Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

seis is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈsɐjʃ]. It means “six.” Closer to "sysh" than "says" — the "ei" is a quick, centralized glide (not the crisp English "ay"), and it ends in "sh."

Closer to "sysh" than "says" — the "ei" is a quick, centralized glide (not the crisp English "ay"), and it ends in "sh."

seis [ˈsɐjʃ]

One syllable; in Lisbon-standard speech the "ei" diphthong is pulled toward a central, almost "uh-ee" quality rather than a pure "ay," and the final "s" becomes "sh."

Listen: seis

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

s A plain "s" sound at the start of the word, as in English "sit."

ei In European speech this glides from a central "uh" toward "ee," noticeably more closed and less bright than the English "ay" in "say."

s Word-final "s" turns into "sh," as in English "fish," following the general EU Portuguese pattern.

Hear it in a sentence

O comboio parte às seis.

The train leaves at six.

Listen: O comboio parte às seis.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"O comboio parte às seis" means "The train leaves at six." "Comboio" is the European word for "train" (Brazilian Portuguese uses "trem"), a classic vocabulary difference between the two varieties. "Às seis" contracts "a" (at) with "as" (the, feminine plural, referring to "horas") into one word.

Where English speakers slip

Learners who know Brazilian Portuguese often say "seis" with a bright, clear "say-ees" diphthong and a plain final "s." In Lisbon-standard EU Portuguese the vowel is more centralized and closed, and the ending must be "sh" — skipping either change is one of the fastest ways to sound Brazilian rather than European when counting.