But everytime I hear a Brazilian speaking I can hardly understand a word. Is it really easy once you start taking classes?
Thanks
I know both languages come from Latin so there are lot of similarities between them but the accent is hard! and they talk fast. Are the sentences in the same order as in Spanish?
I’m Brazilian and speak Portuguese verry well (as lawstudent and former Portuguese, Brazilians and Portuguese Literatura, English and Mat former teacher a have to do it).
Its true, but there are a lot of diference between Spanish and Portuguese.
-Brazilian Portuguese is 50% similar to Spanish;
-Portugal’s Portuguese is 65% similar to Spanish.
It become easy after two months studying.
REASONS:
Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish are modern languages and come from Latin the language of Rome.
Those languages were originated from the blending of Latin with the language of the people who occupied Europe. As far from Rome, more the languages had changed.
If take a look on the Europe Map and you will see the path of Latin, from Rome to the extreme west of Europe, where there are two countries today, Portugal and Spain.
There are two different kinds of Portuguese, and all the countries that use Portuguese use some of those two:
- Portuguese pt-BR (Brazil)
- Portuguese pt-PT (Portugal)
About the diference of pt-BR and pt-PT (If you lik to read or like History):
In 1500 bC Pedro Álvares Cabral came from Portugal to Brazil, bringing the Portuguese language to my land. Here we had the 240 diferent indian tribes, with 24 diferent languages, based on 4 different anciend idioms. 70% of the Indian languages com from the Tupi-Guaraní.
Tupi-Guaraní is a language, not a people. They already had geographical concept of country, the brazilian territory was called Tupiniki. So in tupi-guarani, brazilians are tupinikins.
African slaves, brought to Brazil changed the language too.
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the transatlantic traffic brought to the Brazil 4 to 5 million speakers drawn from two African sub-Saharan regions: the Bantu region, located along the southern extension of the equator, and west African or Sudanese, covering areas ranging from Senegal to Nigeria. The slaves had 500 diferent languages, but all of them were very similar. In Brazil there were mostly 3 diferent idioms (quicongo, quimbundo e umbundo).
Portugal’s Portuguese have some influence from Nago too, thought constant contact with the african slaves.
As the Nago royal family was brought to Brazil as slaves the african slaves adopted the Nago idiom as the name of the mix of theyr language. Some people keep talking Nago for religious reasons here in Brazil.
Brazil is the only country in South America where people speaks Portuguese, all the other countries, but Brithish Guiana and French Guiana, speaks Spanish. It changed Brazilian Portuguese too.
Than We had small wars with French and Dutch (sugar wars) navy in the northeastern and southeastern brazilian litoral. Many Dutch remained in Brazil.
Whith the end of slavery European and Asian workers came to this land. Mostly Italian, followed by Japanese and German people.
During and after WW2 many Jews came to Brazil and stablish family here.
After the 60’s other Arab people came to Brazil, as like the chinese people. And lately african people people are migrating to Brasil.
Brazil is a young country, with a mutant language, historical and social factors always affect a language:
Today the brazilian Portuguese is made by thoseLanguages:
- Tupi-guarani 10%;
- Macro-jê, Caribê e Aruaque (the other 3 indian languages) 3%;
- Nago 21%
- Direct Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Dutch words 9%
- Original Portugal’s Portuguese (Midle Age Portuguese) 55%
- Other languages, less than 2%
Portugal’s Portuguese is made by:
- Direct Spanish 10%
- Other languages 4%
- Nago 11%
- Original Portugal’s Portuguese 75%
TO FINISH the "BOOK":
All latin languages are similar. You just have to know the path os the mother language, the history of the country.
I hope this info is usefull.
I know a little Spanish, but Portuguese is a lot more difficult.
I found it hard to separate individual words in Portuguese – moreso than Spanish
[but I am only talking about basic, holiday phrases --- I am more at home with Dutch and German]
References :
u dont even need classes. if u take classes in america, they will be wasting time on things u already know because of spanish. if u can find a class for spanish-speakers, that would be ok. the difficulty ur experiencing is that u’re not used to it. even in english there are accents that u wud never understand at all–and in spanish too. portuguese sounds very different from spanish, but that just takes a little time to get used to. and of course if someone can explain the differences to u, that helps. the grammar is very very similar, and so are most words. of course, there are some completely different words (but that happens within one language too, e.g., in spanish tortilla means omelet in spain and the familiar flat bread in the americas). so yes it is very very very easy.
References :
If you speak Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese is easier for you to understand.
If you speak "Spanish Spanish" (Spanish from Spain), you’ll understand Portuguese people better.
Maybe it happened to you because you are not familiar with that accent… Try to get used to it, for example, hear songs and read the lyrics at the same time, then try to understand the song without reading.
Just an fyi, in my experience that’s kinda "normal", because usually the Portuguese understand better a Spaniard than the other way around. It must be that way with Latin Americans too, I guess.
References :
Portuguese is a totally different language, of course you’re not going to understand it.
It’s a similar language to Spanish. Brazilian Portuguese which is the variation that is spoken in Brazil, is very different-sounding from Spanish. There’s more vowel sounds and consonants. Also, you have to memorize a lot of pronunciation rules.
It’s easy for a Portuguese person to understand Spanish, than a Spanish person to understand Portuguese. Spanish is a simpler language, especially when it comes to sounding out words. In Brazilian Portuguese they don’t pronounce the words the way they are written.
—–
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I recommend you take a book + CD course on Brazilian Portuguese, and learn the basics. That should teach you how to read and understand and be able to hear the different sounds found in Brazilian Portuguese. Once you learn the basics, and the basics of grammar, you’ll be able to start learning more vocabulary.
Anyway Portuguese is the easiest language for a Spanish-speaker to learn, because it is the most similar to Spanish. If you choose any other language to learn, it will be harder.
References :
Hello, i am Brazilian so i have certainty, portuguese is most hard of Spanish. But, when you try everything happen. I am new on english, very works wrong. To me, your language is Hard! kkkkkkk.
Good Luck.
References :
I’m Brazilian and speak Portuguese verry well (as lawstudent and former Portuguese, Brazilians and Portuguese Literatura, English and Mat former teacher a have to do it).
Its true, but there are a lot of diference between Spanish and Portuguese.
-Brazilian Portuguese is 50% similar to Spanish;
-Portugal’s Portuguese is 65% similar to Spanish.
It become easy after two months studying.
REASONS:
Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish are modern languages and come from Latin the language of Rome.
Those languages were originated from the blending of Latin with the language of the people who occupied Europe. As far from Rome, more the languages had changed.
If take a look on the Europe Map and you will see the path of Latin, from Rome to the extreme west of Europe, where there are two countries today, Portugal and Spain.
There are two different kinds of Portuguese, and all the countries that use Portuguese use some of those two:
- Portuguese pt-BR (Brazil)
- Portuguese pt-PT (Portugal)
About the diference of pt-BR and pt-PT (If you lik to read or like History):
In 1500 bC Pedro Álvares Cabral came from Portugal to Brazil, bringing the Portuguese language to my land. Here we had the 240 diferent indian tribes, with 24 diferent languages, based on 4 different anciend idioms. 70% of the Indian languages com from the Tupi-Guaraní.
Tupi-Guaraní is a language, not a people. They already had geographical concept of country, the brazilian territory was called Tupiniki. So in tupi-guarani, brazilians are tupinikins.
African slaves, brought to Brazil changed the language too.
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the transatlantic traffic brought to the Brazil 4 to 5 million speakers drawn from two African sub-Saharan regions: the Bantu region, located along the southern extension of the equator, and west African or Sudanese, covering areas ranging from Senegal to Nigeria. The slaves had 500 diferent languages, but all of them were very similar. In Brazil there were mostly 3 diferent idioms (quicongo, quimbundo e umbundo).
Portugal’s Portuguese have some influence from Nago too, thought constant contact with the african slaves.
As the Nago royal family was brought to Brazil as slaves the african slaves adopted the Nago idiom as the name of the mix of theyr language. Some people keep talking Nago for religious reasons here in Brazil.
Brazil is the only country in South America where people speaks Portuguese, all the other countries, but Brithish Guiana and French Guiana, speaks Spanish. It changed Brazilian Portuguese too.
Than We had small wars with French and Dutch (sugar wars) navy in the northeastern and southeastern brazilian litoral. Many Dutch remained in Brazil.
Whith the end of slavery European and Asian workers came to this land. Mostly Italian, followed by Japanese and German people.
During and after WW2 many Jews came to Brazil and stablish family here.
After the 60’s other Arab people came to Brazil, as like the chinese people. And lately african people people are migrating to Brasil.
Brazil is a young country, with a mutant language, historical and social factors always affect a language:
Today the brazilian Portuguese is made by thoseLanguages:
- Tupi-guarani 10%;
- Macro-jê, Caribê e Aruaque (the other 3 indian languages) 3%;
- Nago 21%
- Direct Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Dutch words 9%
- Original Portugal’s Portuguese (Midle Age Portuguese) 55%
- Other languages, less than 2%
Portugal’s Portuguese is made by:
- Direct Spanish 10%
- Other languages 4%
- Nago 11%
- Original Portugal’s Portuguese 75%
TO FINISH the "BOOK":
All latin languages are similar. You just have to know the path os the mother language, the history of the country.
I hope this info is usefull.
References :
I WROTE THE TEXT MYSELF!
I’m a 30 year old brazilian law student, living in Brazil. I believe people must comuniccate all around the world.
I speak Portuguese, Spanish, English, some French and Japanese, a litle bit of Italian, and Im’ studying German by now.