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Learning Portuguese

Are Portuguese and Spanish Really That Similar?

When learning Portuguese, many students quickly notice how much it resembles Spanish. This is no coincidence ? both languages belong to the Romance language family and evolved from Latin. But how deep do the similarities go? And are the two languages mutually intelligible?

Shared Roots, Shared Words

Portuguese and Spanish share around 89% lexical similarity, which means a large portion of their vocabularies overlap. For instance:

These similarities make it easier for Spanish speakers to pick up Portuguese and vice versa, especially when it comes to reading comprehension.

Key Differences in Pronunciation

While vocabulary might be similar, pronunciation often creates confusion. Portuguese uses nasal vowels, which are absent in Spanish. For example, the Portuguese word ?pão? (bread) has a nasal sound not found in its Spanish counterpart ?pan.?

Additionally, the rhythm and intonation of Portuguese are closer to French than to Spanish, which tends to be more staccato and syllable-timed.

Grammar and Verb Conjugation

Grammatically, both languages use gendered nouns, similar verb tenses, and formal/informal pronouns. However, Portuguese has more verb forms and uses the future subjunctive ? a tense no longer used in modern Spanish.

Can Portuguese and Spanish Speakers Understand Each Other?

To some degree, yes ? especially in written form. Spanish speakers often understand written Portuguese better than spoken, due to pronunciation differences. Portuguese speakers generally have a bit more exposure to Spanish and may find it easier to understand spoken Spanish.

Helpful Resources for Spanish-Speaking Students

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