Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

ninguém is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /nĩˈgɐ̃j̃/. It means “nobody.” Say "neeng-GAYNG", nasalizing both syllables — think of it as two connected nasal hums.

Say "neeng-GAYNG", nasalizing both syllables — think of it as two connected nasal hums.

ninguém /nĩˈgɐ̃j̃/

Stress is on the second syllable; both vowels are nasal, with the first ("nin") a simple nasal "ee" and the second ("guém") a nasal diphthong.

Listen: ninguém

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Sound it out

nin A nasal "neeng" sound, air pushed through the nose, not the oral "ninn" of English "win".

gu A hard "g" sound before "é" (the "u" is silent, just signaling the hard pronunciation), as in English "guess".

ém A nasal diphthong gliding from open "a" toward a faint "y", pronounced through the nose without closing the lips fully on the "m".

Hear it in a sentence

Ninguém sabe a resposta.

Nobody knows the answer.

Listen: Ninguém sabe a resposta.

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"Ninguém sabe a resposta" means "Nobody knows the answer", with "ninguém" as the subject at the start of the sentence, matching English word order closely. Unlike "nada", when "ninguém" starts the sentence it does not need an accompanying "não" — the negation is carried by "ninguém" alone, which is a useful contrast to remember against "não... nada".

Where English speakers slip

The double nasalization is the sticking point: English speakers often nasalize only the second syllable and pronounce "nin" as a plain oral sound like English "kin", when both syllables need that nasal quality running through them. Brazilian speakers also tend to pronounce the final "ém" with a more open, resonant vowel, while European Portuguese keeps it tighter and quicker.