Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

pequeno is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written pɨ.ˈke.nu. It means “small.” Say "puh-KEH-noo" — the first "e" shrinks to a quick "uh" and the final "o" comes out as a short "oo".

Say "puh-KEH-noo" — the first "e" shrinks to a quick "uh" and the final "o" comes out as a short "oo".

pequeno pɨ.ˈke.nu

Stress lands on "que" (the middle syllable); the unstressed first "e" reduces almost to nothing.

Listen: pequeno

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

pe Not a clear "peh" — in unstressed position this drops to a fast, barely-there "puh".

que The stressed syllable — "keh", with a hard k sound (qu before e/i is always a hard k in Portuguese, never "kw").

no Ends in a short "noo", not "noh" — unstressed final o always tightens to "oo" in European Portuguese.

Hear it in a sentence

O gato é pequeno.

The cat is small.

Listen: O gato é pequeno.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"O gato é pequeno" places the adjective after the noun, the normal Portuguese word order. "É" is the third-person singular of "ser" (to be), used because size is an inherent, lasting characteristic rather than a temporary state. Masculine "gato" pairs with the masculine adjective ending -o.

Where English speakers slip

Learners often give the first "e" its full English "eh" value, but Lisbon speakers swallow it almost to silence — closer to "p'queno" than "peh-keno". Brazilian speakers tend to preserve that first vowel more clearly, so if your ear is tuned to Brazilian audio, listen for how much EP compresses it.