Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

sim is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [sɐ̃j̃]. It means “yes.” seeng — nasalize it, letting the sound come partly through your nose, similar to French 'fin' but shorter; don't close your lips for a hard final 'm'.

seeng — nasalize it, letting the sound come partly through your nose, similar to French 'fin' but shorter; don't close your lips for a hard final 'm'.

sim [sɐ̃j̃]

A single syllable, naturally stressed; the key feature is the nasal vowel — air flows through the nose, and the lips should not fully close into an 'm' at the end.

Listen: sim

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Sound it out

si An 's' as in English 'see', leading into a nasalized 'ee' vowel — the quality shifts because of the nasal sound that follows.

m Not a full consonant closure like English 'm' — it signals that the preceding vowel is nasalized, ending in a light nasal glide rather than a lip closure.

Hear it in a sentence

Sim, quero ir contigo.

Yes, I want to go with you.

Listen: Sim, quero ir contigo.

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"Sim, quero ir contigo" uses "sim" as a standalone affirmative before elaborating, exactly like English "yes," followed by more detail. "Sim" alone is a perfectly natural, complete answer in both casual and formal contexts.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often pronounce "sim" like the English word "seem" or close the lips into a firm final "m"; it should instead be an open nasal vowel with no lip closure — think of the nasal quality in French rather than an English word ending in "m".