo' fast, gliding from an open 'eh' into a 'w'.

meu [mew]

Single syllable, stressed; same falling diphthong as 'eu', gliding from open 'e' to a 'w' sound.

Listen: meu

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Sound it out

m Same as English 'm'.

eu An open 'eh' that glides into a 'w', exactly like the pronoun 'eu' — together sounding close to English 'meh-oo' compressed into one syllable.

Hear it in a sentence

Este é o meu telemóvel.

This is my phone.

Listen: Este é o meu telemóvel.

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'Este é o meu telemóvel' places the possessive 'meu' after the article 'o', which is required in European Portuguese possessive phrases (unlike Brazilian Portuguese, which often drops the article). 'Telemóvel' is itself a distinctly European word for 'cell phone' — Brazilian Portuguese uses 'celular' instead.

Where English speakers slip

Learners often shorten 'meu' to a single vowel, missing the glide into 'w', similarly to the mistake made with 'eu'. It's also worth noting the article: dropping 'o' before 'meu' ('é meu telemóvel' instead of 'é o meu telemóvel') sounds distinctly Brazilian rather than European.