Top 10 Facts About The Portuguese Language

Table of Contents

Introduction:

The Portuguese Language has almost 240 million speakers. It is the sixth-most spoken language in the world. The Portuguese is a romance language. This is now the official language of several countries and regions. It is also studied as a second language in many countries. The Portuguese was originally derived from Latin. In Portugal, it was used as the primary language for many years. Portuguese-speaking nations or people are lusophones. It was expanded during colonial times. So, Portuguese speakers’ cultural presence is also found worldwide.

History:

This was adapted by Brazil in 1943 in a slightly altered form. In a few countries, Portuguese is the official language. While for a few it is the second language. The Portuguese language is spoken in diverse from America to India.

Portuguese Dialects And Accents:

People think the Portuguese language has different dialects and needs help understanding. Sometimes, people of one dialect find it difficult to understand another. There are particular differences between Brazil and Portugal dialects. New learners should keep this in mind.

Benefits Of Speaking Portuguese:

Yet, the Portuguese language is excellent for a learner. As a romance language, it has links with other romance languages. One who speaks French, Italian, or Spanish can easily learn this language. Learning Portuguese could be the first step in acquiring other languages. Being a common language, it will be helpful if you learn this language. It is spoken across continents which helps the learner to understand different cultures. If you learn it for business purposes then also it will be helpful. It is spoken from Europe to South America.

Old Portuguese Language:

Old Portuguese is also known as Glacian-Portuguese. This language is used for speaking and written communication. It is used for many historical poems and pieces of literature. Yet, it was transformed after the opening of Lusophone University. After the university, the name Portuguese became official.

The old Portuguese continued to be used in the 15th and 16th centuries. During this period, Portugal colonized many countries. It established the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese explorers took their language back to them.

Modern Portuguese Language:

The old Portuguese era ended in 1516. A book collection of poems was published. It changed the Portuguese history. It helped spread the language.

Besides, some changes occurred in modern Portuguese since the 16th century. Although Portuguese replaced Latin, people understood both.

Moreover, Portuguese continues to evolve even in recent times. A reform took place in 2009. It changed capitalization and hyphen usage.

Alphabets And Writing System:

The Portuguese language is written in the Roman alphabet. It is because it is derived from Latin. It is also a feature of all romance languages. At first, Portuguese did not include ‘K’, ‘Y’, or ‘W’.

As time passed, Portuguese included many loan words. It includes a few English alphabet languages. ‘K’, ‘Y’, and ‘W’ finally got added to the alphabet in 2009. The writing system of the Portuguese language is like that of the Brazilian. The spelling of Portuguese words is largely phonemic. Both dialects also use the same diacritic marks.

Geographical Distribution:

Portuguese history began in Portugal. Approximately 200 million people speak the Portuguese language in Brazil. They consider it their mother tongue. There are also other Portuguese-speaking countries in the world.

The Difference Between Portuguese In Portugal And Brazil:

Portuguese in Portugal has a guttural sound. While Portuguese in Brazil has more of a nasal sound. European Portuguese tends to shorten the vowels. While Brazilian Portuguese tends to elongate them.

Facts About The Portuguese Language:

1. It Is The Sixth Most Spoken Language In The World-

Portuguese is also the second most spoken European language after Spanish. Portuguese conquerors brought this language to America, Asia, and Africa.

2. It Is One Of The Fastest-growing European Languages-

It is growing fast. Many people decide to take Portuguese lessons. There are many reasons for that. One of them is the wide reach of the language. According to UNESCO, Portuguese may become an international communication language. That is why, it is good to start learning Portuguese.

3. It Is The Official Language Of Nine Countries-

Many people study it as a second language. Portuguese is the official language of Portugal or Brazil and many countries. A vast majority speak it in many countries. The minority speaks it as a first or second language.

4. Only Five Percent Of Portuguese Speakers Live In Portugal-

It is easy to conclude that Portuguese speakers are from somewhere other than Portugal. Brazil is by far the most Portuguese-speaking nation in the world.

5. The Portuguese Alphabet Added Some New –

Generally, Portuguese is based on the Latin alphabet. It has twenty-six alphabets. Five are vowels and twenty-one are consonants. ‘K’, ‘Y’, and ‘W’ were also loan words. Yet, the new orthographic agreement made them a part of the alphabet.

6. European And Brazilian Portuguese Is Not The Same-

If you want to learn Portuguese decide your dialect. For starters, pronunciation could be tricky. While using the Portuguese dialect, pay attention to formal and informal speech. There are differences in vocabulary as well. That is the most obvious difference. The differences between the two dialects are distinct.

7. Arabic Influences It –

The Arabic language is an influence in Portuguese. Islamic moors from the Middle East conquered Portugal and Spain. That is why Arabic has a great influence on Portuguese.

8. It Has Some Very Long Words-

Unlike German, Portuguese also has some long words. The largest non-technical word in the Portuguese language has twenty-nine letters.

9. Six Different Endings In Each Verb Tense-

If you learn Portuguese then long words are common. But you need to keep in mind about six different conjugations for pronouns. In Portuguese, the verb tense has six different endings. Portuguese requires you to think about who is acting. You will have to learn to identify Portuguese tenses. So, learning basic grammar in Portuguese is a must.

10. There Are Two Ways To Say ‘to be’-

Portuguese has two different verbs for ‘to be’, ‘ser’, and ‘ester’. So it all depends on the context.

11. It Has Influenced English-

Portuguese influenced many languages. English is one of them. English speakers will find similar words in Portuguese vocabulary.

12. The Portuguese Passport Is The Fifth Most Powerful-

According to the passport index, the Portuguese passport is the fifth most powerful. The HPI is a global ranking of countries according to travel freedom. With a Portuguese passport, you can visit 187 countries.

13. It Is Very Romantic-

Besides being popular and useful, the Portuguese language is also very romantic. Portuguese has a lot of vowel sounds. Native speakers use a lot of innovation in their speeches.

14. It Has Some Unique Words-

Another thing that makes Portuguese interesting is its unique words. And having unique words that are hard to describe in another language is fascinating.

Best Institute For Learning The Portuguese Language:

Learn Portuguese, the major language of international communication from Henry Harvin. Get proper guidance from certified experts. It will help you grow your linguistic horizons. Train your ears with pronunciation lessons. It will help you to speak like a local. Study the basic structures and syntax of the Portuguese language. Gain new skills in a fun and interactive way.

Conclusion:

Portuguese like Spanish, is the fastest-growing Western language. According to UNESCO, it is the language with a higher form of growth. It is an international communication in South Africa and South America. There has been an increase in curiosity about studying the Portuguese language. Portuguese is also starting to grow in Asia. Today it is growing as it has become a language of opportunity. There will be about 500 million Portuguese speakers by 2100.