Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

quatro is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈkwa.tɾu/. It means “four.” KWAH-troo. The qu really is "kw" here, and the final o comes out as "oo."

KWAH-troo. The qu really is "kw" here, and the final o comes out as "oo."

quatro /ˈkwa.tɾu/

Stress falls on the first syllable, which is exactly what the default predicts for a word ending in -o: second-to-last syllable takes the weight. No accent mark needed. When counting aloud, Brazilians hit "KWA" hard and let the rest tumble out quickly.

Listen: quatro

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Sound it out

qua Before an a, the u in qu is fully pronounced as a w glide, giving "kwah." This is different from "que" and "qui," where the u is silent and the cluster is just a k.

tr A dental t followed by a single tapped r — the tongue touches once and lets go. In much of Brazil this cluster picks up a light "tch" colouring, so you'll hear "KWA-tchroo" from many speakers.

o The final unstressed o raises toward "oo," so the word closes on a rounded "roo" rather than a full "roh." Keep it short and quiet.

Hear it in a sentence

Tem quatro cadeiras aqui.

There are four chairs here.

Listen: Tem quatro cadeiras aqui.

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"Tem quatro cadeiras aqui" opens with "tem," a nasal "teyng" with no closing consonant, then puts "quatro" in front of a plural noun. Hear how "cadeiras aqui" links: that final s becomes a z before the vowel of "aqui," so you get "ka-DAY-ruh-zah-KEE."

Where English speakers slip

The dominant error is importing the Spanish "cuatro" with its trilled or fully-rolled r and an unraised final o. The Brazilian r here is a single tap, and the o at the end is "oo." English speakers separately tend to add the puff of air after the k and t that English aspirates with; Portuguese consonants are cleaner and drier than ours.