DID YOU KNOW: “La Tilde Diacrítica”.
"The diacritical tilde" is used in Spanish to distinguish words that, although they have the same form, have different meanings or grammatical functions. Here are some of the most common cases:
1. Tilde in Monosyllabic Words
- Tú (personal pronoun) vs. Tu (possessive adjective):
Example: Tú eres mi amigo / Este es tu libro
- Él (personal pronoun) vs. El (definite article):
Example: Él es mi hermano / El perro es grande
2. Tilde in Polysyllabic Words
- Sólo (only) vs. Solo (unaccompanied):
Example: Sólo quiero descansar / Me siento solo
- Ésta (demonstrative pronoun with tilde in disuse, but still accepted to avoid ambiguity) vs. Esta (demonstrative adjective):
Example: Ésta es la que prefiero / Esta casa es grande
3. Special Cases
- Porque (causative) vs. Porqué (noun):
Example: No vine porque estaba enfermo / El porqué de su decisión es desconocido
NOTE: The correct use of the diacritical tilde is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and for clear and precise communication. By distinguishing between words that have the same written form but different meanings or grammatical functions, text comprehension is facilitated.
