Crasis and the Grave Accent in Brazilian Portuguese

Level A2

Crasis and the Grave Accent in Brazilian Portuguese

In Brazilian Portuguese, the grave accent often marks crasis: the preposition a joins a following feminine article or certain demonstratives. English does not show this kind of joining, so check whether the next word has an article and use the destination and masculine substitution checks.

The grave accent

The grave accent is the mark in “à” and “às”: in Portuguese, “acento grave.” It signals that the preposition a has joined another a sound; it is not just a decoration or a general stress mark.

Going to a feminine destination with an article

For a feminine destination that takes the article a or as, combine the preposition a with that article: a + a becomes à, and a + as becomes às. English uses “to the” without changing its spelling, so remember to mark the joined form in Portuguese: “Vou à farmácia toda segunda-feira.” “Ela vai às lojas perto da estação.”

Para indicar movimento para destino feminino com artigo: a + artigo feminino singular ou plural = à / às.

Check with a masculine destination

To check a feminine destination, compare it with a masculine destination that takes the article. In Portuguese, the masculine combination is a + o = ao; if the feminine destination uses the article, use à: “Vou à farmácia toda segunda-feira.” Compare “Vou ao supermercado toda segunda-feira.” English “to the” does not reveal this difference.

Para testar destino feminino com artigo, compare com destino masculino com artigo: a + o = ao; para o feminino, use à.

Check whether a destination takes an article

When a destination follows the preposition a, compare it with returning from the same place. If the return phrase uses da (de + a), use à when going there; if it uses de alone, use a without the grave accent. With plural feminine articles, das corresponds to às; masculine articles instead give ao or aos. Compare “Vamos à Bahia em julho” with “A gente volta da Bahia em agosto,” and “Eles vão a Paris em junho” with “Eles voltam de Paris em julho.” Learn which Portuguese place names take an article; English usage does not determine this.

Compare ir a um destino com voltar de um destino: se ao voltar aparecer contração com artigo, use à ao ir; se não, use a sem acento.

Before aquele, aquela, and aquilo

The preposition a also joins the demonstratives aquele, aquela, and aquilo, giving àquele, àquela, and àquilo. This happens even before a masculine noun, as in “Meu irmão vai àquele prédio todo dia”; compare the plain demonstrative without a preceding preposition: “Aquele livro é caro.” You can also say “Minha irmã vai àquela farmácia às sextas-feiras” and “Não dou atenção àquilo.” English “that” does not change, so look for the preposition a before the demonstrative.

Common expressions with à

Some common expressions use à as a fixed form. Learn them as whole phrases: “Trabalho à tarde” and “A gente vira à direita depois da estação.” In English, “in the afternoon” and “right” give no clue to the Portuguese accent.

Telling the time

To say at what time something happens with the preposition a, combine it with the hour’s article: a + as gives às, and a + a gives à. Say “O trem chega às duas” and “O ônibus chega à uma.” This is different from simply stating the time: “São duas” or “É uma.” English uses “at” with both singular and plural hours.

Para dizer as horas: a + artigo feminino plural = às + hora plural; para uma hora, use a + a = à.

When there is no grave accent

With the masculine article o, the preposition a forms ao, as in “Vou ao supermercado toda segunda-feira.” This does not rule out àquele before a masculine noun: that form combines a with aquele. Use plain a before an unmodified place name that takes no article, as in “Eles vão a Paris em junho.” Before an infinitive, there is no feminine article to join: “Ela começa a estudar às oito.” In that same sentence, às oito combines the preposition a with the feminine plural article as.

Practise this lesson

Next lessons