Overview of the Portuguese Language

The Portuguese language ranks second after Spanish as the most widely spoken Romance language. It also ranks eighth in the world in terms of number of speakers. European Portuguese, sometimes also called Continental Portuguese, is spoken by over 10 million people in Portugal.

Standard European Portuguese is a modern version of the colloquial Latin spoken by the Romans who occupied the Iberian Peninsula for more than half a millennium. It was a simplified version of Latin that avoided passive verbs forms, complicated tenses, and the entire declension system. The Portuguese language was also influenced by the consecutive invasions of Visigoths and Muslims in later years.

In medieval times, there were two main dialects of Portuguese: Galician-Portuguese (which was spoken in the Northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula) and Luso-Mozarabic (which was spoken in the region under Muslim control between the Mondego and Tagus Rivers). During the 11th and 12th centuries, the conquest of the Muslim-controlled territory and the imposition of permanent boundaries caused the two dialects to merge, giving birth to the modern Portuguese language. The first written documents in modern Portuguese date from the late 12th century, and literary works appeared soon after.

The Portuguese Alphabet, Portuguese Pronunciation, and Portuguese Spelling

The Portuguese alphabet includes the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, although the letters K, W, and Y are used only in words of foreign origin. Some aspects of Portuguese pronunciation may seem unusual to native English speakers learning Portuguese. The use of nasalized vowels, for example, requires some practice. Ways that nasalized vowels are indicated in Portuguese spelling include an 'm' or 'n' after the vowel, or a tilde (~) over the vowel. Portuguese also uses a number of other diacritic marks with certain letters to indicate stress and various aspects of pronunciation.

Portuguese Vocabulary

A good deal of the vocabulary of Portuguese was derived from Latin, and thus shows similarities to other Romance languages such as Spanish, French, and Italian. Moreover, European Portuguese was heavily influenced by the French language during the 18th century. In recent times, a number of words have also been borrowed from English. Terms have been passed the other way, as well: English words that come from European Portuguese vocabulary include lingo, fandango, albino, brocade, and molasses.

As you are learning Portuguese, you'll notice that some Portuguese vocabulary words look or sound deceptively like English-- but watch out! Don't assume that a Portuguese vocabulary word always means what you think it does. For example, if you tell someone they are breve, you are not complimenting them on their bravery-- you are calling them brief! If you describe something as grosso, you are saying it is thick. Férias has nothing to do with fairies or ferries: it means vacation.

Portuguese Grammar

Unlike English nouns, Portuguese nouns have gender. When you learn Portuguese vocabulary, it is important to learn the gender of nouns and to make sure that adjectives agree with the nouns they modify. For example, the Portuguese phrases mulher simpática (friendly woman) and homen simpático (friendly man) demonstrate how Portuguese adjectives change their endings to agree with the gender of feminine and masculine nouns.

An English speaker who is learning Portuguese may also be interested in the concept of formal and informal address in European Portuguese. When you speak Portuguese to an older person, or to someone you don't know very well, you should use the formal você form of address or the third person in order to be polite. For example, you might say Como está a senhora? (How is the lady?) when speaking to a woman you don't know very well. When speaking European Portuguese to a child, a good friend, or a family member, use the informal tu form of address instead. This distinction marks one of the differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, which no longer uses tu. Other noticeable differences include the prevalence and formation of certain verb tenses, as well as the placement of object pronouns.

Regular practice is necessary to learn to speak Portuguese well. That's why good European Portuguese software programs can be so important. It's easier than ever to learn Portuguese and to begin to speak Portuguese with the language resources and Portuguese language software from Transparent Language. With Before You Know It, PDQ, and our other language learning products, you will speak Portuguese, learn Portuguese vocabulary, conjugate Portuguese verbs, understand Portuguese grammar, and master Portuguese pronunciation quickly. Plus, we offer software for Brazilian Portuguese, too. Best of luck with your Portuguese language learning!