Portuguese and spanish?

Question

how similar are the portuguese and spanish languages? for example, would fluency in one allow for communication in the other?

Answer 1

I completely agree with Graham. I also add that even though it helps to be fluent in one language in order to understand or communicate in the other, each has it´s own characteristics. On one side, it helps, however, it may get the student confused and insecure about what he is saying. Most of my students are Portuguese, I teach Spanish, and I can tell you that speaking Spanish (properly) for them is as hard as doing it in English or another language.

Feel free to ask me for specific exercises if you want.

Answer 2

Yes, they are similar. And yes, fluency in one (or having one as mother tongue) will most likely allow communication in the other.

Accents can make it a bit tricky though, as well as the natural speed of talking. But if both the spanish and portuguese people make an effort, I think they'll understand each other mutually with no major problems.

I've also heard many times that we, portuguese people, understand spanish people better than they understand us. I've also heard more than once that spanish people are not really bothered to understand us, and rather expect us to try and speak spanish to them, but I don't think that's really true, most spanish people I've seen seem pretty happy to establish any connection.

I also would like to add, that even though the languages are similar and do allow a mutual understanding, I do not think that makes them easier to learn (as in fluently speaking) for the other person more easily than english, or french or another language. That simply because sometimes, it can make it even harder to distinguish the differences and to memorise the particular aspects when they can be so similar.

Answer 3

Yes and no.

As they are both Latin-based, they are quite similar in some points.

As I am half Brazilian and I can speak Portuguese fluently, I can say that I understand and speak quite a bit of Spanish. Obviously, my Spanish is not fluent. But if a Spanish speaker talks to me, I won't get lost and will understand and answer accordingly, with some errors.

I don't think that it is reciprocal. Spanish speakers don't understand Portuguese as well as we understand them. But they also can communicate and when reading, can understand pretty much everything.

Rather than French and Romenian, I believe that Latin languages are very similar. I am fluent in Italian as well and I can tell you that it sounds similar and the grammar is the same. Same radicals, same origin and etc.

English is my first language today as I have been living in England since I was ten years old (my mum is British from Liverpool). But I kept the languages I learnt in my home country (Brazil) and my dad's home country (Italy). It's a h**l of a mixture but that makes me see languages more clearly and makes my life easier when talking about languages.

So, to answer your question shortly, YES. If you speak either Spanish or Portuguese, you can communicate. But it won't be  a very easy task nor you will understand everything. You'd miss a few bits and bobs.

Answer 4

They both started life as Latin - as did Italian.  If you speak slowly enough, they are mutually understandable.  I speak Italian.  I can understand Spanish although I don't speak much of it.  I can normally follow what people are saying in Portuguese, but when they speak quickly (especially with a Brazilian accent) I'm lost.

Answer 5

To anwser your question, YES, fluency in one will allow a certain level of communication in the other.  

I'm a native Spanish speaker who's been studying Portuguese on my own for the last year.  I went to Portugal for a four week period last year and I was able to understand them if they spoke slowly.  I still took some classes to get a better understanding of the language and I still don't know it perfectly and I'm sure it will take time before I can speak it fluently.

Like somebody already said because they are very similar it can make the learning process more complex at times.  But it's always fun taking up on that challenge and learn more of this beautiful language.  Specially trying to make my pronunciation/accent as close as possible to that of the Portuguese.

Some differences can be: similar words spelled differently, gender wise differences, same words with different meanings, etc.

ex:

                                                      

Same pronunciation/diff. meaning

PT: embaraçada                              

SP: embarazada                                                

EN/PT: embarrased, EN/SP: pregnant

PT: polvo

SP:polvo

EN/PT: Octopus, EN/SP: powder/dust

Completely different words:

PT: Perto/ SP: Cerca ,  EN: Near by                                              

PT:Duvida/ SP: Duda, EN: Doubt                                                  

Different Spelling:

PT: palaVra/ SP: palaBra, EN: Word

Gender Differences:

PT: A ponte/ SP: El Puente, EN: The bridge                                              

PT: A viagem/ SP: El viaje, EN: The trip                                              

( In portuguese a bridge is feminine, in spanish it's masculine, etc)

Like I said, it very fun finding these little differences.  

These are two beautiful languages, unique and special in their own way. (-:

Answer 6

they r very similar and yes probably fluency in 1 will allow for communication in the other.

Answer 7

Only to a limited extent; on paper, Portuguese and Spanish look fairly similar but the spoken languages sound very different indeed. The Portuguese spoken in Portugal is almost incomprehensible to Spaniards, Brazilian Portuguese very slightly less so.

Portuguese speakers tend to be able to understand Spanish speakers better than the other way around.

Portuguese speakers can be quite sensitive to the popular misconception that Portuguese is no more than a different dialect or version of Spanish; Portuguese has actually been around for longer than Spanish and, if anything, gave birth to Spanish rather than the other way around. One well-known Portuguese author made a point of writing a whole book in which no single word was the same as its Spanish counterpart.

Answer 8

ok

i´m brazilian but i live in spain i speak both fluently and i´ve got to say they´re very different in pronounciation but some words when written are pretty similar

most spaniards dont understand people talking in portuguese but they´ll understand well written portuguese