
In this Portuguese lesson you will learn the Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation of the letter J in so you can say beijos and José like a Brazilian.
This video lesson is a part of the Street Smart Brazil Portuguese Starter Kit. In this series we give you important pronunciation tips to improve your pronunciation whether you are just starting out with Portuguese or want to improve your language skills.
Here is the video for this lesson:
The examples I use in the lesson com three Brazilian songs:
- Ao Meu Redor, by Brazilian singer Marisa Monte, one of my favorites
- Velha Infância, by Tribalistas
- Águas de Março, by Elis Regina
The letter J is not difficult in Portuguese. It is always pronounced the same way. The trick is to avoid your instinct to pronounce it as in English or in Spanish.
From the song Ao Meu Redor:
- A janela = window
- Janeiro = January
From the song Velha Infância:
- Quando eu não te vejo = When I don’t see you
- O beijo = kiss
Learn everything about the Valentine’s Day in Brazil: Dia dos Namorados no Brasil
From the song Águas de Março:
- O tijolo = brick
- O projeto = project
- José
- João

For an additional explanation and a tip on how to pronounce the letter J in Portuguese, watch lesson number 2 on the series Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs with polyglot Susanna Zaraysky.
For great tips and strategies to learn language using music and other media resources, check out Susanna Zaraysky’s book Language is Music. It is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese on Amazon.com.
To learn a language, you need to speak it. You need to practice your Portuguese in real-life situations, carrying out natural conversations.
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