It seems as if Tereza usually pronounces the "s" like "ess", while Paulo pronounces it more like "sh". For example, Tereza pronounces estou with an English sounding "s", while Paulo pronounces it more like "eshto. Is this just a flexibility built into the language, a different dialect, or am I missing something? Thanks. Rick

Hi Richard ! Congratulations you have a really good perception :) Brazil is a big country with many states and each state has their own regional accent. The "sh" sound is a regional accent from Rio de Janeiro and the "ess" is a regional accent from Brasília and both are correct. Obrigada ! Tereza

Regarding the accents, is there a preferred way to learn? Specifically, it seems like it would be better to choose one or the other and be consistent. So, even when Paulo uses the Carioca accent in his examples, I tend to use Tereza's pronunciation since I am mainly going to be speaking to Paulistas.

Hi Joe, Thanks to choose my accents :) There is no preferred way to learn and both are correct, you can choose one or both, actually some Brazilians have more than one accents, this happens because people move between states or from country to town. Até logo, Tereza.

Hi Tereza, I've noticed the exact same thing with yours and Paolo's accent. My job as a flight attendant brings me to Sao Paulo quite frequently, and people there are having a really hard time understanding my portuguese. In Sao Paulo, is it more appropriate to stick the the "s" sound? Also, with the letter "d", sometimes its pronounced like the English "J" and sometimes its pronounced "D." Is there some sort of rule that I'm missing when it comes to pronouncing this? Finally, the letter "t" is sometimes pronounced like an English "T" and sometimes a "CH." Again, is there a rule when reading these letters, and what is the more common pronunciation that I should be using so that the Paulistos can understand me. They have been looking at me like I'm from mars when I talk to them.

Hey Jacob :) Yes, in São Paulo it is more appropriate to stick the "s" sound, but the letter "d" and "t" are complicate, specially in São Paulo, because this big city receive people from all Brazilian states and everyone has a different accent. Try to keep just the sounds "d" and "t" they are more common and don't worry, this is not a rule, just different accents. Hope this helps :) Tereza.