Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

quatro is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈkwatɾu]. It means “four.” Sounds like "KWAH-troo" — stress the first part, and let the final "o" shrink to a quick "oo" rather than a full "oh."

Sounds like "KWAH-troo" — stress the first part, and let the final "o" shrink to a quick "oo" rather than a full "oh."

quatro [ˈkwatɾu]

Stress falls on the first syllable "qua"; the final "o" is unstressed and reduces almost to "oo," a very common EU Portuguese pattern.

Listen: quatro

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Sound it out

qu Pronounced like English "kw," as in "quack" — the "u" here is a glide, not a separate vowel.

a The stressed "a" sounds like the "a" in English "father," full and open.

tro The "r" is a light tongue tap, and the final unstressed "o" collapses toward "oo" rather than staying a clear "oh."

Hear it in a sentence

São quatro horas.

It's four o'clock.

Listen: São quatro horas.

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"São quatro horas" means "It's four o'clock." This is the standard way to tell time in Portuguese, using the plural verb "são" (they are) because clock times above one o'clock take the plural. "Horas" (hours) is often dropped in casual speech, leaving just "São quatro."

Where English speakers slip

English speakers tend to give the final "o" its full textbook value, saying something like "KWAH-troh." In natural European Portuguese that final vowel is swallowed toward "oo" or even nearly disappears, which is quite different from the more fully pronounced final vowels typical of Brazilian Portuguese.