Portuguese Year 2: Words written well: capital and small letters, syllables, accents and tilde
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Each letter has a capital and a small form; count the syllables, and put the accent and the tilde where they belong.
Two forms for each letter
Our alphabet has 26 letters and each one has two forms: the capital («A») and the small letter («a»). The capital is used at the start of a sentence and for names. Words split into syllables, like a-vô or pês-se-go, and some carry an accent (á, é, ó, â, ê, ô) or a tilde (ã, õ). The accent and the tilde are part of the word: without them the word is written wrongly.
Syllables of different kinds, and accents that change meaning
Syllables have different shapes: only a vowel (a-), consonant and vowel (ca-), a consonant at the end (pês-), two consonants in a row (pra-) or two vowels together («pai» (father)). Clapping helps to count syllables. And an accent can change the meaning: «avó» (grandmother) and «avô» (grandfather) are different people.
A dictation with accents
Dictation: «O avô come um pêssego.» (Grandpa eats a peach.) Step 1: start with a capital («O») and end with a full stop. Step 2: split into syllables and clap: a-vô, pês-se-go. Step 3: in each word, find the strongest syllable: a-VÔ, PÊS-se-go. Step 4: those syllables take a circumflex accent: «ô» and «ê». Step 5: in «pêssego», the sound /s/ between vowels is written «ss».
Mirror letters and forgotten marks
Similar letters get mixed up: «b» and «d», «p» and «q» are mirror images of each other. Trick: the «b» has its belly to the right and the «d» to the left. Another mistake is forgetting the accent or the tilde: «avó» and «avô» are not the same person, and «mae» is wrong; the right spelling is «mãe» (mother).
Where you write and read like this
You use this when you write your name, a postcard, a shopping list or a dictation, and when you read a sign or a street name. On the keyboard, capital letters are typed with the Shift key, and the Portuguese keyboard has keys for the accents and the tilde.
Test what you learned
Which pair joins a small letter with its own capital letter?
- a) d — B
- b) q — P
- c) g — G
Correct answer: c) g — G — Yes: «g» is the small form and «G» the capital of the same letter.
In a dictation you hear «pêssego» (peach). Which is written correctly?
- a) pêssego
- b) pessego
- c) pêsego
Correct answer: a) pêssego — Yes: it has the circumflex accent on the strong syllable («pês») and «ss» for /s/ between vowels.
Ana wrote «dola» instead of «bola» (ball). What was the mistake?
- a) She forgot an accent
- b) She mixed up «b» and «d», which are mirror images
- c) She used a capital letter by mistake
Correct answer: b) She mixed up «b» and «d», which are mirror images — Yes: «b» and «d» look alike, but the belly is on the other side. Check with the trick.
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