Portuguese Year 4: Words from the inside: stem, affixes and word families
Portuguese, Year 4 (Portugal): Split a word into base, stem and affixes to guess the meaning of new words and to see which words are family.
Words have parts
Many words have parts. The stem (radical) is the centre of the word, the part that repeats in related words: in «pedra» and «pedreiro» it is «pedr-». Affixes attach to the stem: the prefix comes before («des-fazer»), the suffix after («pedr-eiro»). The base is the word another one comes from: «pedra» is the base of «pedreiro». Words with the same stem and linked ideas form a word family: pedra, pedrinha, pedrada, pedreiro, apedrejar.
Understanding words you have never seen
Finding the parts of a word helps you understand words you have never seen. If you know «fazer» and that des- usually means the opposite, you understand «desfazer» (to undo). If you know that re- means “again”, you understand «refazer» (to redo). With a few pieces you understand many words, and you also spell a whole family better.
What is a «sapateiro»?
You do not know what a «sapateiro» is. Step 1: look for a part you know: «sapat-», from «sapato» (shoe). Step 2: notice the suffix -eiro: in many words it names who works with something. Step 3: put the clues together: a sapateiro is someone who makes or repairs shoes (a shoemaker). Step 4: check it in the family: sapato, sapatinho, sapataria, sapateiro.
False families
Beware of false families: words that look alike are not always related. «Mar» and «marido» start the same way, but have nothing to do with each other. A family needs the same stem and linked ideas: mar, marinheiro, marinho, submarino are all about the sea. Before deciding, ask: “Does it make sense? Is it about the same idea?”
New words in books and games
You use this when you find a new word in a book, in a textbook or in a game: «submarino» is sub- (under) + marino (of the sea). It also helps in the dictionary, where words of the same family are close together, and when you write: if you know how to spell «pedra», you know how to spell «pedreiro».
Test what you learned
What is a word family?
- a) Words that begin with the same letter
- b) Words with the same stem and linked ideas
- c) Words that rhyme
- d) Words with the same number of syllables
Correct answer: b) Words with the same stem and linked ideas — Yes: pedra, pedreiro and apedrejar share the stem «pedr-» and are all about stone.
You do not know the word «reler». What is the right way to work it out?
- a) «re-» means the opposite, so «reler» is «not to read»
- b) «ler» is the suffix, so we cannot know
- c) «re-» means «underneath», so «reler» is «to read underneath»
- d) «re-» means «again», so «reler» is «to read again»
Correct answer: d) «re-» means «again», so «reler» is «to read again» — Yes: re- + ler. You know the base «ler», and the prefix re- adds the idea of “again”.
Which of these words is NOT in the family of «mar» (sea)?
- a) marinheiro
- b) submarino
- c) marido
- d) marinho
Correct answer: c) marido — Yes, this is the odd one out: it looks like «mar», but it has nothing to do with the sea.
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