bê-á-bá

Portuguese

Alternative forms

  • beabá

Etymology

Borrowed from French b-a ba, from a stereotypical nursery school-lesson: b-a is pronounced "ba".

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌbeˌaˈba/
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˌbeˌaˈba/ [ˌbeˌaˈβa]

Noun

-á- m (plural bê-á-bás)

  1. ABCs (the first steps to learning to read)
  2. the basics (the first essential concepts and abilities of an activity)