In European Portuguese, the letter M can produce two distinct sounds: [m] or [ŋ]. Let’s break this down:
[m] – bilabial nasal
When M is followed by a vowel, it always produces the [m] sound:
- amor
- iminente
- tema
All words that start with M are always followed by a vowel. Therefore, M at the beginning of a word will always produce the [m] sound:
- mas
- muito
- maçã
[ŋ] – velar nasal
When M is followed by the consonants b or p*, it produces the [ŋ] sound:
- tempo
- empatia
- símbolo
- imbecil
*Note: According to Portuguese orthography, these are the only consonants that can follow M. In all other cases, the velar nasal sound [ŋ] is produced by N, as in manto.
At the end of words, M also produces the [ŋ] sound:
- viagem
- bom
- fim
It’s important to note that what I’ve just explained isn’t entirely aligned with conventional Portuguese phonetics. Strictly speaking, linguists describe the M before consonants (b or p) or at the end of words as creating nasalized vowel sounds rather than a true [ŋ], which is a nasal consonant.
However, for the sake of simplicity, I’ve chosen to describe it as a velar nasal [ŋ]. The difference is more theoretical than practical as both approaches describe the same sound through different conceptual frameworks.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into Portuguese nasal sounds, check out this article: Nasal Sounds in Portuguese. You’ll bump into M again there—sure thing!
