All the definitions and rules contained in these grammars are clearly and simply explained. The text matter is progressively arranged in a way calculated to interest and encourage the student. Many obsolete and complicated rules so often found in other works of this class, and which tend only to bewilder and weary the beginner, have been removed altogether. Others, which it has been found necessary to retain, have been thoroughly revised and fully elucidated, so as to present them in a more attractive manner. Many of these manuals have already gone through several editions, the new issues being carefully revised from time to time and brought up to date.

The prevalent idea in all these volumes is that of teaching the languages easily and pleasantly, of removing all unnecessary difficulties, and, at the same time, of imparting a sound grammatical and conversational knowledge of foreign tongues.

There are six vowels: a, e, i, o, u and y, the rest are

consonants.

the

the

the

2. The Accent.

The Portuguese language has several accents:
acute accent,

circumflex accent, to pronounce the syllable long,
hyphen, called til, is set over some letters as a substitute
for m, as: lã for lam be for hem hua for huam.

CABANO'S Portuguese Grammar.

1

8. The Vowels.

A 1. is pronounced like the a in the English word path, when it has the acute accent':

chá, tea dá, he gives lá, there.

2. it is pronounced short and clear like the a in father: capitão, the captain (first a),

or if found before the double consonants: cc, ll, mm,
nn, pp, ss, tt, as:

acclamar, to call out annullar, to annul
alludir, to allude appellar, to appeal.

3. it has a soft and aspirated sound at the end of words if not accentuated: vergonha, the shame. If the hyphen til stands over the a it takes a nasal sound:

~

irmãa (pr. irmāng), the sister — lã (pr.lāng), the world. irmão (pr. irmãon), the brother: ang and on, must be pronounced like the french, as: l'ange, patron.

E has three sounds:

1. open but short like ai in the English word bail, or the german ä, when with the acute accent as:

pé, foot fé, belief-
mel, honey-he, he is

quero (pr. kayro), I will,

sé, cathedral, the see, or in:

and in the verbs ending in er:

receber (pr. ressaybayr), conceder (pr. conssaydayr),

crescer (pr. cress-sayr).

2. long, when with the circumflex

over it, like the ger

réde, the net

3. It is almost mute at the end of words without the accent, as:

liberdadě, liberty - amizade, friendship.

or if the following word begins with a vowel:

está, is ('shtah); este, this one (aysht'); de uma, one (d'oom h) I is pronounced like e in the English word me, and i is only the accent that determines the pronunciation, as: timido, timoré, difficil, javali,

long in the first, short in the second word.

if the tone is on it, it sounds more like ee-ay, as: mania (mahnee-ay-ah-) mania - dizia (dis-see-ay-ah) said. has three sounds:

1. clear and strong in: mólho, do (as in pond, bōnd).