Portuguese typing practice
Learn to touch type Portuguese as it is written in Portugal, free in your browser: lessons from real Portuguese words, Eça de Queirós to type, and the keys for ç and every accent.
What you can practise
Smart Lessons in Portuguese
Real Portuguese words, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys, and Portuguese's own letters join as the others come up to speed.
The Portuguese alphabet
Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Portuguese letter on your keyboard.
Typing games in Portuguese
Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Portuguese words.
6 Portuguese books
Classic Portuguese books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.
Portuguese letters
Portuguese uses ç and four accents: the acute in "já" and "café", the grave in "à" and "às", the circumflex in "você" and "avô", and the tilde in "não", "mãe" and "lições". The tilde turns up all the time, and the common ending "-ção", as in "informação" and "atenção", puts ç and ã side by side.
A Portuguese keyboard is QWERTY with ç on its own key to the right of L. Two dead keys by Enter carry the accents: ´ (Shift for `) and ~ (Shift for ^); press the accent, then the vowel. On a US or UK keyboard, US-International gives ' for the acute, ` for the grave, Shift 6 for the circumflex and Shift ` for the tilde, and on Windows AltGr comma types ç.
On a Portuguese keyboard
Windows: Portuguese · macOS: Portuguese · Linux: Portuguese
Add it in Windows under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in macOS under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, in Linux under Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources.
| Letter | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| á | ´then A | ´then A | ´then A |
| à | Shift ´then A | Shift ´then A | Shift ´then A |
| â | Shift ~then A | Shift ~then A | Shift ~then A |
| ã | ~then A | ~then A | ~then A |
| ç | Ç | Ç | Ç |
| é | ´then E | ´then E | ´then E |
| ê | Shift ~then E | Shift ~then E | Shift ~then E |
| í | ´then I | ´then I | ´then I |
| ó | ´then O | ´then O | ´then O |
| ô | Shift ~then O | Shift ~then O | Shift ~then O |
| õ | ~then O | ~then O | ~then O |
| ú | ´then U | ´then U | ´then U |
On a US or UK keyboard
Windows: United States-International · macOS: ABC – Extended · Linux: English (US, intl., with dead keys)
Add it the same way. On US-International ' and " become dead keys: type a space after one for the mark itself.
| Letter | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| á | 'then A | Option Ethen A | 'then A |
| à | `then A | Option `then A | `then A |
| â | Shift 6then A | Option 6then A | Shift 6then A |
| ã | Shift `then A | Option Nthen A | Shift `then A |
| ç | AltGr , | Option Cthen C | Shift AltGr 5then C |
| é | 'then E | Option Ethen E | 'then E |
| ê | Shift 6then E | Option 6then E | Shift 6then E |
| í | 'then I | Option Ethen I | 'then I |
| ó | 'then O | Option Ethen O | 'then O |
| ô | Shift 6then O | Option 6then O | Shift 6then O |
| õ | Shift `then O | Option Nthen O | Shift `then O |
| ú | 'then U | Option Ethen U | 'then U |
Tips for typing Portuguese
Practise -ção
Ç sits where a US keyboard has the semicolon, so the right little finger types it from rest, then reaches two keys further for ~ before the a. Run "ação", "nação" and "lições" until the three keys flow.
The grave is Shift
À, the a that joins "a" and "a" in "à" and "às", is Shift with the ´ key, then a. Hold Shift with the left little finger so the right one is free for the accent.
Circumflex and tilde share a key
~ alone gives ã and õ; with Shift it gives ^ for â, ê and ô. Words like "você", "pêssego" and "pôr" are the ones to practise if you mix them up.
Ç on US-International
On Windows' US-International, ' then c also types ç, which is quick but catches you when you want an apostrophe before a c. AltGr comma always gives ç.