Portuguese Year 1: What words mean
Portuguese, Year 1 (Portugal): See how words relate (similar, opposite, group), and work out a new word from the words and pictures around it.
Words have relatives
Some words mean almost the same, like «contente» and «feliz» (synonyms). Some mean the opposite, like «grande» and «pequeno» (antonyms). Some belong to a group: «cão», «gato» and «pato» are all animals, and «animais» is the name of the group. And when a word is new, you can find its meaning from the words around it and from the picture.
More words for free
Knowing how words relate gives you more words without extra work: learn «grande» and you also get «pequeno», its opposite. And you do not always need to ask or look in the dictionary. Reading the clues, you can work out many new words alone, and that makes reading more fun.
A case: the word «boné»
Text: «O sol estava forte. O Rui pôs o boné na cabeça para não ter calor.» Step 1: I do not know «boné». Step 2: clues in the words: it goes «na cabeça» (on the head) and helps against the strong sun. Step 3: clue in the picture: a boy with a cap with a peak. Step 4: so «boné» is a cap. Step 5: check: the sentence makes sense.
Do not guess by the look
Words that look alike can mean very different things: «pato» (duck) and «prato» (plate). Do not guess only from how a word looks or sounds. Use the clues in the text and in the picture, and then check that the sentence makes sense with the meaning you found. Also, similar words are not always identical: check them in the sentence.
Where you use it
You use it when a new word comes up in a book or in class, when you play “say the opposite” games, when you sort toys or cards into groups like animals, fruit and clothes, and when you say the same idea with a different word so the text does not repeat itself.
Test what you learned
Which word means the opposite of «grande»?
- a) alto
- b) pequeno
- c) enorme
Correct answer: b) pequeno — Yes: «pequeno» is the antonym of «grande», the word that says the opposite.
You read: «O sol estava forte. O Rui pôs o boné na cabeça.» What is a «boné»?
- a) Something you eat
- b) Something you wear on your feet
- c) Something you read
- d) Something you wear on your head
Correct answer: d) Something you wear on your head — Yes: «na cabeça» and the strong sun are two clues that say it is a cap.
Which sentence is true?
- a) «Pato» and «prato» mean the same because they look alike
- b) I use the clues in the text and pictures, then check the sentence
- c) A new word can only be found in the dictionary
Correct answer: b) I use the clues in the text and pictures, then check the sentence — Yes: clues first, then a check that the sentence makes sense.
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