LinguaAccents are spelling, not decoration
Portuguese puts small marks on vowels, and they change the word. The acute accent (´) marks the stressed syllable and makes a, e, o open: sofá, pé, avó (grandmother). The circumflex (^) marks the stress too, but with a closed vowel: bebê, lâmpada, avô (grandfather). So avó and avô are two different people, and é (is) is not e (and): A avó é baixa e o avô é alto – “Grandma is short and Grandpa is tall”. On i and u the acute only shows where the stress falls: açaí, açúcar.
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.
| Mark | Portuguese name | What it does | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| á é í ó ú | acento agudo | stressed syllable; a, e, o open | sofá, pé, avó, açaí |
| â ê ô | acento circunflexo | stressed syllable; vowel closed | bebê, lâmpada, avô |
| ã õ | til | nasal vowel | maçã |
| ç | cedilha | c sounds s before a, o, u | praça, açúcar |
| à | acento grave | a + a merged into one word | à praça |
A avó está na praça.Grandma is in the square.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a avó | grandmother | A avó faz bolo aos domingos. Grandma bakes a cake on Sundays. |
| o avô | grandfather | O avô lê o jornal na varanda. Grandpa reads the newspaper on the balcony. |
| o pé | foot | Meu pé está doendo. My foot hurts. |
| o sofá | sofa | O gato dorme no sofá. The cat sleeps on the sofa. |
| o bebê | baby | O bebê está dormindo. The baby is sleeping. |
| a lâmpada | light bulb, lamp | A lâmpada da cozinha queimou. The kitchen light bulb has blown. |
| o açaí | açaí (a purple Amazon berry) | Eu tomo açaí com banana. I have açaí with banana. |
| o dominó | dominoes (game) | Os vizinhos jogam dominó na praça. The neighbours play dominoes in the square. |
| o açúcar | sugar | Café sem açúcar, por favor. Coffee without sugar, please. |
| a maçã | apple | A maçã está na geladeira. The apple is in the fridge. |
| a praça | square (in a town) | A feira é na praça, perto da igreja. The market is in the square, near the church. |
| e | and | Pão e manteiga. Bread and butter. |
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.