Absolutely! It’s true that there are some differences between the way Brazilians speak and Portuguese people speak. However, they still speak the same language. The people of those two nations have never stopped communicating since Brazil’s discovery in 1500. The level of differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese is comparable to the level of differences between American and British English. And as we all know, American and English people have been communicating without any trouble for years, haven’t they? And, so have we! 

Some differences between the Brazilian and European Portuguese

Those differences are mostly in vocabulary usage, phonetics, and some sentence structure. For example, Portuguese people have the habit of eliminating the unstressed vowels between consonants when they speak, such as the /e/ in the word menina (girl). They pronounce it ~ m’nina instead of ~ menina as Brazilians do.

Most educated Brazilians and those who have had some kind of contact with European Portuguese speakers do not have any trouble understanding them. And if at first, they do have some trouble, as they get used to their speaking rhythm, they start to get it. It’s just a question of getting used to listening to their beautiful accent.

My personal experience with European Portuguese speakers

As a Brazilian, I had the opportunity to meet several European Portuguese people while living in Rio de Janeiro during my childhood. And we didn’t have any trouble understanding or communicating with each other. Later, I moved to California and worked as a tele-Portuguese Interpreter for five years. I actually interpreted phone calls from Portuguese speakers to Banks, Hospitals, Insurances, Schools, and other institutions. I was able to help both Brazilians and Portuguese people.

However, I did notice that the older Portuguese generation who had moved from Portugal to the US many years prior to that time, didn’t understand me very well. They actually thought that I was speaking Spanish. The fact is that they had created a totally new Portuguese dialect for themselves which I call –Portenglish, a mixture of Portuguese and English. Needless to say, I also had a bit of trouble understanding their new dialect. So, whenever that happened, I would just offer to transfer their call to a European Portuguese interpreter.

In recent years, my husband and I spent a week traveling in Portugal, and I had no problems communicating with anyone. From the tour guide to a restaurant servant to a sales assistant and even to a beggar in the street, my Portuguese was perfectly sufficient to communicate without any problems. And we had a wonderful time enjoying the sites, the food, and our beloved Portuguese brothers and sisters.

Make your learning Portuguese an enjoyable experience. Please, check out our All About Portuguese page for more information about this beautiful Romance language.

The post Can Brazilian and European Portuguese Speakers Understand Each Other? appeared first on Brazilian Portuguese in a Snap.

Portuguese would theoretically be easier for a person who speaks another Romance language which utilizes the Roman alphabet and has a similar structure.  On the other hand, an Asian person whose alphabet seems to be mostly pictorial or a Russian speaker with a Cyrillic alphabet would have to deal with learning a totally new alphabet and a new language structure. However, the student’s attitude towards learning can make a big difference favorably or unfavorably on either case.

However, there’s a very important point that can make or break the studying of a new language: the person’s deep desire, willingness, and commitment to learning it. In other words, when you really want to learn a new language, and you make the decision to do so on your own, you have won half of the battle. Then, you just need to take the first step and not look back.

It helps when you already have the knowledge of another foreign language. You are able to make comparisons between the target language and your own language as well as the second language. This is a great tool which aids you to better remember structures and vocabulary in the new language.

Nowadays, you have access to tons of material online. So, there’s no excuse for not immersing yourself: listen to dialogs, to music, to podcasts, to the radio and watch videos and films in Portuguese. But stick to one kind of Portuguese – be it either Brazilian or European. After you master one, you can tackle the other. I mean you can learn the variations.

Above all, you definitely have to have a strong reason for wanting to learn Portuguese to be able to stick with it when difficulties come. Do not worry about myths that have been created along the years. You will hear things like: it’s very difficult for adults to learn a new language or you’re too old; are you sure you want to study a new language? It will take forever; I’ve heard Portuguese is a very difficult language to learn. Listening to what other people say leads you nowhere, but to paralysis. When you decide to learn Portuguese or any other foreign language, make the commitment to yourself to learn this language no matter what. It’s like planting a seed for a tree in your orchard. You will have to keep watering it with care until it buds and starts growing until finally, it reaches the proper structure and size. And I guarantee it will. Don’t worry about how long it will take or how old you are! Just stop talking about studying Portuguese and start doing it now! Please, let me know if you get stuck!

Make your learning Portuguese an enjoyable experience. Please, check out our All About Portuguese page for more information about this beautiful Romance language.

The post Is Portuguese Very Difficult to Learn? appeared first on Brazilian Portuguese in a Snap.