Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

passaporte is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [pasɐˈpɔɾtɨ]. It means “passport.” Say "puh-suh-POR-tuh" — both early syllables reduce to quick "uh" sounds, and the stress lands firmly on "POR."

Say "puh-suh-POR-tuh" — both early syllables reduce to quick "uh" sounds, and the stress lands firmly on "POR."

passaporte [pasɐˈpɔɾtɨ]

Stress falls on the third syllable "por"; the double s is just spelling for a single [s] sound, and the unstressed final e reduces almost to a whisper.

Listen: passaporte

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Sound it out

pas-sa- Both syllables are unstressed and thin out toward "puh-suh"; the double s is one plain [s] as in "pass," never doubled in pronunciation.

-POR- The clear, stressed syllable: an open "por" with a lightly tapped r, said with real emphasis.

-te The final e is unstressed and nearly disappears, a soft "tuh" with a true dental t — never the "tch" sound Brazilian speakers use before i-like vowels.

Hear it in a sentence

Não esqueças o teu passaporte.

Don't forget your passport.

Listen: Não esqueças o teu passaporte.

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"Não esqueças o teu passaporte" is a negative informal command using the subjunctive form esqueças (from esquecer, "to forget"), which is how Portuguese forms negative tu-commands — não plus the present subjunctive rather than a simple imperative. Teu is the informal possessive "your," matching the informal command form.

Where English speakers slip

The stress and rhythm are the trap here: English "passport" stresses the first syllable, but Portuguese passaporte stresses the third, "por," while both earlier syllables collapse into quick, weak "uh" sounds. Learners also often round out the final e as a full vowel; in Lisbon speech it should almost vanish, leaving a clipped "POR-t" feel rather than the fuller "POR-teh" a Brazilian speaker might use.