Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "o fim" in Portuguese (Brazil)?

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

o fim is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /u ˈfĩ/. It means “end.” oo FEENG. One syllable, and the m never closes — the vowel just hums.

oo FEENG. One syllable, and the m never closes — the vowel just hums.

o fim /u ˈfĩ/

End-stressed, as any word finishing in -im is by rule — the same pattern as sim, mim, assim and ruim. The plural is "fins," which converts the ending to -ins without adding a syllable, and the stress stays exactly where it was.

Listen: o fim

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Sound it out

f An ordinary f, made with the upper teeth on the lower lip. Nothing unusual, and it stays crisp.

im A stressed i nasalized by the m, which is a spelling marker rather than a consonant. Hum the "ee" through your nose and stop while it's still resonating; the lips must not come together.

Hear it in a sentence

Esse é o fim do filme.

That's the end of the movie.

Listen: Esse é o fim do filme.

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"Esse é o fim do filme" links "é o" into a single glide and uses "do," the fused de-plus-article. "Filme" contains a vocalized l — FEEW-mee — so the sentence ends on a glide and a raised vowel after the nasal of "fim."

Where English speakers slip

Closing the lips gives "feem," which adds a consonant Portuguese doesn't produce here. Keep them apart. Learners also confuse "fim" with "final": "o fim" is the end as an event or point, while "final" is more often an adjective or the last round of something.