English pronunciation for Portuguese speakers
For Portuguese speakers (especially Brazilian), the top fixes are: final l turning into w ('milk' → 'miwk'), t/d softening to ch/j before i ('tea' → 'chee'), the helper -i after final stops ('big' → 'bigi'), and initial r becoming h ('red' → 'head').
- 6 sounds to fix, in order
- Every sound read aloud
- A listening game for each contrast
Your sounds, in order
- l
1
l as in light
final /l/ vocalises to /w/: 'milk' → 'miwk', 'people' → 'peopow'
Fix: Touch your tongue tip firmly to the ridge behind your top teeth.
- t
2
t as in tea
/t/ → /tʃ/ before i-sounds: 'tea' → 'chee', 'city' → 'cichee'
Fix: Touch your tongue tip to the ridge just behind your top teeth.
- d
3
d as in day
/d/ → /dʒ/ before i-sounds: 'did' → 'djid'
Fix: Touch your tongue tip to the ridge behind your top teeth.
- r
4
r as in red
initial r becomes /h/: 'red' sounds like 'head'
Fix: Curl your tongue tip up and slightly back; it must NOT touch anything.
- ɪ
5
i as in sit
/ɪ/ vs /iː/ merge: ship/sheep
Fix: Relax your lips and jaw, no smile.
- θ
6
th as in think
/θ/ → /t/ or /f/; secondary priority
Fix: Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your top and bottom teeth.
Stress and rhythm
- Cut the helper -i after final stops: 'dog', 'big', 'internet' end on the consonant.
- Nasalisation habits turn final m/n into nasal vowels; close the lips fully on final m.
- Your stress-timing instincts are decent; focus energy on the segmental fixes above.
Start this week
- Final-l drill: tongue tip UP and touching on 'feel, will, milk'; if the lips round, it became a w.
- Pure-t practice before i: 'tea, team, ticket' with a crisp t, no ch.
- Whispered finals: 'big', 'dog', 'internet' with zero vowel after the last consonant.