Is mais pronounced with a “z” sound or an “sh” sound at the end? I’m hearing both. What about other words ending in “s?” What rules, if any, do we follow in this circumstance?
Hi
Hope this helps. First you need to know the rule that when ‘s’ comes between two vowels it is pronounced like a ‘z’ such as in the word ‘mesa’.But the normal pronunciation at the end of a word is like ‘sh’. However, if the next word begins with a vowel the rule about ‘s’ between two vowels kicks in.
If you consider the expression ‘mais ou menos’ you will hear it pronounced as ‘my-zo-mensh’. The first ‘s’ at the end of ‘mais’ is now between two vowels so is pronounced as ‘z’. The second ‘s’ at the end of ‘menos’ stands alone and is not followed by a vowel so stays with its usual pronunciation of ‘sh’.
This of course is true of all words that end in ‘s’ but remembering to do it is quite another thing. It is something I am trying to focus on in my own speaking!!
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Michael,
I appreciate the detailed explanation! Muito obrigada.
Carol
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That’s perfect, @michael.pearce!
For reference, here’s a Learning Note that covers the rules of pronunciation of the letters S and C: The Letters S and C
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I was just about to pose this question about pronunciation of ‘s’ but a quick search found this topic and answers the question perfectly!
Just to clarify though - and ‘s’ in between two vowels is pronounced more like ‘z’ - but that also applies to an ‘s’ in between two vowel sounds? Is that right? I think that in my first few units this has been the bit that confused me - I saw a few examples (although I can’t think of them now!) where the vowel was only on one side and it was still a ‘z’ and not a ‘sh’ sound. It must have been the sound of a vowel, rather than an actual vowel sound on those ocassions?
@noddypilot, that’s correct - an S between two vowel sounds or, in some cases, next to a single vowel sound will typically sound like a Z 
For example, if we said “Alguns homens”, the S in bold is technically not between any vowels, but it’s immediately followed by the vowel sound O (the H is always mute in Portuguese), so it’ll sound like a Z. This is not true for all regional accents, but it is for what we might consider the dominant European Portuguese accent.
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Many thanks Joseph!
One additional question if you don’t mind?
Within the units there is a phrase similar to “Eu Como, mas eu não bebo”. In this example the ‘s’ in ‘mas’ is a clear and obvious ‘z’ sound. So far so good as it’s in between two vowels!
Then in the shortie ‘Uma Conversa Na Sale De Chá’ Sara says “Desculpe, mas eu não falo inglês.” However, in this she pronounces ‘mas’ with a ‘sh’ sound - which I wasn’t expecting.
It sounds as though she pauses ever so slightly between the words ‘mas’ and ‘eu’ and I wonder is this why the ‘sh’ sounds appears? As in - since the phrase is not spoken in a continuous flowing manner, then it is natural to allow the ‘sh’ sound to finish ‘mas’ - as though it sits in isolation for a moment within the little pause - whereas a more flowing pronunciation might hide it?
Or is something else going on there??
@noddypilot that’s correct If the words are not pronounced continuously and at normal speed, they’ll usually retain their default pronunciation. That’s what happened at that point in the dialogue.
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Wonderful! Thank you Joseph!
It seemed like a bit of a pedantic question perhaps - but actually it helps generate the feeling for me of the language being more of an experience, rather than just a set of rules!!
All the best!!
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I’m thinking this also applies to the lesson on números pares/ímpares, when “seis” is part of a list? The example is “…quatro, seis e oito” and I would have expected the final “s” in seis to be more like a “z,” but it’s an “sh.” I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever heard seis pronounced with a z ending - I feel like I always hear the “sh”.
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@mstsuzanne, yes! That phrase in the exercise is also pronounced slowly enough for “seis” to retain its normal pronunciation, with the ‘sh’ ending. When we speak fast, that ‘sh’ might definitely end up sounding like a Z.
I like the way you put that. The experience of this app has made me much more aware of subtleties like the one discussed here, and it has been a big help in overcoming the limitations of bad hearing that too many of us live with in older years. Thanks to Joseph, Rui et alia, I don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves quite as often because I can listen to the recordings until the patterns of sound sink in.
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