When we go to Europe, we like to settle in somewhere and stay there for 2 or 3 weeks. I also like to learn some of the local language before I go. I enjoy being able to talk to the locals in their own language, even if it is in very simple language. It makes my stay much more enjoyable if I can ask for things in the local language and understand the responses. This has paid off when we took trips to France, Italy, and Spain. But here’s the thing- I never get very far with my language learning. I might study for 6 months, but once the trip is over, I’m planning a trip to the next place. I learned a little French, a little Italian, some German although we never went there, and a good bit of Spanish. Far from fluent, but enough to ask for a wide variety of things and understand the responses.
I would really like to get farther with my Spanish, but it appears that our next trip will probably be to Portugal. So I am asking, should I learn a little Portuguese to go with my little bit of French, little bit of German, little bit of Italian, and little bit of Spanish? We are planning to go back to Spain in the near future because I have fallen in love with Spain.
Should I go forward with Spanish, or should I spend the next few months learning tourist-level Portuguese? What would you do?
Posted by
Canada
56 posts
I see no reason not to learn a bit of Portuguese, given that you already have some grasp of three Romance languages. If your reading is reasonably proficient in Spanish, French and/or Italian, you will already be able to muddle through a lot of basic written material.
Posted by
Paradise
7749 posts
If learning a little was rewarding before, why would it not be rewarding for your Portugal trip?
Spanish will help you read Portuguese. But it won't help you speak it. My Spanish didn't help at all with spoken Portuguese.
And why, with your little bit of German, are you not going to Germany? You might fall in love with that country as well if you hit the right places.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8506 posts
Acquiring a little bit of a new language has worked for you in the past, so I’d think that learning some entry-level Portuguese would be your best approach. You’ve already got more-than-entry-level Spanish under your belt, so you can build on that later on. With a Portugal trip coming up sooner, put your emphasis on picking up Portuguese.
Simply mastering “thank you” (obrigado when spoken by a male, and obrigada for a female) will get you far.
Posted by
Chicago
3800 posts
When I was in Portugal last year, the obrigada was appreciated. Obrigado if you are a male. Bom dia for good morning was another word I used.
English is widely spoken, so I would just focus on the basics. Don’t try to speak Spanish in Portugal.
Posted by
Gothenburg, Scandinavia
220 posts
You should choose one of the languages and become proficient. Choose Spanish as it is very easy and useful across the world. Portuguese is one of the 3 best and most inspiring languages ever created. Don't learn too much as the magic spell of those fantastically intriguing and amusing words may start to fade. Always make sure to turn on the Portuguese subtitles... O Conde Dracula.
Posted by
9320 posts
The problem is that if you don't use what you learn, you tend to forget.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1993 posts
My personal experience is that I get some breakthrough around the third or fourth week I am in a place - and I admit it does not happen too often as only on rare occasions I get long stays. I managed a basic knowledge of German in a four weeks full immersion (playing in a German youth orchestra, it was 40 years ago); and when I stayed in Tokyo and Beijing three weeks, in the very last days even some Japanese and Chinese words began to make sense. Probably a five or six weeks stay would be much more significant but I never got the chance.
I am also for a passive approach. Turn on the TV, and even if you do not understand, something could get through simply being exposed.
Posted by
London
2060 posts
I find Dutch quite easy to read for the most part even though I don't speak it. I spent years on Dutch music forums, which were mainly English speaking, but it's not hard to read Dutch just through "exposure" I found. It helps if you already have some context of course. I don't speak Dutch but I found it's so close to English that navigating around The Netherlands is easy after a bit.
The little bits of Dutch I do speak, I've just picked up a few basic pronunciation rules from reading and then listening. The "g" and "gh" sound in Dutch is quite close to a Scottish "ch" sound, like "loch". I'm quite comfortable with having a go at more guttural things in Dutch because of a Scottish accent.
I'm not sure if any other British people my age (51) or thereabouts got a good grounding in grammar at school? I don't feel I did. My lack of competence with formal English grammar really held me back when I started to learn French to a Higher level at school.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8917 posts
Go ahead and learn at least some polite phrases and basic words in Portuguese, but while what you know of Spanish might help learn, it could bite you if you start mixing Spanish with Portuguese when conversing. Many Portuguese get ruffled when addressed in Spanish.
Posted by
Bay Area SF & Uppsala Sweden 🇸🇪
1495 posts
Sounds like you're really making the effort Marty, good for you! When I visited Portugal, I could read a lot from speaking Spanish, but people really don't like it if you speak Spanish to them. So definitely worthwhile to invest in a few months of Portuguese. Funny, my Singaporean girlfriend I visited could speak a bit, I could read some things, so together we almost made a complete person!
BTW, learning a foreign language is great for the brain!!