Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "a coisa" in Portuguese (Brazil)?

Q: How do you pronounce a coisa in Portuguese (Brazil)?

a coisa is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /a ˈkoj.zɐ/. It means “thing.” ah KOY-zuh. The s in the middle is a buzzing z, because it sits between two vowels.

ah KOY-zuh. The s in the middle is a buzzing z, because it sits between two vowels.

a coisa /a ˈkoj.zɐ/

The word ends in -a, so the default sends the stress to the second-to-last syllable, "coi-," and no accent is needed. That stressed syllable is a diphthong, which is common in Portuguese and gives the word a slightly bouncing quality — heavy first beat, light second.

Listen: a coisa

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Sound it out

a The feminine article on its own quick beat, an open "ah" that runs straight into the k with no pause.

coi A hard k and then the "oy" diphthong of "boy" — one syllable, and the stressed one. The o here is closed and rounded before it glides to the y.

sa A single s between vowels is always voiced to a z in Portuguese, so this is "zuh," never "suh." The final a lightens to a soft "uh" without disappearing.

Hear it in a sentence

Que coisa estranha!

What a strange thing!

Listen: Que coisa estranha!

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"Que coisa estranha!" is an exclamation you'll hear constantly. "Estranha" packs in three features: a raised initial e giving "ish-," a tapped r inside the cluster, and an nh producing the palatal "ny" at the end. And "coisa estranha" links the final "uh" straight into the initial "ish" with no break.

Where English speakers slip

Pronouncing the s as a hiss — "KOY-suh" — is the standard error, and it comes from reading rather than listening. Intervocalic s is z in Portuguese, full stop. Beginners also break the diphthong into "ko-EE-zuh," giving three syllables where there are two. Spanish speakers arrive with "cosa," which has no diphthong at all, and often drop the i entirely.