'Pão' vs 'Pau': Avoid This Awkward Portuguese Mistake

Let’s take two small but crucial words to illustrate why nasal sounds are essential in Portuguese: pão and pau.

Pão means “bread.”
Pau means “stick” or “wood,” but in slang, it can also mean… well, penis.

Now imagine this: You walk into a café in Brazil and say, “Oi, por favor, eu quero um pau com manteiga” instead of “pão com manteiga”. Oops! You just asked for “penis with butter” instead of “bread with butter.” 😅

While most Brazilians would get what you mean, mastering those nasal sounds can help you avoid moments like this. It’s not just about pronunciation—it’s about communicating clearly and confidently.

So… What Makes a Sound Nasal?

Nasal sounds in Portuguese happen in a couple of ways:

Words with a tilde (~) over a vowel, like pão or coração.
Words ending in “m” or “n”, unless followed by a vowel, such as bom or sim.

The tilde (~) is called a til (pronounced teel), and it gives vowels a distinct nasal resonance. For English speakers, nasal vowels aren’t common, so it can be tricky at first. But don’t worry—once you start listening closely, you’ll begin to hear the difference.

Examples of Nasal Sounds

Here are a few examples of nasal sounds in Portuguese, with tips to help you get the pronunciation right:

Pão (bread): The nasal ão sounds a bit like “own” in English, but with a stronger nasal tone.
Mãe (mother): The nasal ãe is similar to the “ay” in “say,” but with that nasal twist.
Cão (dog): Again, the ão is nasalized—think of “own” in “stone,” but let your nose do more of the work.

Mastering Nasal Sounds

The more you practice, the clearer your pronunciation will become. And the better you get at nasal sounds, the easier it will be to avoid any unintended double meanings.

So next time you’re in a café or chatting with a Brazilian friend, remember: pão com manteiga, not pau com manteiga. It could save you from some awkward laughs!

Want to discover more language mistakes like this? Check our book, available on Amazon, for more common Portuguese blunders and how to avoid them!