Pronunciation of Present Inflections
In the present tense, the stress fluctuates between the root and the termination. As a rule of thumb, the last radical vowel (the one that can be stressed) will retain its original pronunciation when unstressed (atonic) and change into, (Subjunctive or Indicative 1st pers sing)/ (Infinitive), or (Subjunctive or Indicative 1st pers sing)/ (Infinitive) - depending on the vowel in question - in case it is stressed (is in a tonic syllable). Other vowels (u, i) and nasalized sounds will probably stay unchanged.
Example: Consider the conjugation of correr (analogous to comer, presented above) in the Indicative Present Simple. The first-person singular corro has in the stressed vowel, while other forms corres, corre, correm have .
In Portugal, all verbs with /o/ or /e/ in the stem vowel alternate similarly (/e/ alternates between in the first-person singular and elsewhere). In the forms where the stem vowel is unstressed, the /e/ is pronounced and the /o/ is pronounced /u/ in some verbs (e.g. comer) and /ɔ/ in others (e.g. absorver, below). The difference is probably due to whether the stem syllable is open (followed by at most one consonant) or closed (followed by at least consonants).
In Brazil, the following difference apply:
- Alternation in stem-stressed forms is similar, but is blocked when a nasal consonant (/m/, /n/ or /ɲ/) follows, in which case the higher alternant (i.e. /o/ or /e/) is used in all forms. For example, in the verb comer, all of the forms como, comes, come, comem have /o/.
- Stem-unstressed forms consistently have /o/ or /e/.
Example, absorver "to absorb" ( in Portugal, in Brazil).
It will be conjugated in Portugal as, .
In Brazil, it is pronounced approximately as, . ("Approximately" because some dialects don't have the "i" sound after b, and some substitute different sounds for the and the final .)
This also has repercussions in the Imperative, for its inflections are constructed from the Indicative Present Simple.
Read more about this topic: Portuguese Verb Conjugation
Famous quotes containing the word present:
“Art for art’s sake? I should think so, and more so than ever at the present time. It is the one orderly product which our middling race has produced. It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths, it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden ... it is the best evidence we can have of our dignity.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)