So, when we are talking about the final M sound, we are talking about any syllable, word, or phrase that ends with the letter M.

For example, mom, Tom, Jam, Ham. From. Come. Some. Someone. Somewhere. Something. Ah, something, that is a word that Alexia still has so much trouble with. 

If I had a dollar each time Alexia mispronounced the word something, then I would be a rich, rich little boy. 

Anyways, you have the M sound in Portuguese. Think about at the beginning of words like mico, macaco, maracuja, maracatú. 

But, in general, you don’t have this sound at the end of words. 

In written language, the way that you write, you have the M sound. But in the way you speak, you normally do not pronounce it. 

So in English, the final M is what we call a bilabial sound. This simply means that you are closing your mouth and your lips are touching together. 

For example, in the word, “from.” When I say from, my lips are touching each other and my mouth is completely closed. 

From. I hear so many of my students say frõ. Frõ. And that sounds really weird to native English speakers. 

So now think about the word, também. Quando falo a palavra “também.” Minha boca fica aberta. 

So, in theory, this should be really easy to correct. Because you already have this sound in Portuguese, and all you are doing is closing your mouth. 

But it is more difficult because what is happening in your mouth physically. When you say também in Portuguese, you are actually producing a nasal vowel, which is not very common in English. 

So in the next video, we will talk about what nasal vowels are, and when to use them. But for now, just remember to completely close your mouth when you have the final M sound. 

Thanks!