Portuguese Year 2: Syllables: how many there are and which one is stressed
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Clap the syllables to count them; the stressed syllable is the one said with more force.
Syllables and the stressed syllable
A syllable is a group of sounds said in one go, and it always has a vowel. You count by clapping as you say the word: «ca-sa» (house) takes two claps. A word with one syllable is monossílaba («sol», sun), with two dissílaba («casa»), with three trissílaba («janela», window) and with four or more polissílaba («borboleta», butterfly). In every word one syllable is said with more force: the stressed syllable, sílaba tónica («ja-NE-la»). The others are unstressed, átonas.
It helps you read and write
Dividing a word into syllables helps you read and write it: a long word becomes small pieces. The stressed syllable gives the word its rhythm: if you say «ja-ne-LA» instead of «ja-NE-la», nobody understands well. Later you will need it to know where a written accent goes. For now what matters is listening: counting syllables and finding the one said with more force trains your ear for words.
Counting and finding the stressed syllable
Words: «gato» (cat), «janela», «borboleta». Step 1: say each one slowly and clap: ga-to (2), ja-ne-la (3), bor-bo-le-ta (4). Step 2: classify: «gato» is dissílaba, «janela» trissílaba, «borboleta» polissílaba. Step 3: to find the stressed syllable, call the word from far away: «Ja-NE-la!». The syllable you stretch is the stressed one: «GA-to», «ja-NE-la», «bor-bo-LE-ta». The others are unstressed.
Counting letters, and trusting the accent
Two mistakes. One: counting letters or vowels instead of syllables. «Pai» (father) has two vowels but only one syllable (the «a» and the «i» are said together), and «casa» has four letters and two syllables. Two: thinking the stressed syllable is always the first one, or the one with an accent. In «janela» there is no accent and the stressed syllable is the middle one; in «papel» (paper) there is no accent either and the stressed syllable is the last. Trust your ear, not the letters.
Where you use syllables
In songs and rhymes each syllable has its beat, and often you clap on the stressed ones. When you read a long word, like «hipopótamo» (hippopotamus: hi-po-PÓ-ta-mo), splitting it into syllables helps you not to get lost. And when you write a word, saying it slowly, syllable by syllable, helps you not to forget letters.
Test what you learned
How many syllables does «janela» (window) have, and what do we call a word like this?
- a) 2 syllables: dissílaba
- b) 6 syllables: polissílaba
- c) 4 syllables: polissílaba
- d) 3 syllables: trissílaba
Correct answer: d) 3 syllables: trissílaba — Yes: ja-ne-la, three claps, so it is a trissílaba.
Which is the stressed syllable of «sapato» (shoe)?
- a) «sa»
- b) «pa»
- c) «to»
Correct answer: b) «pa» — Yes: «sa-PA-to», the middle syllable is said with more force.
How many syllables does «pai» (father) have?
- a) 1: the vowels «a» and «i» are said together
- b) 2: it has two vowels
- c) 3: it has three letters
Correct answer: a) 1: the vowels «a» and «i» are said together — Yes: say it and clap: one clap only, so «pai» is a monossílaba.
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