Breakdown of A babá disse que a bebê adormeceu sem a chupeta.
que
that
sem
without
dizer
to say
a bebê
the baby
Questions & Answers about A babá disse que a bebê adormeceu sem a chupeta.
Why do both babá and bebê have accents?
The accents show which syllable is stressed.
- babá = stress on the last syllable: ba-BÁ
- bebê = stress on the last syllable: be-BÊ
In Portuguese, accents are often used to mark stress when it does not follow the most common pattern. They can also help distinguish pronunciation clearly for learners.
Why is it a babá and a bebê? Is bebê feminine?
In this sentence, a is the feminine singular article, like the.
- a babá = the nanny
- a bebê = the baby
Babá is feminine here because the nanny is being referred to as female.
With bebê, the word itself can refer to a baby of either sex, but the article changes depending on the baby's gender:
- o bebê = the baby boy / a male baby
- a bebê = the baby girl / a female baby
So in this sentence, a bebê tells you the baby is female.
What tense is disse?