Learn the similarities between Portuguese and Spanish
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Intro |
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| Michael: Is Portuguese similar to Spanish? |
| Ana Clara: And are they mutually intelligible? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Here is a typical scenario: Ben Lee, a college student who is studying languages, finds himself confused between Portuguese and Spanish. He picks up the Portuguese Classic, Veronika Decide Morir, but finds it surprisingly hard to read. He turns to his friend, Nicolas Nunes, and asks, |
| "Is this in Portuguese?" |
| Ben Lee: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Nicolas Nunes: Não, está em espanhol. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Michael: "Is this in Portuguese?" |
| Nicolas Nunes: Não, está em espanhol. |
| Michael: "No, it's in Spanish." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the conversation, we hear Ben asking Nicolas, "Is this in Portuguese?" |
| Ana Clara: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Michael: To which Nicolas responds, "No, it's in Spanish." |
| Ana Clara: Não, está em espanhol. |
| Michael: The Spanish and Portuguese languages are similar in many ways. As a result of the many cognates that they share, beginner-level learners may even occasionally confuse the two languages. Words like |
| Ana Clara: agua, sol, comer, bonito, and disculpa, |
| Michael: for example, are nearly identical between the two languages. We can chalk these similarities up to the proximity between Portugal and Spain, where both languages first originated before spreading to other parts of the world, like Africa and the Americas. |
| Michael: However, it's also important to realize that there are many differences between these languages. One of the biggest such differences that learners should be aware of is pronunciation. Many linguists have associated Portuguese pronunciation, or |
| Ana Clara: pronúncia, |
| Michael: more closely with Russian or Germanic languages than with Spanish. |
| Michael: Speakers of one language may assume cognates in other languages are pronounced the same way. But this is often not the case—as evident with the Portuguese words |
| Ana Clara: madeira, |
| Michael: meaning "wood," |
| Ana Clara: primeiro, |
| Michael: meaning "first" Unlike their Spanish cognates, these Portuguese words utilize the diphthong |
| Ana Clara: ei |
| Michael: in place of the Spanish vowel "e." |
| Michael: In addition to pronunciation, another difference you may notice between Spanish and Portuguese is in suffix usage. As an example, note that the Spanish "ón" ending appears in Portuguese as |
| Ana Clara: ão. |
| Michael: Thus, while in Spanish they say |
| Spanish native speaker: corazón, |
| Michael: to mean "heart," in Portuguese they say |
| Ana Clara: coração. |
| Michael: Similarly, the word "emotion" in Spanish is |
| Spanish native speaker: emoción, |
| Michael: whereas in Portuguese it's |
| Ana Clara: emoção. |
| Michael: As you begin to notice such pattern changes from one language to the other, you'll be able to distinguish between the two languages more quickly. |
| Michael: Lastly, although it's true that there are many cognates between Portuguese and Spanish, one must also beware of 'false friends,' or 'false cognates.' These are words that may sound similar between the two languages, but, in fact, have very different meanings. |
| Michael: For example, |
| Ana Clara: polvo |
| Michael: means "octopus" in Portuguese but "powder" or "dust" in Spanish, and |
| Ana Clara: salada |
| Michael: is the Portuguese word for "salad" but means "salty" in Spanish. |
| Michael: As you now know, there are many similarities between the languages that make learning either language easier to do, but it's important to appreciate their key differences and immerse yourself in the country, cultural, and linguistic nuances of the language that you hope to master next. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the conversation in detail. Try to respond to the following prompts by saying their Portuguese translation out loud. Ana Clara will then model the correct answer. Try to repeat after her with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| The first prompt is, "Is this in Portuguese?" |
| Ana Clara: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen to Ana Clara again and repeat after her. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Ana Clara: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Ana Clara: Isto aqui está em português? |
| Michael: The next prompt is, "No, it's in Spanish." |
| Ana Clara: Não, está em espanhol. |
| Michael: Listen to Ana Clara again and repeat after her. |
| Ana Clara: Não, está em espanhol. |
| Ana Clara: Não, está em espanhol. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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