Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

o trem is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /u ˈtɾẽj̃/. It means “train.” oo TRAYNG. One syllable, a tapped r, and a nasal diphthong with no closing consonant.

oo TRAYNG. One syllable, a tapped r, and a nasal diphthong with no closing consonant.

o trem /u ˈtɾẽj̃/

A monosyllable, stressed by default and unaccented. The plural is "trens," which converts the -em ending to -ens without moving anything or adding a syllable — the same conversion you see in "homem" becoming "homens."

Listen: o trem

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Sound it out

tr A clean dental t with a tap flicked immediately after it. Many Brazilians colour this cluster toward "tch," so "tchrayng" is a widespread and perfectly normal variant.

em The nasal diphthong: a closed e gliding toward a nasalized y, giving "ayng." The lips stay apart throughout, so no m is ever produced.

Hear it in a sentence

Pego o trem todo dia para o trabalho.

I take the train to work every day.

Listen: Pego o trem todo dia para o trabalho.

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"Pego o trem todo dia para o trabalho" links "pego o" so the verb's raised final "oo" runs into the identical article. "Dia" gives you the palatalized "DJEE-ah," and "para o" would compress to "pro" in speech.

Where English speakers slip

Bringing the lips together gives an English-sounding "trem," which adds a consonant and flattens the glide. Portuguese has neither. The r is the second issue, attracting a roll from Spanish speakers and a curl from English ones. And note that intercity rail is rare in Brazil, so "trem" mostly means metro or urban rail in practice.