What’s up, folks?
Today we are going to tackle one of the main sources of confusion for people who like to nitpick about pronunciation. It’s okay though, the difference between mas and mais is a valid question I get from my students all the time.
The real problem with this question is that Brazilians pronounce these two words in very different ways across Brazil. Some people pronounce both words the same way, but some people don’t, and because of that, learners end up pulling their hair out trying to decipher the hidden truth behind these words.
So let’s get to it!
Mas
Mas means but in the adversative sense, and that’s it!
Eu quero estudar português, mas não tenho tempo.
I want to study Portuguese, but I don’t have the time.
The “problem” is the multitude of accents we have in Brazil. When Brazilians are little and learning how to speak Portuguese, they go through something called alfabetização. We learn how to read and pronounce words correctly. We are taught every single phoneme in Brazilian Portuguese, things like: ão, lh, nh, ss, r, etc. I like to call this The Standard Brazilian Accent. But as we grow older, we adopt the accent of our region, and we pronounce words differently.
So, in some regions, people pronounce the word for but with the “standard” pronunciation, while in other regions, people pronounce it the same way mais is pronounced.
The standard pronunciation for
mas, recorded by me.
I also want to let you know that Brazilians often write
masasmaisbecause many people aren't aware of the correct spelling ofmas.
Let’s get to the examples:
Eu não queria te falar, mas você tá passando dos limites.
I didn’t want to tell you, but you are going too far.
Pode ser, mas também pode não ser.
It may be, but it also may not be.
Ela é muito rica, mas muito infeliz.
She is very wealthy, but very unhappy.
Eu sei que é difícil passar por isso, mas você não tá sozinho.
I know it’s hard to go through this, but you are not alone.
Eu comi aquelas ostras pensando que ia me fazer mal, mas tô bem até agora.
I ate those oysters thinking they would make me ill, but I am fine so far.
Eles queriam ficar mais um dia, mas tinham que voltar logo.
They wanted to stay one more day, but they had to go back soon.
O arroz queimou, mas não é o fim do mundo.
The rice burned, but it’s not the end of the world.
Eu não quero cerveja, mas uma taça de vinho seria bom.
I don’t want a beer, but a glass of wine would be good.
Essas havaianas são boas, mas não tão boas assim!
These Havaianas are good, but not that good!
Mais
Mais means many things. It can mean more, most, anymore, else, plus, and it is also used to make comparisons: faster -> more fast, taller -> more tall, as well as in expressions like muito mais (much more).
The standard pronunciation for
mais, recorded by me.
Just so you know,
maishas many meanings in Portuguese (10 to be exact, apart from expressions), and it's hard to translate every single meaning into English without context. So don't get bogged down in translation, don't be too hard on yourself, and take a break. Keep it simple, keep it light!
Let’s get to the examples:
O que mais eu posso falar?
What else can I say?
E o que mais?
What else?
Quem mais tá aqui com a gente?
Who else is here with us?
Isso pode ser a coisa mais importante que você já fez na vida.
This could be the most important thing you’ve ever done in your life.
Ele quer mais!
He wants more!
Ela não fica aqui nem mais minuto.
She won’t stay here not even a minute longer.
Isso não importa mais.
That doesn’t matter anymore.
Eles têm que comer mais carne.
They have to eat more meat.
Mas and Mais
And here we have a few examples with both words being used in the same sentence. The goal here to show how they are pronounced in everyday speech.
Let’s get to the examples:
A gente não vai mais morar juntos, mas eu vou continuar visitando meus filhos.
We don’t want to live together anymore, but I will keep visiting my children.
Sempre aguentei isso quieto, mas eu não aguento isso mais.
I’ve always put up with this quietly, but I can’t take it anymore.
Eles queriam comprar uma casa nova, mas tá mais caro do que um rim.
They wanted to buy a new house, but it’s more expensive than a kidney (an arm and a leg).
Até que ela fala português bem, mas mais devagar do que um tartaruga.
She kind of speaks good Portuguese, but slower than a turtle.
Ela devia comer mais verduras, mas só come besteira.
She should eat more greens, but she only eats junk food.
Ele sempre aguentou a conversa besta dela, mas não aguentou mais e foi embora.
He has always put up with her stupid talk, but he couldn’t take it anymore and left.
Você pode ser bem mais inteligente que eu, mas eu sou mais feliz.
You may be much smarter than me, but I am happier.
And here I leave the pronunciation of
both mas and mais, so you can compare the waveforms.
Now it’s time to test yourself and review what you learned so far. If you enjoyed learning two words that seem to be the same but actually work differently, saber and conhecer and empurrar and puxar follow the same format.