Answers
May 01, 2015 - 08:17 PM
Hi, I will be spending time in Potugal and bought Fluenz Portguese 1,2, and 3 to help me communicate there. In Sonia's introduction, she talks a lot about Brazil. Will I be easily understood in Portugal if I use the pronunciation I learn in these lessons?
May 02, 2015 - 10:56 AM
I have never been to Portugal, but the program does say you will be understood there. There are a few grammatical and pronunciation differences, but it is similar to the differences between English in the U.S. and Great Britain.
For example, if you want to say, "I am speaking" in Portugal, you would say, "Estou a falar". In Brazil, you would say, "Estou falando". So, in Portugal the structure is Estar + a + verb (to be...-ing), but in Brazil, it's Estar + verb ending in -ando (-ar verbs), -endo (-er verbs), -indo (-ir verbs).
There are some pronunciation and word differences also. For example, with "Boa tarde" (Good afternoon), the tarde is pronounced different ways in Brazil, but the one taught is pronounced as "tar-jee", but in parts of Brazil and Portugal it's pronounced as "tar-dee". An example of a word difference is "menu". The menu in Brazil is taught as, "O cardápio", but in Portugal, "A ementa" is often used.
The "Practice Makes Perfect" Basic Portuguese book is a great complement to Fluenz, and it often points out the differences spoken in Brazil and Portugal.
Hope this helps.
For example, if you want to say, "I am speaking" in Portugal, you would say, "Estou a falar". In Brazil, you would say, "Estou falando". So, in Portugal the structure is Estar + a + verb (to be...-ing), but in Brazil, it's Estar + verb ending in -ando (-ar verbs), -endo (-er verbs), -indo (-ir verbs).
There are some pronunciation and word differences also. For example, with "Boa tarde" (Good afternoon), the tarde is pronounced different ways in Brazil, but the one taught is pronounced as "tar-jee", but in parts of Brazil and Portugal it's pronounced as "tar-dee". An example of a word difference is "menu". The menu in Brazil is taught as, "O cardápio", but in Portugal, "A ementa" is often used.
The "Practice Makes Perfect" Basic Portuguese book is a great complement to Fluenz, and it often points out the differences spoken in Brazil and Portugal.
Hope this helps.