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Should I learn European or Brazilian Portuguese if I live in Portugal?

Updated

Short answer: Officially there is only one language, Portuguese, with national varieties such as the one used in Portugal and the one used in Brazil. The differences covered here are in pronunciation, pronoun placement, articles, some spelling and everyday vocabulary. If you live in Portugal, we recommend learning European Portuguese, but this is editorial advice and not an official rule.

Live in Portugal for a few weeks and you will hear the language called two different ways: European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. Beginners often ask which of the two they should study.

This article compares the differences you will notice first: sounds, pronouns, articles, spelling and everyday words. It ends with a clear recommendation for people living in Portugal, and a short section for learners who already speak the Brazilian variety.

The comparison is based on Ciberdúvidas da Língua Portuguesa, a language advice service run by ISCTE-IUL.

Are they really two different languages?

No. Officially the terms are always português and língua portuguesa (the Portuguese language), without naming varieties (Ciberdúvidas). 'European Portuguese' and 'Brazilian Portuguese' are descriptive linguistic labels.

Think of Portuguese as one language with several national varieties. Portugal and Brazil are the two countries where it counts as the national language, and it is official in other countries as well (Ciberdúvidas).

One more warning before the list of differences. Neither country has a single uniform accent. Both have an important range of regional speech (Ciberdúvidas). So 'Brazilian vs European' is a simplification, and not every point below applies to every speaker.

What will you notice in pronunciation?

You will probably notice pronunciation first when you arrive in Portugal.

  • Unstressed vowels. They are reduced less in Brazilian Portuguese than in European Portuguese (Ciberdúvidas). In Portugal, expect many unstressed vowels to sound weak or swallowed.
  • T and D before a stressed i. In Brazil they become affricates, a 'tch' or 'dj' type of sound. In European Portuguese they stay plain stops, as in tinto (red wine) and pede (asks) (Ciberdúvidas).
  • L at the end of a syllable or word. In Brazil it sounds like a /w/, as in Brasil. In European Portuguese it is velarised, a 'dark l' (Ciberdúvidas).

Say you learn with Brazilian audio, then chat with a neighbour in Lisbon or Porto. You may catch less than you expected. This gap is normal, and it doesn't mean you are falling behind.

How does grammar differ for a beginner?

Three grammar differences are worth knowing early.

Where the small pronouns go

In Brazilian Portuguese, weak pronouns often go before the verb, as in Me explique… In European Portuguese they normally come after the verb, joined by a hyphen (Ciberdúvidas). The European version is Explique-me.

The general European rule is that the pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen. There are exceptions, such as subordinate clauses and negatives. The same Ciberdúvidas page says a learner who starts with the Brazilian norm can be marked down on these points (Ciberdúvidas).

How often you use o and a

European Portuguese uses the definite article much more than Brazilian Portuguese. Examples are before possessives (o meu pai, my father) and before people's names (o João) (Ciberdúvidas).

'Is doing' constructions

Brazilian Portuguese favours gerund constructions, such as está ouvindo. European Portuguese prefers the infinitive (Ciberdúvidas). In practice, that means está a ouvir (is listening) in Portugal.

What about spelling and vocabulary?

Written Portuguese in the two countries is very similar. The differences are mainly in speech, and in vocabulary and syntax (Ciberdúvidas).

Some differences remain even after the 1990 Orthographic Agreement (Ciberdúvidas):

Portugal Brazil
aspeto aspecto
facto fato
receção recepção
húmido úmido

The past-tense nós form also differs. It is written with an accent in Portugal (amámos) and without one in Brazil (amamos) (Ciberdúvidas).

Everyday words differ too. Breakfast is pequeno almoço in Portugal and café da manhã in Brazil. A cup is a chávena in Portugal and a xícara in Brazil (Ciberdúvidas).

Which one should you learn if you live in Portugal?

Our recommendation: learn European Portuguese. This is editorial advice. We found no official source that says which variety an adult in Portugal must learn, and Ciberdúvidas says that officially there is just one language, called Portuguese (Ciberdúvidas).

The reasons are practical:

  • The people you deal with every day, such as the clerk at Finanças, the receptionist at the centro de saúde (health centre) or the teacher at a school meeting, will mostly speak the variety of Portugal.
  • What you hear around you is the best free practice you have. It helps if it matches what you study.
  • The grammar points above (pronoun order, articles, estar a + infinitive) are the ones you will see and hear daily.

What about exams? The A2 level is defined by simple, routine communication about familiar matters (Council of Europe). It is not defined by one variety of Portuguese. We also could not find a statement on which variety or accent the CAPLE exams use, so we can't tell you that they accept only one. If you are preparing for CIPLE, read our CIPLE guide and check the official CAPLE pages.

Brazilian Portuguese is still a sensible choice in some cases. If your partner, your work or your plans for the next few years are tied to Brazil, it may serve you better.

If you already speak Brazilian Portuguese

You have a big head start, because the written languages are very similar. You don't need to start again. You need to adjust a few habits:

  1. Move your pronouns. Practise Explique-me instead of Me explique, and learn the main exceptions as you meet them.
  2. Add the articles. Say o meu pai and o João without thinking about it.
  3. Switch to the infinitive. Use estar a ouvir instead of estar ouvindo.
  4. Train your ear. Listen to Portuguese from Portugal every day. At first the weak vowels may sound unfamiliar.
  5. Check your spelling. Learn the pairs in the table and the accent on amámos.

Pronoun placement needs the most care. The Ciberdúvidas page above notes that a learner who starts from the Brazilian norm can be marked down on these points.

Common questions

Will people in Portugal understand me if I speak Brazilian Portuguese? Portuguese is one linguistic system with national varieties (Ciberdúvidas). Expect some differences in words and grammar, as described above.

Is there one correct European Portuguese accent? No. Both Portugal and Brazil have regional variation (Ciberdúvidas). Choose one clear, standard model for your studies, then let your ear adjust to the people around you.

Can I mix both? In early learning it is better to pick one, so that you don't mix up pronoun order, articles and spelling.

How OneGrade can help

OneGrade is an online course of European Portuguese with 5 modules and 6 months of access. It includes 10 teacher-checked CIPLE-style tasks. If you are not sure of your level, you can try the level test. You can compare the Basic, Premium and Exclusive options on the plans section. OneGrade doesn't guarantee passing CIPLE.

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