Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

porco is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈpoɾku]. It means “pig.” Say "POR-koo", with a closed first-syllable o (like "pour" without the English r-color) and a clipped final "oo".

Say "POR-koo", with a closed first-syllable o (like "pour" without the English r-color) and a clipped final "oo".

porco [ˈpoɾku]

Stress is on the first syllable POR; the r is a light single tap rather than the strong English r a beginner might use.

Listen: porco

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Sound it out

POR- Stressed, with a closed o (like French "eau") and a quick tapped r, closer to a light flick of the tongue than the English retroflex r.

-c- A hard k sound, as in English "cot".

-o Unstressed final syllable, reduced to a short "oo".

Hear it in a sentence

O porco vive na quinta.

The pig lives on the farm.

Listen: O porco vive na quinta.

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"O porco vive na quinta" uses viver (to live) and na quinta ("on the farm"), where quinta specifically means a farm/country estate in European Portuguese — a useful vocabulary distinction from Brazilian Portuguese, which more often uses fazenda for "farm". Na again shows the em + a contraction pattern for feminine nouns.

Where English speakers slip

The r in porco is often over-pronounced by English speakers as a strong American r with tongue curled back; European Portuguese uses a light single tongue-tap here instead, and over-emphasizing the r is a common tell of a non-native or even a Brazilian-influenced accent, since Brazilian Portuguese tends toward a different, often more retroflex-like r in some regions.