Summary p230

230 CONYERSATIONAL PORTUGUESE

3,    The cedilla (cedilha) is used with c (ę) when it is pronounced s before a_f o, or u:

pedaęo    piece, bit

4.    Written accent marks are used to indicate the stressed syllable in words not following the regu-lar rules (see GS3).¹ They also help distinguish between words spelled alike but with different meanings and between different forms of the same verb:

por to put    por for, by

pode he was able, could pode he is able, can

If one of the words is a form of the verb, often the first singular of the present indicative, it usu-ally has an open vowel in the stem and the other word, often a noun, a closed vowel; Brazil uses an accent mark on the second form, but Portugal does not:

gosto I like    gósto (gosło    ©) taste

The circumflex accent (acento circunflexo) (*) is used over stressed closed e and o; the acute accent (acento agudo) (') is used over stressed open a_} e, and o:

para it stops    para for, to

avó grandfather    avó grandmother

celebre famous    fe faith

The acute accent is used over stressed i or u which do not combine with the preceding vowel:

pais country    pais parents

saude health    saida departure

The grave accent (acento grave) (') replaces the acute accent in longer derived forms:

cafe coffee    cafezinho smali cup of

coffee (usually black)

The grave accent indicates a combination of a and a word beginning with a (demonstratives, as aąueleetc.) or with the definite articłe a:

aqueles to those    a to the

6, SYLLABLE DIVISION

1.    A single consonant goes with the following vowel:

a-fi-nal    finally

2.    Two consonants usually Split:

in-ter-rom-per    to interrupt

a. ch, Ih, nh do not Split:

bor-ra-cha    rubber, eraser

o-re-lha    ear

so-nhar    to dream

3.    Two vowels which are pronounced separately are split:

widów to fali

vi-u~va

ca-ir

1

Refers to section 3 of the grammar summary.