Contractions with 'A' (The Crase) | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

The preposition a contracts the same way de and em do — but with one famous twist. When a (the preposition) meets a (the feminine article), the two identical vowels merge and the result is written with a grave accent: à. This fusion is called crase, and it is the single most error-prone point in Brazilian orthography — Brazilians argue about it, schools drill it, and even native writers slip. The accent looks decorative but it is not: à is grammatical information, telling the reader that a hidden preposition a is fused into the article. This page demystifies it. The core idea is tiny: à = a + a. Everything else is learning to spot when those two a's come together.

The masculine contractions: ao and aos

Start with the easy half, because it is the key to the whole thing. A + the masculine articles fuses with no accent:

a +	=	Example
o	ao	vou ao mercado (I go to the market)
os	aos	dei aos meninos (I gave to the boys)

Vou ao banco e depois ao supermercado.

I'm going to the bank and then to the supermarket. (a+o=ao)

Entreguei os documentos ao gerente.

I handed the documents to the manager. (a+o=ao)

These are obligatory and uncontroversial — nobody hesitates over ao. Hold on to ao: it is your test for everything else.

The crase: a + a = à

Now the feminine half. When a (preposition) meets a / as (feminine articles), they fuse and take the grave accent.

a +	=	Example
a (article)	à	vou à praia (I go to the beach)
as (article)	às	às vezes (sometimes)
aquele(s)/aquela(s)	àquele(s)/àquela(s)	vou àquele lugar (I go to that place)
aquilo	àquilo	refiro-me àquilo (I'm referring to that)

No verão a gente vai à praia todo fim de semana.

In summer we go to the beach every weekend. (a+a=à)

Você assistiu àquele filme que te recomendei?

Did you watch that movie I recommended to you? (a+aquele=àquele)

Note the last two rows: the crase also appears with the aquele family, because those demonstratives begin with a. A + aquele = àquele, a + aquilo = àquilo. These are obligatory whenever a verb or expression that demands the preposition a points at aquele/aquilo.

The substitution test — your safety net

Here is the one trick that resolves almost every crase question. Swap the feminine word for an equivalent masculine word. If the result needs ao, then the feminine needs à.

Vou à praia → Vou ao parque.

'To the beach' becomes 'to the park'; ao appears, so à is correct.

Vou a Brasília → Vou a Recife.

No 'ao' surfaces (no article with these cities), so no crase: vou a Brasília.

Why does this work? The crase exists only when a preposition a combines with a feminine article a. The masculine swap exposes whether that article is really there: if the masculine form pulls out an ao (= a + o), the article was present, so the feminine must be à (= a + a). If the masculine stays a bare a (no ao), there was no article, so the feminine is a bare a with no accent.

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The masculine-swap test is the gold standard. "Vou _ casa": swap to a masculine noun — "vou ao escritório" → ao appears → so it's vou à casa? Careful: casa meaning one's own home takes no article (vou para casa), so test with the right equivalent. When ao appears in the masculine, write à; when it doesn't, write plain a.

When crase is required

Crase appears wherever a preposition a lands on a feminine word that takes the definite article. The most reliable triggers:

1. Verbs/expressions that govern a, before a feminine noun with an article.

Cheguei à estação atrasado e perdi o trem.

I got to the station late and missed the train. (chegar a + a estação)

Vamos assistir à peça hoje à noite.

We're going to watch the play tonight. (assistir a + a peça)

2. Telling time — "at" a feminine hour. The hours are feminine (as horas), so "at eight" is às oito.

A reunião começa às oito e termina ao meio-dia.

The meeting starts at eight and ends at noon. (às oito = a+as; ao meio-dia = a+o, masculine)

Notice às oito (feminine hours → crase) but ao meio-dia (masculine → ao). The test holds even here.

3. Fixed adverbial phrases built on feminine nouns: às vezes (sometimes), à noite (at night), à tarde (in the afternoon), à toa (aimlessly), à vontade (at ease), às pressas (in a hurry).

Às vezes eu estudo à tarde, mas prefiro estudar à noite.

Sometimes I study in the afternoon, but I prefer to study at night.

4. The expression à moda de / à "in the style of", often shortened so the noun is left out: bife à milanesa, frango à passarinho, vestir-se à francesa.

Pedi um bife à milanesa e uma salada.

I ordered a breaded steak and a salad. (à moda milanesa — 'in the Milanese style')

When crase is forbidden

Just as important is knowing where the accent must not go. There is no crase when there is no feminine article for the preposition to fuse with.

Before masculine words: there is no feminine article, so no crase — it becomes ao: a o livro → ao livro.
Before verbs (infinitives): verbs take no article. Começou a chover, never à chover.
Before most pronouns: a ela, a você, a alguém, a esta (the demonstrative esta doesn't begin with a-, so no fusion). The aquele family is the exception precisely because it starts with a.
Before a non-specific (article-less) feminine noun: a olho nu, a lápis, a cavalo — no article, no crase.

Comecei a estudar português há dois meses.

I started studying Portuguese two months ago. (before a verb → no crase)

Escrevi o bilhete a lápis, a mão.

I wrote the note in pencil, by hand. (no article → no crase)

Entreguei o presente a ela pessoalmente.

I gave the gift to her in person. (before the pronoun ela → no crase)

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The reliable rule, stated negatively: write àonly when a preposition a meets a feminine article (or the aquele family). Before verbs, masculine words, and most pronouns, there is no article — so there is no crase, no matter how much the sentence "feels like" it wants an accent.

The optional and the genuinely tricky

A few cases are open or debated, and honesty is better than a fake rule:

Before feminine names of people: crase is optional and depends on whether you'd use an article with that name. Entreguei a carta a/à Maria — both occur; Brazilians who say a Maria (with article) write à Maria.
Before casa: no crase when it means one's own home (vou para casa); crase when casa is specified (voltei à casa dos meus pais, "to my parents' house").
Before terra: no crase meaning "to land" from a ship (o marinheiro foi a terra); crase for a specific place.
"From ... to ..." with feminine plurals: das oito às seis — both ends take their contraction (de+as=das, a+as=às).

Common Mistakes

❌ Comecei à trabalhar cedo.

Incorrect — crase never goes before a verb (infinitive).

✅ Comecei a trabalhar cedo.

I started working early.

❌ Vou a praia no domingo.

Incorrect — a + a praia fuses to à (test: 'vou ao parque' → ao appears).

✅ Vou à praia no domingo.

I'm going to the beach on Sunday.

❌ A reunião é as oito horas.

Incorrect — 'at eight' is às (a + as horas).

✅ A reunião é às oito horas.

The meeting is at eight o'clock.

❌ Dei o livro à ele.

Incorrect — no crase before the pronoun ele (and ele is masculine besides).

✅ Dei o livro a ele.

I gave the book to him.

❌ Assisti aquele filme ontem.

Incorrect — assistir a + aquele = àquele (the accent is obligatory).

✅ Assisti àquele filme ontem.

I watched that movie yesterday.

Key Takeaways

The masculine contractions ao and aos are simple and obligatory — and they are your test.
Crase (à) = a + a: a preposition a fusing with a feminine article a (or the aquele family → àquele, àquilo).
The substitution test: swap in a masculine equivalent; if ao appears, write à; if not, write plain a.
Crase is required for verbs governing a
- feminine article, for clock times (às oito), and in set phrases (às vezes, à noite, à milanesa).
Crase is forbidden before verbs, masculine words, and most pronouns — anywhere there is no feminine article to fuse with.

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