Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

sobre is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [ˈsɔ.bɾɨ]. It means “on.” Say 'SAW' (open o) then a quick 'breh' with a soft, almost-swallowed final vowel: 'SAW-breuh'.

Say 'SAW' (open o) then a quick 'breh' with a soft, almost-swallowed final vowel: 'SAW-breuh'.

sobre [ˈsɔ.bɾɨ]

Stress falls on the first syllable 'so', which takes the open [ɔ] vowel (like English 'saw'); the final 'e' reduces to the near-silent [ɨ].

Listen: sobre

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Sound it out

o Stressed and open, like the vowel in English 'saw' or 'off' — more open than a typical short English 'o'.

br A soft 'b' (often a light, almost fricative touch of the lips rather than a hard English 'b') followed by a lightly tapped 'r'.

e Unstressed final 'e' shrinks to the barely-there [ɨ] sound, so the word almost ends on the 'r'.

Hear it in a sentence

O livro está sobre a mesa.

The book is on the table.

Listen: O livro está sobre a mesa.

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'O livro está sobre a mesa' uses 'sobre' for physical position ('on top of'), overlapping with 'em' but emphasizing the surface relationship more explicitly. In everyday speech 'em cima de' (on top of) is also common and sometimes preferred for physical placement, while 'sobre' leans slightly more formal or is used for topics ('falar sobre' = to talk about).

Where English speakers slip

Learners often pronounce the stressed 'o' as a closed English 'oh', when it should be open like 'saw'. They also tend to fully pronounce the final 'e' as 'eh', when native EP speakers barely voice it at all, making the word sound closer to 'SOH-br' in casual speech.