Spanish and Portuguese are both Romance languages that evolved from Latin, making them closely related. However, despite their many similarities, they also have distinct differences in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. In this article, we’ll compare how similar Spanish and Portuguese are, what sets them apart, and the historical reasons behind their similarities.
1. Why Are Spanish and Portuguese So Similar? (Historical Background)
Spanish and Portuguese developed from Vulgar Latin, the spoken form of Latin used in the Roman Empire. Their similarities are a result of shared historical and linguistic evolution:
- Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula (3rd century BCE – 5th century CE): Both Spain and Portugal were part of the Roman Empire, leading to the widespread adoption of Latin.
- The Fall of Rome (5th century CE): After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Latin spoken in different regions evolved into distinct dialects.
- The Reconquista (8th–15th centuries): During the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, Spanish and Portuguese continued to evolve separately but still maintained strong similarities due to their Latin roots.
- Portuguese and Spanish Empires (15th–19th centuries): As both Spain and Portugal expanded their influence worldwide, they maintained linguistic connections, influencing each other through trade and colonization.
These shared historical influences explain why Spanish and Portuguese still have many structural and vocabulary similarities today.
2. Similarities Between Spanish and Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese share around 85% lexical similarity, meaning most words have common roots. This makes it easier for speakers of one language to understand the other, especially in written form.
Key Similarities:
- Grammar Structures: Both languages have:
- Gendered nouns (e.g., “la casa” (ES) / “a casa” (PT) – the house)
- Conjugated verbs with similar patterns
- Definite and indefinite articles (el/la/los/las in Spanish vs. o/a/os/as in Portuguese)
- Subject-verb-object sentence structure
- Vocabulary Similarities:
- “Familia” (ES) / “Família” (PT) – Family
- “Importante” (ES) / “Importante” (PT) – Important
- “Noche” (ES) / “Noite” (PT) – Night
- Shared Latin Influence: Both languages evolved from Vulgar Latin, influencing syntax, verb conjugations, and phonetics.
- Mutual Intelligibility: Spanish and Portuguese speakers can often understand each other, especially in writing.
3. Differences Between Spanish and Portuguese
Despite their similarities, Spanish and Portuguese have major differences in pronunciation, spelling, and grammar.
Pronunciation Differences:
- Portuguese has more nasal vowels (e.g., mão /mãw/ vs. Spanish mano /ˈmano/)
- Spanish words are pronounced more clearly, while Portuguese tends to blend sounds.
- Portuguese has more vowel reductions, making spoken Portuguese harder for Spanish speakers to understand.
Grammar Differences:
- Portuguese has mesoclisis (middle-word pronouns), which does not exist in Spanish.
- Example: “Dar-se-á” (PT) – It will be given vs. “Se dará” (ES)
- Portuguese has a future subjunctive, while Spanish does not.
- The second-person pronouns are different:
- Spanish: “tú” (informal) / “usted” (formal)
- Portuguese: “tu” (informal) / “você” (used in Brazil for informal and formal speech)
Vocabulary Differences:
Some words look similar but have different meanings (false friends):
- Ropa (ES) = Clothes / Ropa (PT) = Rope
- Embarazada (ES) = Pregnant / Embaraçada (PT) = Tangled
- Oficina (ES) = Workshop / Oficina (PT) = Office
4. Which Language Is Easier to Learn?
- If you already speak Spanish, learning Portuguese is easier, but mastering pronunciation can be challenging.
- If you already speak Portuguese, understanding Spanish is easier, but Spanish speakers often struggle with spoken Portuguese due to its nasal sounds and contractions.
Conclusion: How Similar Are They?
Spanish and Portuguese are highly similar languages, but their pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary differences can create challenges. Their shared Latin roots and Iberian history explain why they are so alike, but regional developments over time led to key distinctions. While they are mutually intelligible in writing, spoken comprehension is more difficult due to pronunciation and phonetic variations.