Portuguese Year 1: Building sentences: stops and linking words
Portuguese, Year 1 (Portugal): End a simple sentence with the right sign, and join two ideas with «quando», «depois» and «porque».
A sentence has a start and an end
A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a sign. The full stop (.) closes a statement. The question mark (?) closes a question. The exclamation mark (!) shows surprise, joy or a strong order. You can also join two ideas with linking words: «quando» and «depois» tell WHEN, «porque» tells WHY.
Signs are the voice on paper
The signs tell the reader how to say the sentence: the voice goes down at a full stop, goes up at a question, and gets stronger at an exclamation. Linking words make your writing say more: not just what happened, but when and why. That is how longer sentences are born.
A case: from two sentences to one
Two short sentences: «Estou contente. É sábado.» (I am happy. It is Saturday.) Step 1: which one is the reason? «É sábado.» Step 2: join with «porque»: «Estou contente porque é sábado.» Step 3, time: «Comi o jantar. Fui dormir.» becomes «Fui dormir depois de jantar.» Step 4: capital at the start, full stop at the end. A question would be «Estás contente?».
Do not cut the reason off
A common mistake is to put a full stop before «porque», leaving the reason alone: «Estou contente. Porque é sábado.» The reason belongs with the idea it explains, so the sentence goes on. Another slip is to forget the sign, or to use “?” for something that is not a question.
Where you use it
You use it in notes to your family, in birthday cards («Parabéns!»), when you ask a question in a message, and when you explain something to a friend: «Não fui ao parque porque estava a chover.» Every time you write, you choose an ending sign and maybe a linking word.
Test what you learned
Which sign closes this sentence? «Onde está o meu boné__»
- a) Full stop (.)
- b) Exclamation mark (!)
- c) Question mark (?)
Correct answer: c) Question mark (?) — Yes: the sentence asks where the cap is, so it ends with a question mark.
Join the two ideas to give the reason: «Estou contente.» «É sábado.» Which is best?
- a) Estou contente porque é sábado.
- b) Estou contente depois é sábado.
- c) Estou contente. Porque é sábado.
Correct answer: a) Estou contente porque é sábado. — Yes: «porque» joins the reason («é sábado») to the idea it explains, in one sentence.
Which sentence is well written?
- a) Comi a sopa. Porque tinha fome.
- b) comi a sopa porque tinha fome.
- c) Comi a sopa porque tinha fome?
- d) Comi a sopa porque tinha fome.
Correct answer: d) Comi a sopa porque tinha fome. — Yes: capital letter, the reason joined with «porque», and one full stop at the end.
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