Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

sete is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈsɛtɨ]. It means “seven.” Say "SET" (with the open "e" of "bed") and add a very faint, swallowed "uh" at the end — almost, but not quite, "SET-uh."

Say "SET" (with the open "e" of "bed") and add a very faint, swallowed "uh" at the end — almost, but not quite, "SET-uh."

sete [ˈsɛtɨ]

Stress is on the first syllable, which has an open "e" sound; the final unstressed "e" reduces to a barely-there schwa, unlike the full "eh" it would get in Brazilian Portuguese.

Listen: sete

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Sound it out

se The stressed "e" is open, like the "e" in English "bed," not the tighter "ay" sound.

t A true dental "t," made with the tongue at the teeth — never softened into a "ch" sound.

e This final, unstressed "e" shrinks to a faint "uh" (like the end of English "sofa"), often nearly silent in fast speech.

Hear it in a sentence

Trabalho sete horas por dia.

I work seven hours a day.

Listen: Trabalho sete horas por dia.

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"Trabalho sete horas por dia" means "I work seven hours a day." "Por dia" ("per day") is a handy pattern for expressing rates or frequency that works the same way with other time words, like "por semana" (per week) or "por mês" (per month).

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often pronounce the final "e" as a full, clear vowel, saying something like "SEH-teh." In European Portuguese that last vowel almost disappears into a quick schwa — quite different from Brazilian Portuguese, which usually keeps a clearer final vowel and would also risk softening the "t" before a following "i" sound in other words (not an issue here, since the "t" is followed by "e," not "i").