Pronunciation of quem

How do I pronounce quem?

Iā€™m not sure if English is your native language, or where you are hailing from. Here is what Iā€™ll say from my North Eastern, American English.

Quem = Kime, like the English word ā€˜time,ā€™ (but donā€™t let your lips reach full closer as you get to that ā€˜mā€™ sound). Whatā€™s actually happening with my mouth when I say it is that Iā€™m ending with the arc of my tongue against the roof of my mouth.

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I should have said that itā€™s ā€˜kimeā€™ like ā€˜timeā€™.

English is actually my native tongue despite my Arabic first and last names. The linguistic origins of someoneā€™s name are not always a telling sign of what their first language is.

Iā€™m originally from Sudbury Ontario Canada, but grew up in the Northeast US which is a home away from home for me. So I pronounce time in a northern us accent and know how American northerns pronounce time.

Last but not least, I have already put to use your strategy for pronouncing quem correctly and so far it has worked.

In the U.S. you can never tell by a personā€™s name where they may be from. And on Practice Portuguese, Iā€™m even less likely to be able to guess. :slight_smile:

I am so glad to hear that my explanation worked. Good luck with your Portuguese!

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Thatā€™s true - If I just look at your first name, I would think youā€™re French. Your ancestors must have come from France and settled in the U.S.

Portuguese is a beautiful language and Iā€™m happy to be learning it even though its pronunciation can be quite challenging.

Speak up if you have any other pronunciation questions. I love trying to figure out how to explain the trickier sounds. Iā€™m assuming that your being able to put it into practice right away was with the recorded ā€œtestsā€.

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What do you mean recorded tests?

The sort of ā€œtest your pronunciationā€ towards the ends of lessonā€“where you hit the microphone to record yourself and they tell you how well youā€™re doing.

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That feature is really a game changer in my Portuguese learning journey.

I have yet to practice saying the word in a recording. It probably wonā€™t happen until I go through the unit dealing with interrogatives.

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