How to Pronounce 'Relógio': Portuguese (Portugal) Pronunciation Guide

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

relógio is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ʀɨˈlɔʒju/. It means “watch, clock.” Say "rruh-LAW-zhyoo" — a strong throaty "r" to start, stress on the open "aw" in the middle, and "gio" collapses into one quick "zhyoo".

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

Say "rruh-LAW-zhyoo" — a strong throaty "r" to start, stress on the open "aw" in the middle, and "gio" collapses into one quick "zhyoo".

relógio /ʀɨˈlɔʒju/

Stress falls on "ló" (open "o", marked by the accent); the initial "r" is a strong, throaty sound from the back of the throat, and the ending "-gio" is a single fast syllable, "zhyoo", not two separate syllables.

Listen: relógio

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Sound it out

re The word-initial "r" is a strong, guttural sound made in the back of the throat, closer to the French "r" than to any English "r"; the "e" is unstressed and nearly vanishes to a faint "uh".

LÓ Stressed syllable with an open "o" as in English "law" — marked by the written accent, so it's never a closed "oh".

gio The "g" before "i" is soft, like the "s" in English "measure", and "io" glides quickly into "yoo", so the whole ending is one syllable: "zhyoo".

Hear it in a sentence

O relógio está parado.

The clock has stopped.

Listen: O relógio está parado.

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"O relógio está parado" ("The clock has stopped") uses "estar parado" idiomatically for a clock or machine that isn't running, literally "is stopped" — a very natural, everyday phrasing worth memorizing as a set expression rather than translating word for word. "Relógio" covers both watches and clocks; context or added words like "de parede" (wall clock) or "de pulso" (wristwatch) specify which.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers usually reach for an English-style "r" at the start, but European Portuguese word-initial "r" is a strong, throaty sound produced further back in the mouth than any English "r" — closer to the French or German "r". This uvular quality is one of the clearest European Portuguese markers, since Brazilian Portuguese often uses a similar back "r" too but with more regional variation, including a plain "h" sound in many Brazilian accents.