Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

semana is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /sɨˈmɐnɐ/. It means “week.” Say "suh-MUH-nuh" — the first and last syllables both reduce to a quick "uh", with the stress punching through the middle syllable.

Say "suh-MUH-nuh" — the first and last syllables both reduce to a quick "uh", with the stress punching through the middle syllable.

semana /sɨˈmɐnɐ/

Stress falls on the middle syllable "ma"; both surrounding "a"/"e" vowels are unstressed and reduce toward a neutral "uh" sound, a very typical European Portuguese pattern.

Listen: semana

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Sound it out

se Unstressed "e" reduces to a brief "uh" sound, not a clear "seh" — similar to how "se" (if) reduces on its own.

ma The stressed syllable, with a full, open "ah" vowel that stands out clearly from the reduced syllables around it.

na Unstressed final "a" reduces again to a quick "uh", mirroring the first syllable's reduction.

Hear it in a sentence

Vou de férias esta semana.

I'm going on vacation this week.

Listen: Vou de férias esta semana.

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"Vou de férias esta semana" means "I'm going on vacation this week", with "semana" as a regular feminine noun taking the feminine demonstrative "esta" ("this"). The phrase "de férias" ("on vacation") is a fixed expression worth learning as a chunk, since it doesn't translate word-for-word from English. Word order otherwise mirrors English fairly closely: verb, then the vacation phrase, then the time expression.

Where English speakers slip

Learners tend to give the first syllable a fuller "seh" sound rather than the correct reduced "suh", carrying over habits from Spanish "semana", which pronounces every vowel clearly. In European Portuguese, only the middle stressed syllable should sound full and open — both outer syllables need to stay light and swallowed for the word to sound natural.