Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

talvez is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /tawˈves/. It means “maybe.” tow-VESS. The l becomes a w, and the final z is pronounced as an s.

tow-VESS. The l becomes a w, and the final z is pronounced as an s.

talvez /tawˈves/

Words ending in z are stressed on the final syllable, so "-vez" takes the weight without an accent — the same rule that governs feliz, rapaz and arroz. The word is a compound of "tal" and "vez," and as usual in Portuguese welded compounds, the second element's original stress survived intact.

Listen: talvez

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Sound it out

tal A clean dental t, an open a, and an l that vocalizes to w because it closes the syllable. So the first half rhymes with English "cow," not with "tal."

vez A proper v, a closed e carrying the stress, and a final z devoiced to a plain s. It voices back to a real z only when a vowel follows in the next word.

Hear it in a sentence

Talvez eu vá amanhã.

Maybe I'll go tomorrow.

Listen: Talvez eu vá amanhã.

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"Talvez eu vá amanhã" uses the subjunctive "vá" rather than the indicative, because "talvez" expresses doubt — a grammar point Portuguese takes seriously. The z of "talvez" then voices into a real z before the vowel of "eu," giving "tow-VEH-zew."

Where English speakers slip

Two habits collide: pronouncing a real l in the first syllable and voicing the z in the second. Brazilians do neither — it's "tow-VESS." The grammar is the harder problem: "talvez" normally triggers the subjunctive, so "talvez eu vou" is wrong where "talvez eu vá" is right, and learners default to the indicative for months.