Portuguese
Português
Portuguese is recognisable by its nasal vowels, written ão, õe and ã, which no other Romance language spells that way. It is very close to Galician, from which it separated in the Middle Ages, and remains largely readable for a Spanish speaker, far less so when spoken. The European and Brazilian varieties differ noticeably, with European Portuguese heavily reducing its unstressed vowels.
- Family
- Romance
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ≈ 235 million
- Where
- Portugal (and Brazil)
- In the game
- Common language
How to spot it
The nasal vowels ão, õe, ã are unique in Europe. Lots of ç and words ending in -ção.
A few sentences
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Vamos tomar um café antes de voltar para casa.
Let’s have a coffee before heading home.
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Podes repetir, por favor? Não percebi.
Could you say that again, please? I did not understand.
-
Perdi o autocarro por dois minutos.
I missed the bus by two minutes.
-
Ela mudou de emprego no mês passado.
She changed jobs last month.
-
Vamos ao cinema logo à noite.
We are going to the cinema tonight.