Hyphenation ofcompreender-lhes-íamos

Analysis of "compreender-lhes-íamos" (Portuguese)

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "compreender-lhes-íamos" is a complex verb form in Portuguese, specifically the conditional perfect of the verb "compreender" (to understand) conjugated in the first person plural. Pronunciation involves careful attention to vowel reduction, nasalization, and liaison.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Portuguese syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

compre-en-der-lhes-ía-mos

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: compreend- (Latin comprehendere - to grasp fully, understand). This is the core meaning of the verb.
• Suffixes:
  • -er (Latin -er): Verbal infinitive marker.
  • -lhes (Portuguese pronoun): Indirect object pronoun, "to them".
  • -íamos (Portuguese conditional perfect ending): Indicates conditional mood and past tense. Derived from the imperfect subjunctive of the verb ir (to go) + past infinitive.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable of the root: preen-der. In this case, it's the 'der' syllable.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/kõ.pɾẽ.ˈdɛɾ.lɛʃ.ˈi.ɐ.muʃ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Division Rules Applied:

• Rule 1: Open Syllables: Syllables ending in a vowel are generally open.
• Rule 2: Closed Syllables: Syllables ending in a consonant are generally closed.
• Rule 3: Diphthongs & Triphthongs: Vowel combinations are treated as a single syllable.
• Rule 4: Stress Placement: Penultimate syllable stress in words ending in vowels or 's'.

7. Exceptions & Special Cases:

• The nasalization of vowels before nasal consonants (m, n) is a common feature of Portuguese phonology and affects syllable pronunciation.
• The pronoun lhes is cliticized to the verb, creating a single prosodic word.

8. Grammatical Role & Syllabification:

This word is exclusively a verb form. Syllabification remains consistent regardless of its function within a sentence.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Part of Speech: Verb (Conditional Perfect)
• Definitions:
  • "We would understand them."
  • "We had been understanding them."
• Translation: We would understand them.
• Synonyms: Entendíamos-lhes (Imperfect), Teríamos compreendido-lhes (Future Perfect)
• Antonyms: Não compreender-lhes-íamos (We would not understand them)
• Examples:
  • "Nós compreender-lhes-íamos as dificuldades." (We would understand their difficulties.)
  • "Se tivéssemos mais tempo, compreender-lhes-íamos melhor." (If we had more time, we would understand them better.)

10. Regional Variations:

Pronunciation of vowels can vary slightly between regions (e.g., European Portuguese vs. Brazilian Portuguese). However, the core syllabification rules remain consistent. In some Brazilian dialects, vowel reduction might be more pronounced.

11. Phonological Comparison:

All three words share a similar syllable structure (Open-Open-Closed). The difference lies in the initial syllable(s), reflecting the different prefixes or roots. The consistent application of open/closed syllable rules is evident.