Portuguese

An Essential Grammar

Amelia P. Hutchinson, Janet Lloyd, Cristina Sousa

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781315307176
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Filología
• Subtopic: Idiomas

This new edition of Portuguese: An Essential Grammar is a practical reference guide to the most important aspects of modern European Portuguese. Combining traditional and function-based grammar, the book sets out the complexities of Portuguese in short, readable sections. Explanations are clear, free from jargon and substantiated by examples. Throughout, the emphasis is on Portuguese as used by native speakers.

This third edition:

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• reflects the new orthographic agreement;

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• includes an expanded section on verbs and pronouns, as well as a new section on syntax;

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• provides authentic examples to illustrate grammar in context;

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• focuses on Portuguese as used in Portugal and Africa;

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• links to Basic Portuguese: A Grammar and Workbook, which offers a valuable set of language practice exercises;

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• includes a detailed contents list and index for easy access to information.

An important addition to Routledge's collection of grammars on the variants of Portuguese, this is an ideal reference source for the learner and user of European Portuguese. It is suitable for either independent study or for students in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types.

Part I

An essential grammar

Chapter 1

Pronunciation and spelling

This chapter offers a pronunciation guide to European Portuguese with examples of similar sounds in English. Wherever possible, we have attempted to provide close equivalent sounds in English, but where this has proved impossible, we offer approximate equivalents.

1.1 Vowels

1.1.1 Oral vowels

¹ The u is silent in que, qui, gue and gui (quente, quinta, guerra, guitarra) and pronounced in qua, quo and gua (quatro, quorum, guarda). But there are some exceptions where the u is read: tranquilo.

Note: An acute accent over a vowel means that it is ‘open’ (e.g. lá, pé, avó), whereas a circumflex accent means that the vowel is ‘closed’ (e.g. lê, avô).

1.1.2 Nasal vowels (produced with some nasal resonance)

A vowel is nasal if a tilde (~) is written above it or if it is followed by -m or -n within the same syllable:

The word muito has a unique pronunciation because the i is pronounced as a nasal vowel.

1.2 Consonants

Most Portuguese consonants are pronounced in the same way as their English equivalents, except for:

	Example	Pronounced as
c + a, o, u	casa	case
c + e, i	cedo	cedar
ç^1	laço	lace
ch	champô	shampoo
g + a, o, u^2	gás	gash
g + e, i	gelo	measure
g + ue	guerra	getto (u between g and e is silent)
g + ui	guitarra	Mcgee (u between g and i is silent)
h	hora	(not pronounced)
j	já	measure
lh	milhão	million
nh	vinho	onion
q^3	quadro	quack
q + ui	máquina	key (u between q and i is silent)

r
intervocalic or final	parar	parasol (beating the ‘r’)
preceded by consonan...