When Does ‘a’ Become ‘à’ in Portuguese? A Practical Crase Guide — Practice

Look for a preposition meeting a feminine article

The grave accent in à usually marks two a sounds joining: the preposition a plus the feminine article a. This joining is called crase. If the sentence does not need the preposition, there is no contraction to mark.

A practical substitution check is to replace a feminine noun with a masculine one. If the phrase becomes ao, the feminine version often takes à: vou ao mercado → vou à feira.

Do not add the accent before every feminine word

Some expressions use a without a feminine article, so they do not take the grave accent. For example, começar a estudar has a before an infinitive; there is no article there to combine with the preposition.

A crase has additional rules and exceptions in formal writing. For everyday learning, start by identifying the preposition and checking whether the following phrase includes the feminine article.

Remember: À often represents preposition a + feminine article a. Use the masculine ao substitution as a helpful check, and learn fixed expressions separately.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I’m going to the street market after lunch.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou à feira depois do almoço.

2. I arrived at the station early.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Cheguei à estação cedo.

3. I handed the document to the manager.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Entreguei o documento à gerente.

4. I started working at eight.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Comecei a trabalhar às oito.

5. I went to a meeting and then to the library.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Fui a uma reunião e depois à biblioteca.

6. She walked home.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela voltou a pé para casa.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

À often represents preposition a + feminine article a. Use the masculine ao substitution as a helpful check, and learn fixed expressions separately.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our When Does ‘a’ Become ‘à’ in Portuguese? A Practical Crase Guide lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.