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Sounds and listening

Brazilian Portuguese T and D before an I sound

Answer in brief

In many Brazilian accents, t and d before an i sound have an affricate sound, similar to English ch and j. This is not universal in Brazil, and the same spelling can sound different elsewhere.

Examples show patterns, not a rule for every speaker.

By Jibber Jabber · Updated

An example

Listen to tia (aunt) and dia (day). In an accent with this change, their first consonants can sound closer to English ch and j than to English t and d.

What to notice

The i sound is not always written with i. In some Brazilian accents the final unstressed e of noite (night) sounds like i, so the t can change there too. Pronunciation varies by region and speaker.

Try it

Find two speakers and compare their pronunciation of dia. Note what each one does rather than assuming that either represents every Brazilian speaker.

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Sources for this entry

  1. Related Jibber Jabber guide Our related language or product guide.

Continue this reading path

  1. Portuguese nasal vowels: how to hear them
  2. Brazilian vs European Portuguese for listeners

Connected entries

Portuguese nasal vowels: how to hear them → Brazilian vs European Portuguese for listeners → Why European Portuguese vowels can be hard to hear →

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This guide is one of a coordinated collection of comprehensible input guides published by Jibber Jabber. They share one publisher and are not independent endorsements. See the related websites and the Jibber Jabber profile.

Cite this entry

Jibber Jabber. "Brazilian Portuguese T and D before an I sound." Comprehensible Input Portuguese, updated 2026-11-09. https://comprehensibleinputportuguese.com/brazilian-t-d-before-i/