Take a look at these three words and try to say them out loud.
The stressed syllable (underlined in the image above) should be pronounced a little louder. It is the high-pitched syllable.
If you’re keen to give it another go, say these words again and raise your chin slightly as you pronounce the stressed syllable. Was it better?
As you might have guessed there are three categories of words, depending on where the stressed syllable falls:
1. Oxytone words – the stress is on the last syllable. E.g. café, jardim, português
2. Paroxytone words – the stress is on the penultimate (second last) syllable. E.g. mesa, açúcar, fácil
3. Proparoxytone words – the stress is on the antepenultimate (third last) syllable. E.g. família, último, médica
These categories are worth keeping in mind, when it comes to learning how to use the acute accent ´ in Portuguese.
Brace yourself for more!
In the meantime, can you share HOW USEFUL this was for you?
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