LinguaSmall marks that change the word
Portuguese writes a few marks above and below its letters, and they are part of the spelling. The acute (á é í ó ú) marks a stressed OPEN vowel; the circumflex (â ê ô) a stressed CLOSED one. That is the whole difference between avó (grandmother) and avô (grandfather), and é means “is” while e means “and”. The til (ã õ) makes a vowel nasal – mãe, irmã. The cedilla turns c into an s before a, o, u: praça, açúcar. And the grave accent appears almost only on à, which is a + a joined.
The acute accent is one short stroke, drawn last, rising from lower left to upper right above the letter. First write the letter, then the accent.
On í the accent takes the place of the dot – there is no dot under it. On ú it sits above the middle of the letter.
The circumflex is a little roof: up and down in one stroke above the letter. It is written after the letter.
The til is a small wave drawn from left to right above the vowel. It sends the sound through the nose.
First the c, then a small hook under it: down from the bottom of the c, a little curl, and back to the left.
The grave accent is the acute turned round: one short stroke falling from upper left to lower right above the a. First the a, then the accent.
| Mark | Portuguese name | What it shows | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| á é í ó ú | acento agudo | stressed OPEN vowel | avó, café, é |
| â ê ô | acento circunflexo | stressed CLOSED vowel | avô, português |
| ã õ | til | nasal vowel | mãe, irmã, lições |
| ç | cedilha | c said as s before a, o, u | praça, açúcar |
| à | acento grave | a + a joined into one word | à praça |
A avó e o avô estão na praça.Grandma and Grandpa are in the square.
Vou à praça com a minha irmã.I am going to the square with my sister.
Portugal writes the acute where Brazil writes the circumflex, because in Portugal these vowels are open: género (Brazil gênero), António (Antônio), bebé (bebê), ténis (tênis). This course follows Portugal.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| é | is (he, she, it is) | O café é bom. The coffee is good. |
| e | and | O gato e o pato. The cat and the duck. |
| a avó | grandmother | A avó tem oitenta anos. Grandma is eighty. |
| o avô | grandfather | O avô lê o jornal. Grandpa reads the newspaper. |
| o café | coffee; espresso | Um café, por favor. An espresso, please. |
| o bebé | baby | O bebé dorme. The baby is sleeping. |
| a mãe | mother | A mãe chama-se Isabel. Mum’s name is Isabel. |
| a irmã | sister | A minha irmã mora no Porto. My sister lives in Porto. |
| a maçã | apple | Como uma maçã por dia. I eat an apple a day. |
| a praça | square (in a town) | A praça tem uma fonte. The square has a fountain. |
| o açúcar | sugar | Queres açúcar? Do you want sugar? |
| as lições | lessons | As lições são curtas. The lessons are short. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which word means “grandmother”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.