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Grade 12 · lesson 3 of 4

Preserve Meaning with Diacritic Accents

Tú/tu, él/el and sí/si distinguish grammatical roles or meanings through a written accent.

About 25 minutes, plus any extended practice

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Supplied materials

  • Paper or a browser scratch area; no audio recording, account or private information is needed.
  • The intended first expression must mean/function as subject you. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling? Candidate answers: (A) Sí estudias. (B) Tu estudias. (C) Tú estudias. (D) Él estudias.
  • The intended first expression must mean/function as possessive your. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling? Candidate answers: (A) Sí libro está aquí. (B) Tu libro está aquí. (C) Tú libro está aquí. (D) Él libro está aquí.

Learn the idea

Revision checks more than fluent appearance. A corrected message should preserve its assigned speaker, referent and intended relationship while fixing a precise agreement, accent or register problem. Use only the fictional texts supplied here. Tú/tu, él/el and sí/si distinguish grammatical roles or meanings through a written accent. Not every such accent changes spoken stress. Their correct use depends on whether the word is a pronoun, article, possessive, affirmation or condition.

Read the explicitly requested role in the supplied message. Choose the matching spelling, then verify how the word connects to its neighboring noun or verb. Do not insert a stress mark merely because a word seems important.

Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús. Si can mean if, while sí can mean yes in these examples. The course supplies the role so no personal identity or unstated speaker intention must be guessed.

  1. Copy the supplied example and underline its speaker, noun, time cue or evidence words.
  2. Apply the shown language rule; keep any required ending, accent or paired punctuation.
  3. Solve the changed independent check, then explain why one offered alternative fails.
  4. Complete all three new practice cases and use the model to correct the precise word or meaning.
Worked example

See the method in action

Supplied case: The intended first expression must mean/function as subject you. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling? Candidate answers: (A) Sí estudias. (B) Tu estudias. (C) Tú estudias. (D) Él estudias. Solution: Tú names the subject you and retains its diacritic accent. The competing forms either change that role or create an incorrect agreement/spelling. Final result: Tú estudias. Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús. Si can mean if, while sí can mean yes in these examples. The course supplies the role so no personal identity or unstated speaker intention must be guessed.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

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Helpful tips
  • Read the explicitly requested role in the supplied message.
  • Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús.
The intended first expression must mean/function as possessive your. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling?

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

Tu libro está aquí.

Tu modifies libro as your and has no accent. The competing forms either change that role or create an incorrect agreement/spelling.

Take it further

The intended first expression must mean/function as possessive your, in a plural phrase. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling? Candidate answers: (A) Tus mapas están aquí. (B) Tú mapas están aquí. (C) Tús mapas están aquí. (D) Él mapas están aquí. Expected result: Tus mapas están aquí. The plural possessive tus follows the possessed maps and has no written accent. The competing forms either change that role or create an incorrect agreement/spelling.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. The intended first expression must mean/function as affirmative yes. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling?
Need a hint?
  • Read the explicitly requested role in the supplied message.
  • Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús.
2. The intended first expression must mean/function as conditional if. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling?
Need a hint?
  • Read the explicitly requested role in the supplied message.
  • Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús.
3. The intended first expression must mean/function as subject he. Which offered sentence preserves that specified role and its accent spelling?
Need a hint?
  • Read the explicitly requested role in the supplied message.
  • Tus is a possessive without a written accent, not a plural tús.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

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