Portuguese Year 2: Understanding a text: what it says, what you know and the essentials
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Tell telling texts from describing ones, find what is written, use what you already know and say the main point.
Texts that tell, texts that describe
Some texts tell (narrative): they say what happened. Others describe (descriptive): they say what a person, an animal or a thing is like. We read to have fun, to enjoy beautiful words or to find things out. To understand, you have three tools: look for what is written (explicit information), add what you already know, and say the essentials in a few words.
Reading is understanding
Reading is not just saying words: it is understanding. When the text does not say everything, you use what you have seen and lived to understand it. And when you can say the essentials in one sentence, you know you understood.
Rita and her cat
You read: «A Rita tem uma gata pequena. Chama-se Nuvem e tem o pelo branco. Ontem, a Nuvem fugiu para o jardim e a Rita foi buscá-la.» (Rita has a small cat. Her name is Nuvem and her fur is white. Yesterday, Nuvem ran into the garden and Rita went to fetch her.) Step 1 (kind of text): the first two sentences describe (what the cat is like); the last one tells what happened. Step 2 (what is written): the colour of the fur? «branco» (white): it is in the text. Step 3 (what you know): why did Rita fetch her? The text does not say, but you know an animal can get lost outside: probably to keep her safe. Step 4 (the essentials): the cat ran into the garden and Rita went to fetch her.
What is written is not what you think, and the essentials are not a detail
There are two mistakes. The first is mixing what is written with what you think: the colour of the fur is in the text; why Rita went to fetch her you work out, and you say «provavelmente» (probably). The second is telling everything, or only a small detail, instead of the essentials, which fit in one sentence: who did what.
Where you read and understand
You use this when you read a storybook, a photo caption, a recipe, a notice at school or a message. Before reading, look at the title and the pictures and think about what you already know. After reading, tell the essentials to a friend in your own words.
Test what you learned
Which sentence describes (says how something is) instead of telling what happened?
- a) «O balão é vermelho e muito grande.» (The balloon is red and very big.)
- b) «O balão rebentou com um estouro.» (The balloon burst with a bang.)
- c) «O Rui correu atrás do balão.» (Rui ran after the balloon.)
Correct answer: a) «O balão é vermelho e muito grande.» (The balloon is red and very big.) — Yes: it says what the balloon is like (red, big). Nothing happens in it.
The text says: «O Rui abriu a mochila e viu que estava molhada. Lá fora, chovia muito.» (Rui opened his bag and saw that it was wet. Outside, it was raining hard.) Why was Rui's bag wet?
- a) The text says it clearly: it fell in a puddle
- b) It does not say it, but you can work it out: it was raining hard outside
- c) You cannot know anything from the text
Correct answer: b) It does not say it, but you can work it out: it was raining hard outside — Yes: you join what is written (heavy rain) with what you know (rain wets things) and say «provavelmente».
Text: «A Ana perdeu o lápis. Procurou na mochila, debaixo da mesa e no casaco. Por fim, encontrou-o no bolso.» (Ana lost her pencil. She looked in her bag, under the table and in her coat. At last she found it in her pocket.) Which sentence says the essentials?
- a) «Ana procurou debaixo da mesa.» (Ana looked under the table.)
- b) «Ana tem uma mochila e um casaco.» (Ana has a bag and a coat.)
- c) «A Ana perdeu o lápis e encontrou-o no bolso.» (Ana lost her pencil and found it in her pocket.)
Correct answer: c) «A Ana perdeu o lápis e encontrou-o no bolso.» (Ana lost her pencil and found it in her pocket.) — Yes: it says who did what (lost and found) in one sentence.
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading MyLeoNes™…