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Two Worlds, One Language: Unveiling the Differences Between European and Brazilian Portuguese
You are probably aware that there are two well-established standards of Portuguese – the European and the Brazilian. Most language learners, though, don’t know much about their differences.
So, how different are European and Brazilian Portuguese? Can native speakers on either side understand one another?
In general, European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible. While there are subtle variations in grammar, vocab preferences, and spelling between the two standards, pronunciation is what differs the most. Nonetheless, those differences don’t hinder, in any substantial way, mutual intelligibility.
Let’s dive in.
It goes without saying …
This binary classification of Portuguese standards is a generalization.
Portuguese is also spoken elsewhere: in African countries such as Angola, Guinea-Bissauor Mozambique, and even in some parts of Asia and Oceania.
Due to a longer period under Portugal’s colonial presence, the dialects spoken in African countries are closer to the European standard and are normally included in that category. However, these African variants of Portuguese have been evolving rapidly in the post-colonial era, and we have yet to see how Portuguese standards will be categorized in the future.
First impressions
Let’s get a sense of how Brazilian and European Portuguese look and sound in their written and spoken forms.
Below, there’s a passage from Paulo Coelho’s book O Alquimista, originally written in Brazilian Portuguese. I wrote a slightly different version by making small adjustments (marked in bold) to make it conform to the European standard:
European Portuguese
Levantou-se e bebeu um gole de vinho. Depois pegou no cajado e começou a acordar as ovelhas que ainda dormiam. Ele tinha reparado que, assim que acordava, a maior parte dos animais também começava a despertar. Como se houvesse alguma energia misteriosa a unir a sua vida à vida daquelas ovelhas que há dois anos percorriam com ele a terra, em busca de água e alimento.
Brazilian Portuguese
Levantou-se e tomou um gole de vinho. Depois pegou o cajado e começou acordando as ovelhas que ainda dormiam. Ele havia reparado que, assim que acordava, a maior parte dos animais também começava a despertar. Como se houvesse alguma energia misteriosa unindo sua vida à vida daquelas ovelhas que há dois anos percorriam com ele a terra, em busca de água e alimento.
He got up and took a sip of wine. Then he took his staff and started waking up the sheep that were still sleeping. He had noticed that most animals also started to wake up as soon as he woke up. As if there was a mysterious energy joining his life to the life of those sheep that, for two years, had been traveling the land with him in search of water and food. “They’ve gotten so used to me that they know my routines,” he said quietly. He reflected for a moment and thought that it could also be the other way around: maybe he had gotten used to the sheep’s routines. |
Note that the original text above (Brazilian version) is fully intelligible for European Portuguese native speakers. None of the adjustments were strictly necessary for comprehension. Only highly informal language containing slang words and expressions, or regional dialects, challenge the mutual intelligibility between European and Brazilian Portuguese.
Differences in pronunciation
As said before, pronunciation is where Brazilian and European Portuguese differ the most. Generally speaking, Brazilian Portuguese has more open vowel sounds and is more melodic than its European counterpart.
I often hear people saying that the Portuguese “swallow” syllables and that’s a fair observation – European Portuguese, like English, is stress-timed which means higher vowel reduction (more on that soon).
Many people even suggest that European Portuguese phonology is reminiscent of Russian * or other Slavic languages – that’s partially due to vowel reduction, and partially to an abundance of hushing-like fricative sounds (more on that soon, too).
Before we go deeper into phonological differences between the two standards, I want to remind you that Brazil is a big country with various regional dialects. Portugal, though not as big as Brazil, also has its regional differences – the differences in pronunciation pointed out below are based on “standard” versions of either variant of Portuguese.
* Learn more about why European Portuguese sounds Slavic: Here’s Why Portuguese Sounds like Russian.
Vowel Sounds
Brazilian Portuguese is more clearly pronounced than European Portuguese mainly due to differences in the vowel sounds between the two – there is significantly more vowel reduction going on in the European standard.
Vowel reduction, if you haven’t yet come across this concept, is a speech mechanism by which unstressed syllables are shortened, thus rendering closed vowel sounds, sometimes even nearly muted.
Vowel reduction is much more apparent in stress-timed languages like European Portuguese than in syllable-timed languages like Brazilian Portuguese.
Vowel reduction results in a less explicit pronunciation and gives the impression that the person speaking is swallowing word syllables. Let’s listen to the following verses (from the song Água de Beber by António C. Jobim) in either standard. Pay special attention to the vowel sounds.
PT-PT
Eu quis amar mas tive medo
Eu quis salvar meu coração
Mas o amor sabe um segredo
O medo pode matar seu coração
PT-BR
Eu quis amar mas tive medo
Eu quis salvar meu coração
Mas o amor sabe um segredo
O medo pode matar seu coração
Could you notice the vowel sounds nearly disappearing in the European version?
You’ve probably heard the difference in words ending with the vowel e, for instance, tive or sabe. One can hardly hear that e-sound in the European version. In Brazilian Portuguese, however, you clearly hear an i-sound, as in Lee. Go back and listen again.
I bet you’ve noticed, too, differences in the consonant sounds. That’s where we are heading next.
Consonant Sounds
S&Z
There’s more of a hushing resonance in European Portuguese than in the other. Much of it is due to the pronunciation of the letter s.
Accordingly, in European Portuguese, all words ending with an s render a sh-sound, as in shape. The same happens when the s occurs before a voiceless consonant (p, t, c, f).
Even words ending with a z produce that same sh-sound
In Brazilian Portuguese, on the other hand, the s letter will, under the same circumstances, produce more of an s-sound (as in sign).
Listen to the following sentence in either standard:
PT-PT
Nós estamos sem voz.
PT-BR
Nós estamos sem voz.
L
In European Portuguese, words ending with an l render the so-called dark l-sound, roughly as in normal.
But that’s not the case for Brazilian Portuguese, where the letter l will produce a rounded vowel sound, as in bow.
Listen to the following sentence and compare:
PT-PT
O céu é azul.
PT-BR
O céu é azul.
R
In European Portuguese, words ending with an r produce the so-called alveolar tap, more or less as in settle (American pronunciation). In Brazilian Portuguese, however, these r-sounds more subtle and in some regional dialects even muted.
On the other hand (back again to the European standard), words starting with an r render a throaty r-sound (produced at the back of the mouth). That’s also the case when a double r is stuck between vowels.
In Brazilian Portuguese, and depending on the region, that throaty r can be voiceless, as in Juan (Spanish pronunciation).
Listen to the following sentence and compare the r-sounds mentioned above:
PT-PT
O Ricardo gosta de correr na praia e nadar no mar.
PT-BR
O Ricardo gosta de correr na praia e nadar no mar.
D
In European Portuguese, the letter d is always pronounced the same way, roughly as in date (the Portuguese d is somewhat less percussive and sharp than the English).
In Brazilian Portuguese, on the other hand, the letter d can render a /dʒi/-sound, as in aging or jail. This happens when d is followed by either i or an e that sounds like i (namely when e appears at the end of a word).
Listen and compare the d-sounds mentioned above:
PT-PT
Pode mudar de atitude?
PT-BR
Pode mudar de atitude?
T
The t behaves analogously to the d.
In the European standard, the letter t always produces the same sound, more or less as in tea (once more, the Portuguese t is pronounced less percussively than the English).
However, in Brazilian Portuguese, the letter t will sometimes produce a /tʃi/-sound, as in chat. That happens when t is followed by i or an e that sounds like i.
Listen and compare the t sounds mentioned above:
PT-PT
O Tiago tinha bebido aguardente.
PT-BR
O Tiago tinha bebido aguardente.
Learn more about the European Portuguese sound system: European Portuguese Pronunciation: A Helpful Guide to Its Elemental Sounds.
Lexical preferences and false friends: Portugal vs. Brazil
Lexical preferences
On either side of the Atlantic, you will find different colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions reflecting different cultures.
To illustrate this, let’s peek into Mário’s (Portugal) and Laura’s (Brazil) daily routines:
A typical day in Mario’s and Laura’s lives
First thing in the morning, Mário goes straight to the quarto de banho (bathroom) to take a shower, while Laura uses the banheiro.
Feeling fresh after his shower, Mário eats pequeno-almoço (breakfast) and drinks sumo (juice), whereas Laura has her café da manhã with suco.
Satiated, Mário puts the butter and milk back into the frigorífico (fridge). Likewise, Laura puts the yogurt back into the geladeira.
When they leave for work, Mário takes the comboio (train) first, then changes to an autocarro (bus). The same goes for Laura. First, she takes the trem and then the ônibus.
When they arrive at work, Mário greets his colleagues with an Olá pessoal! Laura shouts, Oi gente! They both have casual work environments.
During the lunch break, Mário grabs a cachorro (hotdog) and dá dois dedos de conversa (chats) with his workmates. Laura takes her time eating her cachorro-quente because she is mostly batendo um papo (chatting), not eating.
For dessert, Mário goes for a gelado (ice-cream). Laura does the same and eats a sorvete.
On their way home, Mário bumps into his girlfriend who tells him, “I have uma coisa (something) to tell you – I bought us a trip to Brazil.” Mário gets all excited and says, fixe! (awesome).
Laura also runs into her boyfriend and shares something with him: “I have um negócio (something) to tell you: I bought us a trip to Portugal.” Her boyfriend replies: legal! (awesome).
When he finally arrives home, Mário sees his cão (dog) wagging its tail and excited to see him again. Laura also arrives home and the first thing she hears is her cachorro barking her welcome.
Here’s a summary of common expressions that differ between Portugal and Brazil:
Portugal | Brazil | |
hi everyone! | café da manhã | oi galera! |
bathroom | quarto de banho | banheiro |
breakfast | pequeno-almoço | café da manhã |
juice | sumo | suco |
fridge | frigorífico | geladeira |
train | comboio | trem |
bus | autocarro | ônibus |
hot dog | cachorro | cachorro quente |
ice cream | gelado | sorvete |
to chat (informal) | dar dois dedos de conversa | bater um papo |
something | uma coisa | um negócio |
awesome/nice | fixe | legal |
dog | cão | cachorro |
mobile phone | telemóvel | celular |
draught beer | imperial | chope |
brandy | aguardente | cachaça |
screen | ecrã | tela |
computer mouse | rato | mouse |
soccer team | equipa de futebol | time de futebol |
goalkeeper | guarda-redes | goleiro |
goal | golo | gol |
tram | elétrico | bonde |
grass | relva | grama |
block (neighbourhood) | quarteirão | quadra |
. . . | . . . |
! Brazilians use diminutives with higher frequency than people in Portugal. Diminutives are derivative words ending in –inho, suggesting smaller size, endearment, or deprecation. Some examples would be Joãozinho (little John), carrinho (little car), or beijinho (sweet kiss).
False friends
Many words share the same origin but their meanings eventually grow apart as time goes by. Often, the same word has several meanings on one side but only one meaning on the other, which can lead to misunderstandings.
Let’s look at a few examples:
PT | BR | |
propina | tuition fee | brive |
apelido | last name | nickname |
rapariga | girl | prostitute |
fato | suit | fact |
pele | leather | skin |
bicha | queue | gay |
peão | pedestrian | pawn |
. . . | . . . |
Differences in grammar
There are a few grammar nuances between Brazilian and European Portuguese. Let’s take a look at some of them.
If you are a beginner and want to get your feet wet in Portuguese grammar, read is: Dabbling in Portuguese Grammar – First Impressions for Beginners.
Definite articles
The European variant always calls for definite articles before proper nouns and possessive pronouns. In Brazilian Portuguese, though, those articles are most commonly left out.
A few examples:
(pt) O Pedro viu a Teresa no café.
(br) Pedro viu a Teresa no café.
Pedro saw Teresa at the café.
(pt) O meu irmão vive na Argentina.
(br) Meu irmão vive na Argentina.
My brother lives in Argentina.
Continuous tenses
Either standard of Portuguese deals with continuous tenses differently.
Take the present continuous for instance. In European Portuguese, you use the auxiliary verb estar conjugated in the Present tense followed by the preposition a and the main verb in the Infinitive form.
In Brazilian Portuguese, you also use the auxiliary estar conjugated in the Present tense, but there is no preposition in between the verbs and the main verb is in the Present Participle.
Here’s an example:
(pt) A Catarina está a viajar.
(br) Catarina está viajando.
Catarina is traveling.
Learn more about progressive tenses in Portuguese: Portuguese Gerund: Progressive Tenses and Beyond.
Compound tenses
In Portuguese, both ter and haver * can be used as auxiliary verbs to form Perfect tenses.
In European Portuguese, however, haver as an auxiliary verb is less frequent than in Brazilian Portuguese:
A Ana tinha estado com o Pedro. (frequent in both standards)
Ana havia estado com o Pedro. (more frequent in Brazilian Portuguese)
Ana had been with Pedro.
* The Portuguese verb haver is a must-know: The Portuguese Verb “Haver” and All the Things You Say with It.
Subject pronouns: você vs. tu
One significant difference between European and Brazilian Portuguese is the way people address one another.
In Brazil, você (third person) is widely used, even among family and friends. Apart from a few regional dialects, you won’t hear people saying tu (second person).
In European Portuguese, on the other hand, tu is the norm for casual settings. You’d only use você in formal situations:
(pt) Pedro, (tu) queres gelado de baunilha ou chocolate?
(br) Pedro, (você) quer sorvete de baunilha ou chocolate?
Pedro, do you want vanilla or chocolate ice cream?
(pt) Olá mãe, como foi o teu dia?
(br) Oi mãe, como foi seu dia?
Hi, Mum, how’s your day?
Object Pronouns
There are also a few differences in word order between the standards, namely concerning reflexive and object pronouns.
Overall, European Portuguese has more rigid rules for word order than the other. Here are a few examples to illustrate these differences:
(pt) Olá, Chamo-me Miguel.
(br) Oi, me chamo Miguel.
My name is Miguel.
(pt) Conto-te essa história mais logo.
(br) Te conto essa histório mais logo.
I will tell you that story later.
Here are a couple of readings where you can dive into Portuguese object and reflexive pronouns:
1. Portuguese Object Pronouns: What Are They for and Where to Place Them
2. Portuguese Reflexive Verbs and Reflexive Pronoun Placement
Prepositions
Portuguese and Brazilian people do not seem to agree on how to use prepositions, especially when movement is concerned (as when you use the preposition to in English).
Where people in Portugal say à or ao (contractions of the preposition a), Brazilians prefer the no or na (contractions of the preposition em):
(pt) Vou ao quarto de banho.
(br) Vou no banheiro.
I am going to the restroom.
(pt) Vou à África do Sul em janeiro.
(br) Vou na África do Sul em janeiro.
I am going to South Africa in January.
Learn the ABC of Portuguese prepositions: Basic Portuguese Prepositions and Contractions: An Inclusive Usage Rundown.
Differences in spelling
There are only minor differences in spelling between the Brazilian and the European variants.
An orthographic agreement signed by several Portuguese-speaking countries, and coming into force under the 2010s, further contributed to a standardized spelling across the various regions where Portuguese is spoken.
To be clear, this agreement doesn’t interfere with vocabulary preferences, idiomatic praxis, or pronunciation of either country. It strictly concerns spelling.
For instance, in European Portuguese and before the agreement, several words were spelled with mute consonants (c‘s and p‘s). In Brazilian Portuguese, however, that was never the case as they wouldn’t write unpronounced letters.
Accordingly, in European Portuguese and before the agreement, the words acção (action), correcto (correct), baptismo (baptismo), and excepto (except) included mute consonants. Today, they are spelled ação, correto, batismo, and exceto – just the way they already had been according to the spelling of the Brazilian variant.
This was only one example illustrating how the orthographic agreement brought closer the spellings on either side of the Atlantic. But there are still a few minor differences, most of them reflecting variations in pronunciation:
European Portuguese | Brazilian Portuguese | |
reception | receção | recepção (Brazilians pronounce the p) |
european (feminine form) | europeia | européia |
Anthony | António | Antônio (the o is pronounced with a more closed vowel sound) |
fact | facto (the Portuguese pronounce the c) | fato |
Learn more about the Portuguese spelling reform: Portuguese Spelling Reform: A Before-and-After Summary.
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