Signification
A question to ask for the spelling of a word or name.
Contexte culturel
Brazilians often have names with varied spellings (e.g., Izabel vs. Isabel). Asking 'Como se escreve?' is very common and never considered rude. In Portugal, the 1990 Orthographic Agreement changed many words. You might hear older people still asking 'Como se escreve agora?' (How is it written now?). In Angola, Portuguese coexists with national languages like Kimbundu. Spelling names correctly is a way of respecting local heritage. On WhatsApp, Brazilians often use 'Como escreve?' (dropping the 'se') in very informal chats.
Use it often!
Native speakers love helping with spelling. It shows you care about the language.
Don't forget the 'se'
While 'Como escreve' is heard, 'Como se escreve' is the grammatically correct version you should learn first.
Signification
A question to ask for the spelling of a word or name.
Use it often!
Native speakers love helping with spelling. It shows you care about the language.
Don't forget the 'se'
While 'Como escreve' is heard, 'Como se escreve' is the grammatically correct version you should learn first.
Combine with 'Pode soletrar?'
If they write it and you still can't read it, ask them to spell it out loud.
Teste-toi
Complete the sentence with the correct words.
Desculpe, ____ se ____ o seu nome?
The standard phrase is 'Como se escreve?'.
Which phrase would you use to ask for the spelling of 'pão'?
Você quer saber as letras da palavra 'pão'. O que você diz?
'Escreve' is for letters/spelling.
Fill in the missing part of the dialogue.
A: Meu sobrenome é Oliveira. B: _________? A: O-L-I-V-E-I-R-A.
The answer is a spelling, so the question must be 'Como se escreve?'.
🎉 Score : /3
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
3 exercicesDesculpe, ____ se ____ o seu nome?
The standard phrase is 'Como se escreve?'.
Você quer saber as letras da palavra 'pão'. O que você diz?
'Escreve' is for letters/spelling.
A: Meu sobrenome é Oliveira. B: _________? A: O-L-I-V-E-I-R-A.
The answer is a spelling, so the question must be 'Como se escreve?'.
🎉 Score : /3
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is neutral. You can use it with anyone.
'Escrever' means to write the whole word. 'Soletrar' means to say each letter one by one.
Yes, it is very common to ask 'Como se escreve o seu nome?'.
It makes the sentence passive, meaning 'How is it written?'.
Always 'escreve' (indicative) for this question.
Yes, it is universal across all Portuguese-speaking countries.
You can ask 'É com S ou com Z?'.
No, it is actually considered polite and attentive.
You can say 'Como se escrevem estas palavras?', but 'Como se escreve' is often used generally.
Yes, it's very common to ask friends this via text.
Expressions liées
Como se diz?
similarHow do you say?
Pode soletrar?
specialized formCan you spell it?
O que significa?
contrastWhat does it mean?
Como se pronuncia?
similarHow is it pronounced?
