Which Languages Do They Speak in Brazil? (2023)

FAQs

What are the top 3 languages spoken in Brazil? ›

The biggest languages present in Brazil include: Portuguese – 208.31 million speakers. Spanish – 6.38 million speakers. English – 8.50 million speakers.

There are about 228 languages spoken in Brazil. These include Portuguese and 11 other foreign or immigrant languages, as well as 217 indigenous languages. In the following article, you can learn more about what languages people speak in Brazil.

However, German is Brazil's second most spoken language after Portuguese. It's spoken by around 1.9% of the population, and just like the local Portuguese, Brazilian German differs from European German. In fact, there's a much more significant different in the German dialects that there is in the Portuguese dialects.

Brazilians speak Portuguese and not Spanish. As the only country in South America to officially speak the language, there's an intriguing story behind that unique piece of cultural heritage.

If you'd like to say “hello” in Brazilian Portuguese, you would generally use “Olá”. You can also use “Oí"—which is often considered more informal. Here are a few other basic phrases you'll find useful: Bom dia. / Good morning.

In fact, around 460,000 Brazilians speak Spanish, according to Ethnologue. The two languages are similar in many ways, though more in their written form than their pronunciation. As such, many Brazilians are able to understand Spanish, though they may not speak it fluently.

Though Spanish is the primary language in most South American countries, Portuguese is actually what's spoken most in South America, and that's all thanks to Brazil.

Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, and the majority of the population speaks it.

Do people in Brazil speak fluent English? Nope ! The average Brazilian does NOT speak ANY level of English. However you would find that people at hotels and restaurants and major touristic attractions might speak English, ranging from basic English to mid level proficiency.

This is probably one of the most common language-related misconceptions. No, Portuguese is not Spanish, but they were both born in the Iberian Peninsula somehow isolated from the rest of the land by the Pyrenees so it's only natural for them to resemble in a lot of ways.

What religion is in Brazil? ›

Two percent practice Afro-Brazilian religions, and 3 percent are Spiritists. According to the 2010 census, the most recently available data from official sources, 65 percent of the population is Catholic, 22 percent Protestant, 8 percent irreligious (including atheists, agnostics, and deists), and 2 percent Spiritist.

Portuguese and Spanish have a lexical similarity of almost 90%. This means that both languages have words that are found in equivalent forms. The 2 languages have a high proportion of cognates, which are words that have the same roots and correspond to each other. Much of the vocabulary is shared.

As trade grew, Portugal increased its influence and political power in Brazil. Other European countries then established their own colonies in South America. Brazil became the central source of Portugal's entry into South America. As a result, Portuguese is now the main language of Brazil.

While there are some differences between the two languages, most native Spanish and Portuguese speakers can understand each other if each party speaks clearly.

Both languages are beautiful. Spanish has simpler grammar and is easier for English natives to pronounce than either Continental or Brazilian Portuguese. If you're new to language learning, that would be an argument for learning Spanish before Portuguese.

The smallest Spanish-speaking country shouldn't come as a surprise. It's by far Equatorial Guinea. With Around a third of the population in Equatorial Guinea speaking Spanish and being among the least-visited countries in the world it's no wonder that this Spanish-speaking country is the smallest on our list.

“Thank You” in Portuguese: Obrigado/Obrigada

The simplest way to say “thank you” in Portuguese is obrigado. You must change the ending to match your own gender; men say obrigado and women say obrigada.

The Kiss as a Greeting

If you are unsure of how many kisses to give, a single kiss with the right cheek touching the other person's is a good place to start. This is the greeting most common in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. In Rio, two kisses are customary. In Bahia, expect to receive three or more kisses!

Deus te/lhe ajude or Deus te abençoe

Like “Santinho”, "God bless you" was something you said to someone who let out a sneeze, because it meant they could possibly be affected by the disease. “Deus te ajude” or “Deus lhe ajude” literally means “God helps you”, but in reality, it's a wish for your health.

Is South America Spanish or Portuguese? ›

Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and it is the primary language in every South American country except Brazil, Suriname and French Guyana, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba and several other islands.

For most native English speakers, Spanish is slightly easier to learn than Portuguese. This is primarily a matter of access. Since Spanish is spoken by over 400 million people worldwide (compared to just over 200 million for Portuguese), it's easier to find Spanish resources and media for learning or practising.

Brazilians speak vowels longer and wider, while Portuguese pronounce the words with a more closed mouth, without pronouncing the vowels as much. The pronunciation of some consonants is also different, particularly the S at the end of a word.

Spanish and Portuguese originated on a small territory of the Iberian península, and their history was extremely tangled for centuries. That's why they are so closely related but with differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Differences today

However, Portuguese and Spanish differ mainly because of their different origins during the period following the Muslim conquest of Iberia and the advent of the Reconquista.

It's the second most widely spoken Romance language. Important Note: European Portuguese, which is spoken in Portugal, is very far from Spanish. Brazilian Portuguese, which is spoken in Brazil, sounds much closer to Spanish. Hence, these two are drastically different from each other.

For example, although the Portuguese are generally a friendlier bunch than the Spaniards, the Portuguese are more reserved than the Spaniards.

Portuguese people are - by far - more polite than Spanish people. You can see it by simply going to a supermarket: in Portugal, the cashier will look at your eyes, smile and salute you; in Spain, sometimes they just point to the screen so that you know the price and don't even say a word.

In fact, 4% of Brazil's population is estimated to speak Spanish. Nevertheless, Brazilians who live closer to borders with Spanish-speaking countries are likely to speak it. Learning Spanish is also mandatory in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, so you might meet Brazilian Spanish speakers there, too!

Brazilians love to party

Brazilians are very warm, friendly people. If you are staying with a local, within days the whole neighborhood will know everything about you. Don't be alarmed, Brazilians love meeting new people, and having a visitor is a novelty for them, especially if you visit a small town.

Can you live in Brazil without speaking Portuguese? ›

English may serve you well in particularly touristy places, however, if you want to really get to know Brazil and stray from the beaten path, Portuguese is a must. Even for simple acts such as booking a hotel or buying food, you will need to have some basic communication skills.

Also a romance language, Portuguese is widely spoken around the world and relatively easy for English-speakers to learn.

In all aspects—phonology, morphology, lexicon and syntax—Portuguese is essentially the result of an organic evolution of Vulgar Latin with some influences from other languages, namely the native Gallaecian and Lusitanian languages spoken prior to the Roman domination.

Brazil is famous for its stunning beaches, rainforests, and diverse cities. It is known as the country of football with world-renowned footballers such as Pelé and Neymar born there.

Feijoada is a black bean stew that is brewed with a variety of salted and smoked pork and beef products from carne-seca to smoked pork spareribs. The more traditional feijoada also includes “cheaper” cuts such as pig's ears, feet and tails, and beef tongue.

About 4% of Brazilians speak Spanish. This is equal to about 8.4 million Spanish speakers. However, people often confuse Spanish and Portuguese since these languages are closely related.

Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.

1. English – 1,121 million speakers. It is the most widely spoken language in the world because of the global impact of England and the United States in the last three centuries.

What is the hardest language in the world? ›

Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.

Portuguese and Spanish have a lexical similarity of almost 90%. This means that both languages have words that are found in equivalent forms. The 2 languages have a high proportion of cognates, which are words that have the same roots and correspond to each other. Much of the vocabulary is shared.

The two languages are distinct but share a lot of vocabulary and grammar—if you learn Portuguese to a good level, you'll probably find that you can already read Spanish, although the significant differences in pronunciation make speaking and listening more of a challenge.

Do Brazilians speak fast? Of course, some Brazilians do speak fast. However, most of the time what actually happens is not that they speak fast, it's that students perceive them to speak fast.