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Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "quem" in Portuguese (Portugal)?
Say "kang" (nasal) — a single syllable, nasalized throughout, not "kwem" with a clear "m".
This is one syllable with a nasal diphthong; there is no separate "m" consonant sound at the end, the nasality lives in the vowel.
Listen: quem
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Hear it in a sentence
Quem é aquele rapaz?
Who is that boy?
Listen: Quem é aquele rapaz?
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"Quem é aquele rapaz?" (Who is that boy?) places "quem" (who) at the start of the question, followed directly by the verb "é" (is, from "ser"), a straightforward question word order. "Aquele" (that, masculine) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies, here "rapaz" (boy).
Where English speakers slip
Learners often pronounce "quem" with a "kw" glide, as in English "quick", when Portuguese "qu" before "e" is simply a hard "k" with no "w" sound at all. They also tend to add a clear final "m" consonant, saying something like "kem", instead of letting the whole vowel become nasal with no consonant closure at the end.