Portuguese Year 1: The letters: names, order and the page
Portuguese, Year 1 (Portugal): 26 letters in a fixed order, capitals and small letters, and how the words go on the page.
Twenty-six letters in order
The Portuguese alphabet has 26 letters, always in the same order: a, b, c, d… up to z. Each letter has a capital (A) and a small letter (a). Letters have names: the letter B is called «bê» and the letter C is called «cê». Five are vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u. Careful with b and d: b has its stick on the left and its belly on the right; in d it is the other way round.
Order and page have rules
The order of the alphabet is for finding things: in a list of names, in a dictionary, on a library shelf. And the page has rules too, so that everybody reads the same way: you write from left to right and from top to bottom, you start at the margin, and when the line ends you move to the next line and go back to the left. Between two words you leave a space.
The list of friends
You want to write the names Rui, Ana, Marta and Bia on a sheet, in alphabetical order. Step 1: the first letters are R, A, M and B. Step 2: you say the alphabet: a, b, c… m… r. So A comes first, then B, then M and last R. Step 3: you write one name per line, starting at the margin on the left and always with a capital: Ana, Bia, Marta, Rui.
Words stuck together
When you begin to write, it is easy to stick everything together: «ogatobebeleite». Nobody can read that well! Between every two words you leave a space, about as wide as a finger: «O gato bebe leite.» (The cat drinks milk.) And if a word does not fit at the end of the line, the whole word goes to the next line, starting again at the margin on the left.
Where you use order and page
Finding a name in the phone contacts, finding a book in the library, looking for your name on the class list, reading a sign. Knowing the order of the alphabet, and writing from left to right with spaces between words, helps you in all of these.
Test what you learned
Which letter comes between M and O in the alphabet?
- a) N
- b) L
- c) P
- d) Q
Correct answer: a) N — Yes: the order is … m, n, o … so N comes right after M.
Put the names Diogo, Carla, Ema and Ana in alphabetical order. Which list is right?
- a) Ana, Diogo, Carla, Ema
- b) Ema, Diogo, Carla, Ana
- c) Carla, Ana, Ema, Diogo
- d) Ana, Carla, Diogo, Ema
Correct answer: d) Ana, Carla, Diogo, Ema — Yes: the first letters A, C, D, E follow the order of the alphabet.
Which sentence has the right spaces between the words?
- a) Ogatobebeleite.
- b) O gato bebe leite.
- c) Ogato bebe leite.
- d) O gatobebe leite.
Correct answer: b) O gato bebe leite. — Yes: there is a space between every two words.
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