Brazilian Portuguese vs. European Portuguese

[Oakster]

I wonder how many people realize how different Brazilian Portuguese is to European Portuguese.

The basic language is the same, but they are many differences, even the phrase construction order is sometimes different.

I find there are more differences between these two than between Portuguese and Spanish in some phrases.

[BWL]

One of the striking differences to me is that Brazilians use "voce" for "you" regardless of whom they speak with. People in some regions use "tu" but they mix up the conjugations with the 3rd person. They also like to use "a gente" in place of "nos" or "we".

The most striking difference is the accent and intonation. Brazilian Portuguese has a lot of Amerindian and African influences and will sound more musical and fluid than the harsher, more guttural intonation of European Portuguese.

[caparica007]

There are many many different words, the accent is totally different and the grammar too. Just the other day a Brazilian came into my office and telling me her phone number she started saying "meia" (sock) instead of six... (seis).

[Ricardo187]

I, as a Portuguese person who often speaks and have contact with brazilian people can tell you that there are alot of differences even though there isn't technically a Brazilian Portuguese. Portuguese is Portuguese and what they have is some kind of dialect. Portuguese people could understand brazilians better than they do understand Portuguese though, probably because our accent seems weird to them. Meanwhile, we're used to their accent when speaking our language.

[Oakster]

  On 10/31/2013 at 12:34 AM, Ricardo187 said:

I, as a Portuguese person who often speaks and have contact with brazilian people can tell you that there are alot of differences even though there isn't technically a Brazilian Portuguese. Portuguese is Portuguese and what they have is some kind of dialect. Portuguese people could understand brazilians better than they do understand Portuguese though, probably because our accent seems weird to them. Meanwhile, we're used to their accent when speaking our language.

That just may be because we (Portuguese) are more accommodating of other cultures and languages, like for example how we make an effort to understand Spanish speakers and they don't even try to understand Portuguese.

[Ricardo187]

  On 10/31/2013 at 3:52 PM, Oakster said:

That just may be because we (Portuguese) are more accommodating of other cultures and languages, like for example how we make an effort to understand Spanish speakers and they don't even try to understand Portuguese.

Such a big truth you just said. Even if sometimes we don't understand, we'll try our best to help the person, no matter if he speaks spanish, english or even chinese.

[caparica007]

I really don't know if it is a matter of making the effort or if they are really unable to understand. Here in Portugal we grow watching movies in English and so on and in Spain everything is dubbed, so have a more limited cultural background for languages...

[BWL]

I have a Brazilian friend whose husband is Portuguese. They often make fun of each other's accents and choice of words. I remember the husband always saying "casa de banho"  for "toilet" and the wife would laugh and say, "In Brazil that sounds like "bath house"!".

[caparica007]

I had a German friend making fun of me as well because I was saying that I was going to the bathroom in English too when we were at a restaurant and he answered "are you going to take a bath?"  :grin:

How do Brazilian say it?

[Ricardo187]

  On 11/5/2013 at 9:45 AM, caparica007 said:

I had a German friend making fun of me as well because I was saying that I was going to the bathroom in English too when we were at a restaurant and he answered "are you going to take a bath?"  :grin:

How do Brazilian say it?

They say "banheiro". I speak alot to brazilian people so I'm quite used to their words and terms.

[caparica007]

Banheiro... That's interesting. How's in France, most people speak Portuguese from Portugal or from Brazil?

[Ricardo187]

  On 11/6/2013 at 11:16 AM, caparica007 said:

Banheiro... That's interesting. How's in France, most people speak Portuguese from Portugal or from Brazil?

From none of them. Unlike Portugal and Portuguese people, they don't make any effort to understand or speak other languages, unless of-course, they're learning them for some reason. When they do, they look like they're speaking some English-Portuguese. The accent is really weird and they can't even spell our names correctly. It's like "Ricàrrdô".