Portuguese Year 2: Plan, tell and check: a story from start to finish
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Think before you speak (who, where, when, what happens), tell it in order and check how it went.
Plan, tell in order, check
Before you tell a story, plan it: who is in it? Where and when does it happen? What happens first, in the middle and at the end? Then tell it in order, with words like «primeiro» (first), «depois» (then) and «por fim» (at last). You can retell a story you heard, tell something that happened to you or invent one. At the end, check: was everything clear? Did I speak slowly? Was something missing?
A story with no plan gets lost
A story with no plan gets lost: you tell the end before the start or forget who was there. With a few key words in front of you, you do not have to search for what to say next. And a quick check teaches you something: next time you will tell it even better.
Telling my Saturday
You want to tell your Saturday. Step 1 (plan): who: me and grandma; where: the river; when: Saturday; what happens: we see a duck, it comes close, it flies away. Step 2 (tell): «No sábado, fui com a avó ao rio. Primeiro, vimos um pato. Depois, o pato veio nadar ao pé de nós. Por fim, voou.» (On Saturday I went to the river with my grandma. First, we saw a duck. Then the duck came swimming near us. At last, it flew away.) Step 3 (check): Did I say who, where and when? Was it in order? Did I speak slowly? I forgot to say how I felt: next time I add a sentence.
Retelling is not inventing, and no plan means «e depois…»
Retelling means telling what happened, without changing the characters or the ending. When you tell an imagined situation you may invent, but you still tell it in order. The most common mistake is to start without thinking and join everything with «e depois… e depois…» (and then… and then…): you lose the thread and the listener stops understanding.
Where you tell stories
You use this when you tell mum how your day went, when you retell a film to a friend, when you invent a story so your little brother falls asleep or when you speak to the class. Whoever plans and tells in order gets listened to.
Test what you learned
You want to tell a story to the class. What is the best thing to do before you start?
- a) Start at once, the ideas will come
- b) Think who is in it, where, when and what happens at the start, middle and end
- c) Learn every word by heart
Correct answer: b) Think who is in it, where, when and what happens at the start, middle and end — Yes: a short plan keeps the story in order and helps you not to forget anything.
Rui's morning: he woke up, he ate, he went to school. Which telling is in order, with linking words?
- a) «Por fim, acordei. Depois, fui à escola. Primeiro, comi.» (At last, I woke up. Then, I went to school. First, I ate.)
- b) «Fui à escola. Acordei. Comi.» (I went to school. I woke up. I ate.)
- c) «Primeiro, acordei. Depois, comi. Por fim, fui à escola.» (First, I woke up. Then, I ate. At last, I went to school.)
Correct answer: c) «Primeiro, acordei. Depois, comi. Por fim, fui à escola.» (First, I woke up. Then, I ate. At last, I went to school.) — Yes: the events are in order and «primeiro», «depois» and «por fim» show it.
Ana heard a story. When she retells it, she changes the ending because she likes hers better. Is that retelling?
- a) No: retelling is telling what happened without changing the ending; changing it is inventing
- b) Yes: retelling always lets you change whatever you like
- c) Yes, and she should change the characters too
Correct answer: a) No: retelling is telling what happened without changing the ending; changing it is inventing — Yes, that is the difference. Inventing is fine in an imagined story, but retelling keeps what happened.
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading MyLeoNes™…