Which is harder Spanish or Portuguese? (2024)

Which is harder Spanish or Portuguese?

Grammar: There are differences in tenses, prepositions, cardinal numbers, and more in Spanish vs. Portuguese. Pronunciation and spelling: Portuguese contains more accents and silent letters than Spanish, making spelling and pronunciation more difficult than Spanish.

What's harder Portuguese or Spanish?

In conclusion, Portuguese and Spanish are both considered “easy” languages for English speakers to learn, but there are a few key differences that may make Portuguese somewhat harder to learn. These differences include more complex pronunciation and nuanced verb conjugations.

Is it better to learn Spanish or Portuguese first?

However, the majority of people agree that Spanish is easier to understand. Learning Spanish can also make it easier to learn other romantic languages. Once you're comfortable with your Spanish, Portuguese will be a lot easier to master and speak fluently.

Is Portuguese the hardest language to learn?

Just take a look at how the U.S. Foreign Service classified Portuguese. They've labeled it as Category 1, meaning it's one of the easiest languages to learn! In this article, we'll examine what factors might make the Portuguese language hard to learn and how to overcome those challenges.

Can a Portuguese person understand Spanish?

Yes. Portuguese speakers will have some level of ease understanding Spanish speakers. This is because they share at least 89% lexical similarity. It means at least 89% of their vocabulary has the same or closely related equivalent in each other's languages.

Who speaks more Spanish or Portuguese?

Nearly 600 million people speak Spanish and nearly 300 million speak Portuguese1. We know why: Portugal and Spain colonized America, making it Latin America, where most of these 900 million people live. About 60 million live in Europe2 and 70 million in Africa3.

How long does it take to learn Portuguese?

Therefore, according to FSI findings, Portuguese is in Language Group I and it will take you around 575-600 hours to learn it.

Which grammar is easier Spanish or Portuguese?

Grammar: There are differences in tenses, prepositions, cardinal numbers, and more in Spanish vs. Portuguese. Pronunciation and spelling: Portuguese contains more accents and silent letters than Spanish, making spelling and pronunciation more difficult than Spanish.

Why is Portuguese easier than Spanish?

If you already know Spanish, learning Portuguese will probably be much easier than it was for you to learn Spanish initially. This is because the languages share a lexical similarity of almost 90%, meaning that a very high number of the words in Spanish and Portuguese are similar.

Should I learn Portuguese if I speak Spanish?

Learning Portuguese after learning Spanish means a smaller learning curve and a shorter time to reach your goals. But that doesn't mean there won't be challenges. The close relationship between Spanish and Portuguese has led to common language-related misconceptions.

What is the 3 hardest language to learn?

We'll cover the hardest languages for the english speaking people in this list. We've also covered the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. Give it a read. The 3 hardest languages to learn include Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian.

Why is learning Portuguese so difficult?

Portuguese pronunciation isn't hard once you understand the rules, but there are more of those rules than there are for Spanish, hence Portuguese coming across as harder to learn. There are more silent letters, vowel sounds and accents to get your head around.

What is easier Italian or Portuguese?

Both Italian and Portuguese have their unique complexities, but some people find Italian easier to learn due to its simpler grammar and pronunciation. Portuguese, on the other hand, has a more complex system of verb conjugation and pronunciation.

Do people in Brazil understand Spanish?

If you know some Spanish, you can certainly try to make your wants or needs known using Spanish. While Portuguese and Spanish are linguistic cousins and some Brazilians may understand what you say in Spanish, they probably will not answer you in Spanish.

Is Portuguese basically Spanish?

Portuguese and Spanish, although closely related Romance languages, differ in many aspects of their phonology, grammar, and lexicon.

What is the closest language to Portuguese?

The closest language to Portuguese is Galician, which is spoken in the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. Galician and Portuguese are very similar and share a common linguistic heritage.

What is the hardest language in the world?

Mandarin is unanimously considered the most difficult language to master and is spoken by over a billion people in the world.

What is the most useful language in the world?

English is one definitely one of the most important languages to learn in 2021 and beyond. It is used in global business, worldwide travel, diplomatic affairs, and in computer technology. Not only that, but many of the top global economies are English-speaking ones — the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Is Portuguese more Spanish or Italian?

2 Answers By Expert Tutors. Portuguese is extremely close to Spanish in the written form. Not so close to Italian. As a speaker of all three of these languages, I often say that Portuguese is like the child of Spanish and Italian.

Can I learn Portuguese in 3 months?

How quickly you learn Spanish or Portuguese will depend on how many consistent hours you put into practicing the language. If you can dedicate 2-3 hours a day of deep study with the right methodology, you can achieve a CEFR A2 conversational level of fluency in only 3 months.

What is the easiest language to learn?

How tough is Portuguese?

If you're wondering, “How hard is Portuguese to learn for English speakers?”, it may be slightly harder than if you're a native Spanish or Italian speaker. But English still uses the same alphabet and has a similar sentence structure to Portuguese, so it can still be easy for English speakers to learn Portuguese.

Does Portuguese sound more like French or Spanish?

The perception of Portuguese sounding like Spanish spoken with a French accent may be due to the influence of French on the Portuguese language, as well as the similarities in rhythm and intonation between Spanish and Portuguese. However, both languages have unique characteristics that set them apart.

What are the biggest differences between Spanish and Portuguese?

While they share some similarities due to their common linguistic roots, there are also several differences between the two languages. One major difference is in pronunciation and phonetics. Portuguese has a more nasal sound compared to Spanish, and it also has some unique vowel sounds that are not present in Spanish.

Can I learn Portuguese on duolingo?

The world's most popular way to learn Portuguese online

Whether you're a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking, Duolingo is scientifically proven to work.