Chance – Same Spelling, Same Meaning, Different Sound

First Published: 29th of April, 2022 by Patrick Carpen.

The Portuguese Language sports quite a few words which are spelled the same and mean the same as they do in English. The Portuguese version of these words are often borrowed from the English Language or derived from the same root that the English word was derived. In rare cases, the pronunciation may also be the same, but most of the time, the pronunciation is different even though the spelling and meaning is the same. That is because the Portuguese pronounce the letters of the alphabet differently.

The word “chance” is a good example to Illustrate this. The word “chance” in Portuguese means the same thing as it does in English. Here are some examples.

Ele não tem chance de ganhar o jogo. – He doesn’t have a chance of winning the game.
Não há chance de eu voltar lá. – There is no chance I’m going back there.

In Portuguese however, the word “chance” would be pronounced differently in the following ways.

1. The “ch” would be prounced as “sh.”
2. The final “e” would be pronounced as “eh.”
3. The word would be nasalized.
4. The first syllable would be slightly accentuated.

Try it: ShAN-seh

What others do you know that are similar, but not the same, in Portuguese? Tell us in the comments below.