Skip to content
Spark & Whetstonethe grown-up commons

← First Syllables in Spanish and Portuguese

First Syllables in Spanish and Portuguese

Three short lessons for grown-ups on how children in Spanish and Portuguese learn to read: by syllables, built from steady vowels, joined into words.

Spark & Whetstone · sparkwhetstone.org/learn/first-syllables · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Answers are at the end, so you can try each question first.

Lesson 1. Steady vowels

Spanish has five vowel sounds, written a, e, i, o, u, and each letter keeps its sound almost everywhere. That steadiness is why Spanish spelling is easy to sound out.

Portuguese uses the same five letters but has more vowel sounds: an e or o can be open or closed (é and ê, ó and ô), and some vowels are nasal, as in mãe, "mother".

Question. Why is Spanish spelling easy to sound out?

  1. Each vowel letter keeps almost the same sound everywhere.
  2. It has no vowels.
  3. Every word is one syllable.

Say it back. In your own words: how do Spanish and Portuguese vowels differ?

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Lesson 2. Syllable families

Many children learn to read in Spanish and Portuguese with syllable families: one consonant with each vowel in turn. ma, me, mi, mo, mu. pa, pe, pi, po, pu.

In Brazil these are often called famílias silábicas. A child who knows the m family and the p family can already read many short words.

Question. Which set is a syllable family?

  1. ma, me, mi, mo, mu
  2. ma, pa, sa, ta, la
  3. mamá, papá, casa

Say it back. Say it back: what is a syllable family?

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Lesson 3. Join them into words

Words are built by joining syllables: ca-sa (house), pa-to (duck), me-sa (table). The child reads each syllable, then says them together faster until the word appears.

Clap the syllables as you say them. Clapping makes the beats visible, and it works in any language.

Question. How many syllables does the Spanish word "mariposa" (butterfly) have?

  1. Three
  2. Four
  3. Five

Say it back. In your own words: how does a child join syllables into a word?

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

At the table: Syllable cards

Players: a grown-up and a child, 4 to 7. You'll need: ten small cards and a pen.

  1. Write one syllable on each card: ma, me, sa, pa, to, ca, la, mi, no, se.
  2. Lay out two cards and read them together: ca + sa = casa.
  3. Let the child find another pair that makes a word.
  4. Clap each word you make. Silly words count too.

Answers

  1. Each vowel letter keeps almost the same sound everywhere. — Spanish vowels keep their sounds, so a reader who knows the letters can sound out most words.
  2. ma, me, mi, mo, mu — A syllable family is one consonant joined to each vowel: ma, me, mi, mo, mu.
  3. Four — ma-ri-po-sa: four syllables.