Top 6 Reasons to Learn Portuguese

So you’re considering learning a new language. Maybe you’re moving to a Portuguese-speaking country, or maybe you’re just curious. Either way, choosing a language to learn is the beginning of a long journey, so here are 6 reasons for you to learn Portuguese.

1. It Will Open You Up to a New World of Literature and Film
   Culture in Portuguese is incredibly rich and not always translated into other languages. Almada Negreiros, a Portuguese writer, once wrote, ‘I walked into a bookshop. I started counting the books that there are to read and the years I’ll have in life. They’re not enough! I wouldn’t last even for half of the bookshop!’. Well, if you want to make sure that you never run out of books to read, learning a new language is the trick.
   
   Authors like Sophia de Mello Breyner, José Eduardo Agualusa, Pepetela, and Clarice Lispector wrote works of art that were not widely translated. Learning Portuguese will allow you to read SO much good literature that could be hard for you to find otherwise.
   
   There is also a world of cinema in Portuguese to explore, from the iconic — yet violent — Cidade de Deus, to the sweet Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho, which was initially made as a short film and then adapted into a feature-length one. You could also use movies to learn about Portuguese culture. António Variações’ biopic details the life and work of this Portuguese singer and queer icon.
   
   
2. It’s Easier to Learn if You Have a Background in Other Romance Languages
   If you speak Spanish, Italian, French, or Romanian you’re already halfway through your Portuguese learning journey! You can bring a portion of that previous knowledge, particularly if you’re a Spanish speaker. Did you know that Portuguese and Spanish share about 90% of their vocabulary?
   
   What you might find difficult is getting used to *not* falling into Spanish habits of pronunciation while speaking Portuguese. Or, if you’re learning European Portuguese, you might find it hard to understand our muffled way of speaking; unlike in Brazillian Portuguese, we tend to close our vowels when speaking. 
   
   Every Brazillian friend I have found Portuguese speakers unintelligible for some time. No need to worry, though; it’s only a matter of getting comfortable asking people to repeat themselves or to speak more slowly.
   
   Likewise, learning Portuguese will help you with other romance languages!
   
   
3. Portuguese Speakers Will Adore You
   Trust me. Expats who live in Portugal often don’t make the effort to learn the language. This is understandable because it’s easy to get by without doing so — a lot of young people in the main cities speak English. However, learning just a bit (or a lot) of Portuguese can get you far. 
   
   Every time my partner — who lives in Portugal and is learning Portuguese — speaks Portuguese with my friends, family, or strangers, he gets showered with compliments. It’s a great appreciation for his hard work and a needed confidence boost.
   
   So my tip to you is to just start speaking with people! They’ll be excited that you’re interested in their language. Portuguese people particularly might fall into speaking English with you — don’t forget that we also like to practice our language skills — but, in casual conversation, you can always ask to switch back.
   
   
4. You’ll Finally Understand Brazillian and Portuguese Songs
   You’ve likely come across some music in Portuguese that you weren’t able to understand. Perhaps the great ‘Girl from Ipanema’, or a funk song at a club, or you heard some fado when visiting Portugal.
   
   With knowledge of Portuguese, you’ll start to understand the lyrics to these songs that you’ve heard before. It is a light-switch moment when you realize you can decipher song lyrics, and it feels extra satisfying to sing along with them.
   
   After that, you might be tempted to explore further. Perhaps you’ll venture into the work of some iconic Brazilian singers like Seu Jorge, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, and Marisa Monte; or look into some Portuguese singers such as Amália Rodrigues or José Afonso. And while you’re probably not going to understand Cape Verdean creole, the work of Cesária Évora and Mayra Andrade is truly unmissable. 
   
   Essentially, you have an entire world of music waiting for you.
   
   
5. It’s One of the Most Spoken Languages in the World 
   Statista places Portuguese as the 9th most spoken language in the world, and according to Instituto Camões, it’s the 4th language with the most amount of native speakers. The Portuguese language has over 260 million speakers, 3.6% of the world’s population.
   
   Learning Portuguese has the potential to benefit you both in your personal and professional life! You’ll be able to connect with people while traveling to any Portuguese-speaking country, such as Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe. You could also have more job opportunities, as there are several organizations — such as the Organização dos Estados Americanos — that use Portuguese as their official or work language.
   
   
6. Portuguese bureaucracy will be easier to deal with
   Portuguese bureaucracy is notorious for being awful to deal with. It’s slow, and inefficient, requiring a lot of paperwork and attempting to communicate with people who might not be comfortable with English. Translating and understanding technical jargon can be very difficult, so it’s easy to get frustrated.
   
   ​These interactions become much less frustrating if you’re prepared and if you speak in Portuguese with the workers. Even if you don’t speak very well, it’s good to explain that you’re still learning Portuguese and get ready for some back and forth. You can do it!

Some Final Thoughts

Learning a language isn’t easy. It requires a lot of dedication, and it’s easy to feel discouraged when progress isn’t happening how we expected. When it comes to Portuguese, it can be hard to find resources for European Portuguese, and it can be hard to understand certain accents. 

But it is absolutely worth the trouble to learn Portuguese. To connect with people, to engage with culture, to get work opportunities… Vale a pena (it’s worth it)!

Ana Pizarro

Writer & Editor
​Music & Language Learning Center