Portuguese Year 3: Word families and what words mean
Portuguese, Year 3 (Portugal): Words born from the same word form a family; prefixes and suffixes, synonyms and antonyms help to work out what a word means.
Words born from a word
Many words are born from another word. «Flor» (flower) gave «florista» (florist), «floreira» (flower box) and «florido» (in bloom). These words form a family and share the root (radical), here «flor». A piece is added at the end (suffix: «-ista», «-eira», «-ido») or at the start (prefix: «in-», «des-», «re-»). Each piece brings a meaning: «-ista» is the person who works with it; «in-» and «des-» say the opposite; «re-» says again.
Working out a word you do not know
If you do not know a word, you can work out what it means. Split it: «sapataria» is «sapato» (shoe) + «-aria», the place where shoes are sold. Words also have other relations. Synonyms mean nearly the same: «bonito» and «lindo» (pretty, lovely). Antonyms mean the opposite: «abrir» and «fechar» (open, close), «feliz» and «infeliz» (happy, unhappy). And some words belong to a group: «maçã» and «pera» (apple, pear) are fruits. Understanding these relations helps you read and write better.
The family of «flor» and the meaning of «infeliz»
Let us find the family of «flor» and the meaning of «infeliz». Step 1: find the root: «flor» (flower). Step 2: look for words with the same idea: «florista» (someone who sells flowers), «floreira» (where flowers are put), «florido» (full of flowers). Step 3: now a hard word: «infeliz». Split it: «in-» + «feliz». Step 4: «in-» says not; so «infeliz» is “not happy”, that is, sad. Step 5: check in a text: «Ficou infeliz quando perdeu o gato» (He was unhappy when he lost the cat) makes sense.
Similar letters do not make a family
Two words can start the same way and have nothing to do with each other. «Sol» (sun) and «soldado» (soldier) look like the same family, but «soldado» has nothing to do with the sun. To be in the same family, words must share the root and an idea. «Sol», «solar» (of the sun), «ensolarado» (sunny) and «solzinho» (little sun) speak of the sun; «soldado» speaks of something else. Always ask: is the idea the same?
When reading new words and when writing
When you meet a new word in a book, split it and look for pieces you already know: often you find the meaning without opening the dictionary. When you write, synonyms stop you repeating the same word: instead of «bonito, bonito, bonito» (pretty, pretty, pretty) you can use «lindo» and «formoso» (lovely, beautiful). And antonyms help to explain: «frio» (cold) is the opposite of «quente» (hot). In dictionaries, the words of a family sit close to each other.
Test what you learned
Which of these words belongs to the family of «pedra» (stone)?
- a) pedido
- b) pedal
- c) pedreiro
- d) pente
Correct answer: c) pedreiro — Yes: «pedreiro» is the person who works with stone. Same root, same idea.
«Infeliz» is «in-» + «feliz» (happy). What does «infeliz» mean?
- a) Not happy; sad
- b) Very happy
- c) Happy again
- d) Happy and sad at the same time
Correct answer: a) Not happy; sad — Yes: the prefix «in-» says not, so «infeliz» is the opposite of «feliz».
Which of these words is NOT in the family of «sol» (sun)?
- a) solar
- b) ensolarado
- c) solzinho
- d) soldado
Correct answer: d) soldado — Yes: «soldado» starts with «sol», but it has nothing to do with the sun.
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