Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "às vezes" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

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

às vezes is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [aʒ ˈvɛzɨʃ]. It means “sometimes.” Say "azh VEH-zush" — the "s" in "às" voices to "zh" before the following vowel, and the second word stresses its first syllable.

Say "azh VEH-zush" — the "s" in "às" voices to "zh" before the following vowel, and the second word stresses its first syllable.

às vezes [aʒ ˈvɛzɨʃ]

Stress falls on "ve" in "vezes"; note that "às" links smoothly into the next word, softening its final "s" toward "zh" rather than "sh".

Listen: às vezes

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Sound it out

às Normally "s" at the end of a word is "sh", but right before a vowel sound in the next word it often voices to "zh", as in "measure".

ve Stressed syllable with an open "eh" vowel, like English "vet".

zes Unstressed final syllable; the "e" shrinks and the final "s" becomes a soft "sh", giving "-zush".

Hear it in a sentence

Às vezes vou de comboio.

Sometimes I go by train.

Listen: Às vezes vou de comboio.

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"Às vezes vou de comboio" (Sometimes I go by train) shows "comboio" — the EU Portuguese word for "train", a key vocabulary difference from Brazilian Portuguese, which uses "trem" instead. "Às vezes" typically sits at the start of the sentence as a frequency adverb, a common and flexible placement for time expressions.

Where English speakers slip

Learners frequently say "comboio" as if it were the Brazilian "trem" out of habit from media exposure, but in Lisbon Portuguese "comboio" is the only word used for train. On the pronunciation side, they also often keep "às" fully as "ash" instead of letting it soften toward "azh" when flowing into the following vowel-initial word.