Language Learning Resource

Language Facts: 

• Portuguese has two main varieties, that of Portugal and of Brazil. African countries that speak Portuguese will be close to the standard Portugal variety. The pronunciation can differ greatly between Portugal and Brazil.
• Vocabulary will generally be similar to other Romance languages. Like Spanish, Portuguese features several hundred loan words from Arabic, and the Brazilian dialect has adopted loan words from indigenous languages of Brazil .
• Pronunciation is slightly more complex than Spanish. Nasal vowels are an important part of the phonology, and many words are distinguished between nasal and un-nasal vowels, so it’s important to learn correctly. 
• Grammar generally follows other Romance languages. There are two grammatical genders and no noun cases except for pronouns. 
• Verbs are conjugated for person, tense, number, and mood. 
• Portuguese has two verbs for “to be”, ser and estar.