PRONUNCIATION OF SEVERAL PORTUGUESE WORDS A DOCTOR MIGHT USE:

[Please note the tilde~ over a vowel in Portuguese makes it a nasal sound. (Also note that sometimes m sounds like n and n sounds like m, but not always. The main thing is that they also make nasal sounds when at the end of words. By nasal, I mean air goes out the nose as well as the mouth. I.e. the soft palate does not obstruct flow through to the nose). For this guide, I will put the tilde over or after the nasal sounding vowels in the English rendering of the pronunciation to indicate this. Thus, for example, pão in Portuguese is pronounced like põw. That means like the word pow, but nasalized. You almost say "pound" without the "nd" at the end. You don't put your tongue to the top of your anterior maxilla which would make a "n" sound, but just end the word "humming" the "ow" part.

Also, the o at the end of words sounds almost like a u.

Also, the r between vowels is usually hard, like a Spanish rolled r, but with only one tap of the tongue on the anterior palate instead of a true roll. However, the r at the beginning or end of words or syllables is soft. You can get away with an American English r for a soft r, but it sounds more like a breathy "h" sound in the northeast part of Brazil. The word Brasil has a hard r while Rio has a soft r.]

1. POLITE MANNERS

English / Portuguese / pronunciation

Yes / sim / see~ (like the first half of the word, sing)

No / não / nõw

Hi / Oi / Oey

Good day / Bom dia / bone dee'ah

Good afternoon / Boa tarde / Boa (like the snake) tah'dee

Good evening / Boa noite / Boa noee'tee

How are you? / Como vai? / Co-mo vie'ee? (rhymes with pie)

All is good. / Tudo bom. / Too'doo bone

All is well, thanks to God. / Tudo bem, graças à Deus / Too'doo bayne, gra'sas ah Day'oos (Deus is not really two syllables, but a diphthong, that is, one vowel sound rolled into another one.)

Please / por favor / Porh fav-orh'

Thank you, or obliged (speaker is female) / Obrigada / Oh-bree-gah'dah

Thank you, or obliged (speaker is male) / Obrigado / Oh-bree-gah'doo

You're welcome (actually, "It's nothing") / de nada / dee nah'dah

With permission, or excuse me / com licença / cone lee-sense'ah

Pardon me , or excuse me / desculpe / days-cool'pee

I'm sorry, or I feel for you / Sinto Muito / Seen'too muy'too

God bless you (to a female) / Deus a abençoe / Day'oos ah ah-ben-sõy'

God bless you (to a male) / Deus o abençoe / Day'oos oo ah-ben-sõy'

2. HISTORY TAKING, EXAMINATION

What is the problem? / Qual é o problema? / Kwahl eh oo pro-blem'ah?

Where is the pain? / Onde é a dor? /Own'dee eh ah dorh? (like door with soft r)

Does it hurt here? / Tem dor aqui? / Tain dorh a-kee'?

How long? / A quanto tempo? / Ah kwan'tow tehm'poe?

Have you had it before? / Você já teve? / Vo-seh' zha teh'vee?

Sit, please / Sente-se por favor. / San'tee see Porh fav-orh' (San rhymes with van)

Lie down. / deite-se / Day'tee see

Get up. / Levante-se / Leh-vahn'tee see

Open your mouth / Abra a boca / Ah'bra ah bow'ka

Feces exam / exame de faeces / Ay-zahm'ee dee feh'sees.

Urinalysis / exame de urina / Ay-zahm'ee dee oo-ree'nah

DIRECTIONS, DISPOSITION

That's good. / É bom / Eh bone

It's not good. / Não é bom. / Nõw eh bone.

Take this medicine. / Tome este remédio. / Tow'me ess-tee Rhay-meh'dee-oh

Once a day / Uma vez por dia / Ooh'ma vaze porh dee'ah

Two (three, four) times a day / Duas (três, quatro) vezes por dia / Doo'ahs vaze'ees porh dee'ah.

These guides are written by Joy and me and are certainly subject to additions, corrections and suggestions. Please correspond to or see http://eastridges.com