How to Pronounce 'Às Vezes': Portuguese (Brazil) Pronunciation Guide

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

às vezes is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /as ˈve.zis/. It means “sometimes.” ahs VEH-zees. Two s-spellings in the second word, and the one between vowels buzzes as a z.

How do you pronounce "às vezes" in Portuguese (Brazil)?

ahs VEH-zees. Two s-spellings in the second word, and the one between vowels buzzes as a z.

às vezes /as ˈve.zis/

"Vezes" ends in -es and is therefore stressed on the second-to-last syllable, exactly as the default predicts, with no accent. The "às" leans on it without stress of its own. The grave accent on that first word is a grammatical mark: it shows that the preposition a has fused with the plural article as.

Listen: às vezes

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

às A merged preposition and article carrying a grave accent, pronounced simply "ahs" with an open vowel. The grave marks the merger rather than any change in sound — it's a purely written signal.

ve A clear v and a closed e, stressed. This is the loud centre of the phrase and the only syllable with real length.

zes The z buzzes with the cords vibrating, and the final s is a plain hiss. So the syllable contains a voiced sibilant and an unvoiced one back to back, which takes some practice to do cleanly.

Hear it in a sentence

Às vezes eu vou de ônibus.

Sometimes I go by bus.

Listen: Às vezes eu vou de ônibus.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"Às vezes eu vou de ônibus" links "vezes eu" so the final s of the phrase voices into a z before the vowel — "VEH-zee-zew." That gives you three z-sounds in quick succession, and "de ônibus" then adds a palatalized "djee" running into another vowel-initial word.

Where English speakers slip

Devoicing the middle z into an s gives "VEH-sees," which is what the eye suggests and not what the ear hears. Intervocalic s and the letter z both buzz. Learners also write "as vezes" without the grave, which is a genuine spelling error, and they sometimes reach for "algumas vezes," which is correct but sounds more deliberate than the everyday phrase.