Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

rápido is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written ˈʁa.pi.du. It means “fast.” Say "HA-pee-doo", where the initial "r" is a rasping sound from the back of the throat, more like a French/German "r" than an English one.

Say "HA-pee-doo", where the initial "r" is a rasping sound from the back of the throat, more like a French/German "r" than an English one.

rápido ˈʁa.pi.du

The accent on "á" fixes the stress on the first syllable; the final "o" reduces to a short "oo".

Listen: rápido

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Sound it out

rá Word-initial "r" in European Portuguese is a strong, guttural sound produced in the throat (uvular), closer to a French "r" or a raspy English "h" than to any English "r".

pi A clean, dental sound, "pee", with the p unaspirated as in Spanish/French rather than the puffed p of English.

do True dental "d" (never a "j"-like sound) followed by a reduced final "oo".

Hear it in a sentence

O teu carro é muito rápido.

Your car is very fast.

Listen: O teu carro é muito rápido.

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"O teu carro é muito rápido" uses the informal possessive "teu" (your, informal singular), standard in everyday European Portuguese speech (Brazilian Portuguese favors "seu" in similar contexts, which can be ambiguous). "Muito" intensifies the adjective as usual. "Carro" also has that same guttural "rr" sound in the middle, doubled specifically to signal the strong r rather than a tapped one.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often substitute an American-style retroflex "r" for the initial r in "rápido", but European Portuguese uses a harsh, throaty sound produced near the uvula — closer to gently clearing your throat or a French "r". This guttural quality is shared with Brazilian Portuguese for word-initial r, so the EP-specific challenge here is really the swallowed final "o" rather than the r itself.