Comments on: Lesson 3: Pronunciation of /é/ and /ê/, Public Health and Health Insurance

By: orkelm

orkelm — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:55:37 +0000

Jus,
There is a rule, but it’s a bit involved. Here’s the simplified version. First, remember that vowels can only be open with they syllable is stress.
1. Regular AR verbs: lévo, léva, lêvamos, lévam – in other words in stressed syllable the é is open
2. Regular ER/IR verbs: conhêço, conhéce, conhêcemos, conhécem – 1st person is closed, and the rest of the stressed syllables are open.
That will get you started

By: Jus

Jus — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:10:44 +0000

Hey Orlando, Great site!
I have a quick question about open/closed Es in Portuguese (hope you’re still answering questions on this blog!). I noticed that the vowels in conjugated verbs are sometimes open and sometimes closed: for example, in the verb ‘conhecer’, Brazilians use the open vowel for the E in ‘conhece’(conhéce) but the closed vowel for ‘conheço’ (conhêço). Is there any rule for this? Valeu!

By: Mary Slosar

Mary Slosar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:20:02 +0000

I am still having a difficult time noticing the different “e” sounds. When you and your colleagues are discussing the sounds and demonstrating them apart from from the dialogue, I feel like I get it. But when I listen to the dialogue (over and over!), I still have a very difficult time hearing it. It seems that there are actually 3 different sounds, no? there’s the spanish pronunciation, then this same sound more extended like what we hear in the english word “hay”, and then finally there’s the sound that we find in the english word “at”. I think my biggest difficulty is figuring out under what conditions we should use one sound over the other. Are there are any rules for recognizing this? Thanks!

By: Marina Potoplyak

Marina Potoplyak — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:17:28 +0000

Another awesome lesson! “E”s in the end of the words in Portuguese reminds me of the way that my Gallego friend spoke Spanish, with all final “e”s sounding like “i”s (and all “o”s sounding like “u”s). I did not realize then that phonetically Gallego draws on Portuguese so heavily.

By: Carlos Barrera

Carlos Barrera — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:00:57 +0000

After listening to the file twice, it is easy for me to distinguish between closed and open e sounds if I hear them in isolation. It gets harder to do it hear it within the dialogue. Is there a difference between the sounds of “e” and “ê”?

Carlos Barrera

By: Franklin Strong

Franklin Strong — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:06:02 +0000

This is a tricky concept–thanks for the explication. I think I will have to listen several times to feel comfortable with this!

By: Clyde Sheble

Clyde Sheble — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:54:10 +0000

Isso é bem difícil para os falantes nativos de inglês em minha opinião. Saber as regras e quando usar /ê/ ou /é/ quando o acento não está lá para ajudar é o mais difícil. Acho que, com tempo e prática, todo mundo pode aprender os sons, mas aprender quando usar esses sons sem ajuda dos acentos e enquanto falando rapidamente é dificílimo. Eu sei que tem regra para toda situação, toda palavra, mas não tem substituta para escutar o falante nativo dizer a mesma palavra, e a maioria do tempo, ele tem que repetir muitas vezes!

By: Elissa Wev

Elissa Wev — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Sem duvida a sistema de saúde do Brasil é muito melhor do que a sistema dos EEUU. É verdade que nos EEUU gente pode receber atenção médico sem pagar, mas podem morrer durante a espera.

By: Lorena

Lorena — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:34:39 +0000

Ha regras especiais com palavras com duas e’s. Como surpreende. Quanto tempo devemos extender pronucio do e? Também ha uma diferencia em como se pronuncia o primer e, e ou segundo?

By: Ebony Jackson

Ebony Jackson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:17:21 +0000

So I had a grammar question. A carioca friend of mine recently said “valeu é nós” to me. A friend told me that that was slang that showed incorrect grammar and should be valeu, somos nós.
It made me thing of english how we say ” that IS me ” or “It IS me.” is that incorrect? swould it be “isso sou eu?” or isso eh mim?”