When Does ‘a’ Become ‘à’ in Portuguese? A Practical Crase Guide
À marks the contraction of the preposition a with the feminine article a; the accent does not appear in every use of a.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Look for a preposition meeting a feminine article
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.
Vou à feira depois do almoço.
I’m going to the street market after lunch.
Cheguei à estação cedo.
I arrived at the station early.
Entreguei o documento à gerente.
I handed the document to the manager.
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.
Comecei a trabalhar às oito.
I started working at eight.
Fui a uma reunião e depois à biblioteca.
I went to a meeting and then to the library.
Ela voltou a pé para casa.
She walked home.
Put it into practice
À often represents preposition a + feminine article a. Use the masculine ao substitution as a helpful check, and learn fixed expressions separately.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I went to a meeting and then to the library”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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