Brazilian Portuguese speaking practice with shadowing
Portuguese shadowing means speaking along with a Portuguese recording while following its words, rhythm and pauses. Begin with a captioned line you understand; repeat after the speaker before trying to speak along.
Try this line first
tomo café
0:30–0:32 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “I have coffee”
Every video and line on this page is Brazilian Portuguese, spoken by Brazilians in Easy Portuguese videos. Learning the Portuguese of Portugal? Go to European Portuguese shadowing, with lines from speakers in Portugal and the sounds that differ.
Three more lines, from short to long
Try the first line twice, then choose a longer line below. Return to this guide to choose the next exercise.
Next line
eu tomo banho
1:58–1:59 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “I take a shower”
Next line
vou cozinhar faço jantar
1:08–1:11 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “I’m going to cook, I make dinner”
Next line
Depois eu tomo café e vou para o meu trabalho
1:59–2:03 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “Then I have coffee and go to work”
Brazilian Portuguese shadowing for beginners: a 10-minute routine alone
All four lines above come from one Easy Portuguese video where Brazilians describe their day, so they make a short routine you can do without a partner, shortest first: copy a real speaker, then change the line to say something true about your own day. At A1, stay with the first two steps for a few days.
- Warm up with “tomo café” (“I have coffee”): listen, then record it after the speaker twice. In Brazil the final o of tomo sounds close to “u”, and the é of café is open and stressed. Choose 0.75× under “More options” if the words run together.
- Record “eu tomo banho” (“I take a shower”). The nh sounds like the “ny” in “canyon”. Then say what you have in the morning: De manhã eu tomo café. or De manhã eu tomo chá.
- Record “vou cozinhar faço jantar” (“I’m going to cook, I make dinner”). The ç of faço is an “s”. Then say whether it is true of you: À noite eu faço jantar. or À noite eu não cozinho.
- Finish with the longest line, “Depois eu tomo café e vou para o meu trabalho” (“Then I have coffee and go to work”). Say it after the speaker until you no longer stop in the middle, then choose “With the speaker” and say it along. Then change the end to your day: “Depois eu vou para …” (a escola, a faculdade, o meu trabalho).
Sada compares your takes of the video lines with the captions. It does not score the sentences you make up, so say those aloud and match the speaker’s melody by ear.
Video and caption sources
Exercise text and ranges checked against the captions Sada uses on 2026-10-04. Captions may change; automatic captions can contain errors.
- Brazilians Talk About Their Daily Routines — Easy Portuguese · 11 min · level B1
- Why Do You Live in São Paulo? — Easy Portuguese · 12 min · level B1–B2
- Brazilians Tell Us Where They’re From — Easy Portuguese · 15 min · level B1
Portuguese sounds to listen for
- This is Brazilian Portuguese: All the videos here are from Brazil, and it sounds different from Portugal. Stick with one.
- ão: As in “não” and “São Paulo”: an “ow” sound that goes through the nose.
- t and d before i: In most of Brazil they become “ch” and “j”: “tia” sounds like “chee-a”, “dia” like “jee-a”.
- r at the start of a word: Said like an English h: “Rio” sounds close to “Hee-oo”.
How to practise
- Open an exercise from this guide. The link selects the exact line, with “After the speaker” chosen. Read it once and check that you understand it.
- Press Record. Listen first, then say the line after the 3, 2, 1 count; recording stops automatically. Press Stop if you need to end early.
- Keep the speaker’s pauses and rhythm. Use a comfortable voice; headphones help keep the original out of your recording.
- Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
- Record the same line again, changing one thing you heard. Return here for a longer line; choose “With the speaker” when you are ready to speak along.
How well does Sada hear this language?
Compare shows recognised and missed words against the captions, plus timing feedback when usable word timings are available. It does not grade individual sounds or certify your accent. Automatic captions and recognition can be wrong, including around accents, apostrophes and numbers: replay the original and your take before deciding what to change. Earlier synthetic-voice tests (2026-09-25) are not evidence of accuracy for learner recordings.
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Questions people ask
Does Sada work for Portuguese?
Yes. These checked Portuguese lines open with “After the speaker” selected: you hear the line, then record it and compare. Feedback depends on the captions and speech recognition; it is not a grade of individual sounds.
Are videos with automatic captions OK?
Yes, Sada works with YouTube’s automatic captions. Hand-written captions are more accurate, so start with those when a video has them.
How do I start Brazilian Portuguese shadowing as a beginner?
Start with a short line you understand, said after the speaker rather than with them, at 0.75× if you need it, three times before you move on. The routine on this page begins with a two-word line and ends with a ten-word sentence, all from one Easy Portuguese video about daily routines. Speak along with the speaker once a line feels easy.
Practise again tomorrow? Get one short sentence a day, ready to record in one tap.
You don't need to speak fast.
A slow line to begin with: listen to how “don’t need to” runs together, then say it at the speaker’s pace.
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