Vowels

/ɪ/ (as in "sit"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /i/, but it is shorter and tenser. Portuguese speakers may need to practice reducing the length and tension of their /i/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /ɪ/ in English.
/ʊ/ (as in "book"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /u/, but it is shorter and less rounded. Portuguese speakers may need to practice reducing the rounding of their /u/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /ʊ/ in English.
/ɛ/ (as in "let"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /ɛ/, but it is shorter and more open. Portuguese speakers may need to practice opening their /ɛ/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /ɛ/ in English.
/ɔ/ (as in "hot"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /ɔ/, but it is shorter and more tense. Portuguese speakers may need to practice reducing the length and tension of their /ɔ/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /ɔ/ in English.
/i/ (as in "see"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /i/, but it is longer and has a different quality. Portuguese speakers may need to practice elongating and brightening their /i/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /i/ in English.
/u/ (as in "blue"): Similar to the Portuguese vowel /u/, but it is longer and has a different quality. Portuguese speakers may need to practice elongating and rounding their /u/ sound to produce a natural-sounding /u/ in English.

/ə/ (as in "about"): Portuguese speakers may need to practice reducing the clarity and emphasis of their vowels in unstressed syllables to produce a natural-sounding schwa in English. This vowel is called the schwa and is not always pronounced clearly in English.
/æ/ (as in "cat"): Portuguese speakers may need to practice opening their mouth wider and lowering their tongue to produce a natural-sounding /æ/ in English.
/ʌ/ (as in "cup"): Portuguese speakers may need to practice opening their mouth wider and lowering their tongue to produce a natural-sounding /ʌ/ in English.