A Spanish speaker can understand a moderate amount of Portuguese, as the two languages share many similarities in vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. However, there are also noticeable differences that may cause difficulties in complete comprehension.
So let us investigate more
When it comes to understanding Portuguese, Spanish speakers already have the advantage of sharing a lot of similarities in language. According to FluentU, “Portuguese and Spanish are sister languages and share a lot of similarities due to their common Latin roots. In fact, when spoken slowly and clearly, Portuguese can often be understood by Spanish speakers.”
Despite the similarities, there are still differences that can cause difficulties in complete comprehension, particularly in the areas of pronunciation and vocabulary. As noted by ThoughtCo, “Portuguese and Spanish share some words, but the pronunciation of those words is often different. Additionally, some words that are spelled the same have entirely different meanings in each language.”
A famous quote by Anthony Burgess sums up the relationship between the two languages quite well: “Portuguese is a charming language, but I have no idea what they’re saying. I like the sound of it anyway.”
Here are some interesting facts about the Portuguese and Spanish languages:
- Portuguese is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with over 250 million speakers.
- Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with over 500 million speakers.
- Portuguese and Spanish are both official languages of the European Union.
- The Portuguese language has many unique dialects, including Brazilian Portuguese and African Portuguese.
Below is a table highlighting some similarities and differences between Portuguese and Spanish:
| Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Obrigado/A – Gracias | |
| Família – Familia | |
| De – De | |
| Amor – Amor | |
| Cozinha – Cocina | |
| Sim – Sí | |
| Não – No |
In conclusion, Spanish speakers can understand a moderate amount of Portuguese, but there are still differences that can cause some difficulties in complete comprehension. Despite this, the similarities between the two languages make them both beautiful and unique in their own ways.
There are also other opinions
If you don’t study each of them individually, I doubt you will be able to write in both. A Spanish speaker and a Portuguese speaker that have never been exposed to each other’s languages will understand around 45% of what the other says. In real life, of course, this is not that common.
It is said that a Portuguese speaker will understand at least 58% of what a Spanish individual would say, while Spanish speakers would only understand at least 50% Portuguese.
Video answer
The video explores whether a Spanish speaker can understand Portuguese, with a group of speakers conversing in both languages and testing each other with tricky words. It is noted that there is more Portuguese spoken in South America than Spanish, surprising some viewers. The speakers practice basic phrases and note differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, such as “otras personas” vs “nosotros” and “manga.” Portuguese teacher Bianca is also given a shout-out with her profile linked in the video description.
I am confident you will be intrigued
Consequently, Can a Spanish speaker understand a Portuguese speaker?
Answer to this: Spoken Spanish and Portuguese are less mutually intelligible than their written forms. In other words, on paper, the two languages look very similar and speakers of either language can generally read the other language without too much struggle.
Then, Is it easy to understand Portuguese if you know Spanish?
If you already know Spanish, learning Portuguese will probably be much easier than it was for you to learn Spanish initially. This is because the languages share a lexical similarity of almost 90%, meaning that a very high number of the words in Spanish and Portuguese are similar.
Simply so, How fast can I learn Portuguese if I speak Spanish? Response to this: How long does it take to learn Portuguese if you know Spanish? Learning Portuguese on a fluent level takes approximately the same amount of time as Spanish, with around 600 hours of study during six months.
Moreover, Is Portuguese hard for Spanish speakers?
As an answer to this: Pronunciation. Pronunciation is one of the major differences a Spanish speaker must watch out for when learning Portuguese. Even though most words are similar, letter for letter, native Spanish speakers find Portuguese quite challenging to pronounce.
Can Portuguese speakers understand spoken Spanish?
Portuguese speakers can understand spoken Spanish pretty well. Spanish speakers can’t understand spoken Portuguese that much – but we can understand written Portuguese knowing a few key words. The reason for this (I believe) is that these languages share a lot of common ground in grammar and vocabulary.
What is a common sentence by Spanish tourist in Portugal? A common sentence by spanish tourist in Portugal is "no te entiendo" (I don’t understand you). Indeed they aren’t expose to Portuguese or other languages. Therefore is hard to hear and understand a different language.
Likewise, What are the most common mistakes Portuguese speakers make when learning Spanish?
The answer is: Mistakes are common when learning any language and you should not beat yourself up over them. However, when aware of common slippery roads, you can try avoiding them altogether! Here are four common mistakes Portuguese speakers make when adventuring into Spanish: Using lo instead of el.
Why do Brazilians understand Spanish better than Portuguese? Almost all sounds used by Spanish are found in Portuguese, but Portuguese uses many sounds that do not exist in Spanish. These imbalance makes it easier to Brazilians to understand, as they can recognize the majority of sounds, and thus has less issues in the way to understanding.
Also Know, Can Portuguese speakers understand spoken Spanish?
Response: Portuguese speakers can understand spoken Spanish pretty well. Spanish speakers can‘t understand spoken Portuguese that much – but we can understand written Portuguese knowing a few key words. The reason for this (I believe) is that these languages share a lot of common ground in grammar and vocabulary.
Subsequently, What are the most common mistakes Portuguese speakers make when learning Spanish? In reply to that: Mistakes are common when learning any language and you should not beat yourself up over them. However, when aware of common slippery roads, you can try avoiding them altogether! Here are four common mistakes Portuguese speakers make when adventuring into Spanish: Using lo instead of el.
Also question is, Why do Brazilians understand Spanish better than Portuguese? The answer is: Almost all sounds used by Spanish are found in Portuguese, but Portuguese uses many sounds that do not exist in Spanish. These imbalance makes it easier to Brazilians to understand, as they can recognize the majority of sounds, and thus has less issues in the way to understanding.
What sounds do not occur in Spanish in Portuguese?
Answer: Portuguese has quite a few sounds that do not occur in Spanish. An extensive set of nasal vowel sounds, two “neutral” vowel sounds, and the sounds [ʒ] (like S in English “pleasure” or “leisure”) and [ʃ] (the sound of “sh” in English “show” or “shed”).