Acute (´), circumflex (ˆ) and grave (`) accents: when and why

Acute Accent (´) - Open Vowels

Shows open vowel + stress:

Common acute accent words:

• é (is) vs. e (and)
• café (coffee)
• você (you)
• está (is - location)
• já (already)
• três (three)
• até (until)
• também (also)

Circumflex Accent (ˆ) - Closed Vowels

Shows closed vowel + stress:

Note: No î or û in Portuguese!

Common circumflex words:

• você (you)
• português (Portuguese)
• três (three)
• avô (grandfather)
• pôr (to put)
• bebê (baby)
• ônibus (bus)

Grave Accent (`) - Contraction Marker

Only used for à (and rarely às)

Marks contraction of a + a:

• a + a = à
• a + as = às
• a + aquele = àquele
• a + aquela = àquela

Examples:

• Vou à praia (a + a praia) - I'm going to the beach
• Fui à escola (a + a escola) - I went to school
• Das 9 às 5 (a + as 5) - From 9 to 5

Accent Rules by Word Type

Oxytone words (last syllable stress):

• Need accent if ending in a, e, o: sofá, café, avó
• No accent if ending in i, u, r, l, z: aqui, peru, amor

Paroxytone words (second-to-last stress):

• Need accent if ending in r, l, n, x, i: açúcar, fácil, táxi
• No accent if ending in a, e, o, em: casa, gente, jovem

Proparoxytone words (third-to-last stress):

• ALWAYS have accent: médico, prático, última

Meaning Changes with Accents

Common Patterns

-ção endings always have til, not accent:

• educação, emoção, população

Verb endings with accent:

• Future: falarei, comerá, partirão
• Past: falou, comeu, partiu

Question words often have accent:

• Quando? Porquê? Até quando?