Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "fraco" in Portuguese (Brazil)?

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

fraco is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈfɾa.ku/. It means “weak.” FRAH-koo. One tapped r right after the f, and the final o raises to "oo."

FRAH-koo. One tapped r right after the f, and the final o raises to "oo."

fraco /ˈfɾa.ku/

The single open a is the only loud vowel in the word. It's worth setting against "forte," its opposite: that word ends in -e and is also front-stressed, so the two antonyms share a rhythm even though their endings and vowel qualities differ completely.

Listen: fraco

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Sound it out

fr The r inside this cluster is a single flick of the tongue tip immediately after the f. No vowel should sneak in between them, and there's no rolling — one contact only.

a Wide open, jaw down, and stressed. It's the longest sound in the word and the only one carrying weight.

co A hard k and a closing "oo." The word ends fast, having spent everything on its single loud vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

Estou me sentindo fraco.

I'm feeling weak.

Listen: Estou me sentindo fraco.

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"Estou me sentindo fraco" uses a reflexive construction — "sentir-se" — with the pronoun placed before the verb in the Brazilian way. "Sentindo" carries two nasals, and Brazilians would clip "estou" to "tô," giving "tô me sentindo fraco."

Where English speakers slip

English speakers insert a vowel and produce "fuh-RAH-koh," breaking the cluster and leaving the final o unraised. Keep fr tight and finish on "oo." Spanish speakers roll the r, which is too much for a single one in a cluster. The adjective also agrees, so a woman says "fraca."