Learn the difference between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese
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Intro |
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| Michael: Is Brazilian Portuguese different from European Portuguese? |
| Ana Clara: And what are the differences? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Here is a typical scenario: Ben Lee is in a restaurant in Brazil with his friend, Nicolas Nunes, when he sees an unfamiliar item on the menu and asks, |
| "What is 'abacaxi'?" |
| Ben Lee: O que é abacaxi? |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: O que é abacaxi? |
| Nicolas Nunes: É ananás em português do Brasil. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: O que é abacaxi? |
| Michael: "What is 'abacaxi'?" |
| Nicolas Nunes: É ananás em português do Brasil. |
| Michael: "It's 'pineapple' in Brazilian Portuguese." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the conversation, Ben asks his friend about the meaning of |
| Ana Clara: abacaxi. |
| Michael: His friend, Nicolas, responds by saying that it's the word for 'pineapple' in Brazilian Portuguese: |
| Ana Clara: abacaxi. abacaxi. |
| Michael: Note that this is different than the word used in Portugal, which is |
| European Portuguese Host: ananás. |
| Michael: This is just one of many vocabulary differences between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Brazil. |
| Michael: Here are a few more examples: In European Portuguese, they call "ice cream" |
| European Portuguese Host: gelado |
| Michael: but in Brazilian Portuguese, they say |
| Ana Clara: sorvete. |
| Michael: In European Portuguese, they call a "bus" |
| European Portuguese Host: autocarro |
| Michael: but in Brazilian Portuguese, they say |
| Ana Clara: ônibus. |
| Michael: In addition to vocabulary, pronunciation is another area where the two varieties differ greatly. |
| Michael: For instance, Brazilians tend to elongate and widen vowel sounds, whereas the Portuguese tend to pronounce words, including vowel sounds, with a closed mouth. The 's' sound also differs significantly: In Brazil, the 's' at the end of a word is pronounced as |
| Ana Clara: Ss |
| Michael: whereas in Portugal, the same 's' sound is pronounced as |
| European Portuguese Host: Sh. |
| Michael: Take, for example, the word for "two," which in Portugal is pronounced as |
| European Portuguese Host: dois (doish). |
| Michael: The same word, with the same spelling, in Brazil is pronounced as |
| Ana Clara: dois (doiss). |
| Michael: Grammar is yet another area where Portuguese learners will notice several differences between the dialects spoken in Brazil and Portugal. |
| Michael: One of the biggest differences is in the use of pronouns. In European Portuguese, pronouns come after the verb, whereas in Brazilian Portuguese, pronouns come before. Take the phrase, "I love you," for example. In European Portuguese, they would say |
| European Portuguese Host: Amo-te. |
| Michael: However, in Brazilian Portuguese, they would instead say |
| Ana Clara: Eu te amo |
| Michael: On a final note, some dialects of Portuguese omit the formal "you," or |
| Ana Clara: você. |
| Michael: In the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, for example, |
| Ana Clara: você |
| Michael: is almost never used. |
| Michael: These are just a few of the unique differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese. Most of the time, native speakers of either variety can still communicate, even if communication is different than it would be with someone from the same country. As a Portuguese learner, mastering these differences will greatly improve your language skills for interacting with native speakers. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the conversation in detail. Try to respond to the following prompts by saying their Portuguese translation out loud. Ana Clara will then model the correct answer. Try to repeat after her with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| The first prompt is, "What is 'abacaxi'?" |
| Ana Clara: O que é abacaxi? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen to Ana Clara again and repeat after her. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Ana Clara: O que é abacaxi? |
| Ana Clara: O que é abacaxi? |
| Michael: The next prompt is, "It's 'pineapple' in Brazilian Portuguese." |
| Ana Clara: É ananás em português do Brasil. |
| Michael: Listen to Ana Clara again and repeat after her. |
| Ana Clara: É ananás em português do Brasil. |
| Ana Clara: É ananás em português do Brasil. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: In Brazil, there is a famous expression with the word abacaxi: |
| Ana Clara: Descascar o abacaxi. |
| Michael: This means that a person has a very difficult situation to deal with. |
| Ana Clara: As one would have trying to peel a pineapple! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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