Why are Portuguese and Spanish so Similar?

The Portuguese and Spanish languages have a lot in common. You don’t need to know anything about etymology or history to know (or rather to correctly assume) that they have similar origins. But how similar are they, what are the biggest differences between them, and how did they evolve?

Let’s find out!

What are the Origins of Spanish and Portuguese?

Spanish and Portuguese are both romance languages, which means they can trace their origins back to Vulgar Latin, a language that was born on the Italian Peninsula and then spread across Europe by the Romans.

The Romans controlled most of the lands around the Mediterranean, including the Iberian Peninsula, where modern-day Spain and Portugal are located.

Prior to the arrival of the conquering Italians, a number of languages existed in the region, including Aquitanian, traces of which survive in the Basque language. Latin superseded all of these languages, and as Vulgar Latin was just the Latin of the people (“Vulgar” literally means “Common”), it was the most widely spoken language.

Incidentally, despite giving birth to many of the world’s major languages, Vulgar Latin was frowned upon by scholars as it was seen as a “lesser” form of the classical Latin reserved for books and the upper echelons of society.

When the Roman empire fell, new conquerors moved into the area and classical Latin became all but a vague memory. The people still spoke Vulgar Latin, but it had evolved even further from the classical form of the language thanks to influences from the Goths and then the Moors.

So, where do Spanish and Portuguese fit into all of this?

Well, while the Moors were conquering most of Iberia, the small northern kingdom of Asturias was able to resist. Asturias grew stronger over the centuries and developed its own identity, speaking a dialect of Vulgar Latin that was distinct from the rest of the region.

In the 9th century CE, King Alfonso III ordered a large force of Asturians into Andalusia and conquered large parts of the region. He then gave the territory to Vimara Peres, the nobleman charged with leading the force.

Peres named the territory after its largest port, Portus Cale (Portugal). Over time, the region developed its own identity and culture and its language continued to diverge from the one spoken elsewhere in Iberia.

What About Brazilian Portuguese?

The Spanish Language was exported across the Atlantic by explorers and Conquistadors, beginning in the 16th century. Over hundreds of years, the languages evolved thousands of miles apart and so they developed their own unique tones and phrases.

A phenomenon known as “continental lag” has been suggested as a reason why Latin American Spanish and European Spanish are so different. The idea is that a language that is newly introduced will evolve at a slower rate than one that has been around for a long time. Effectively, it means that the Spanish spoken in countries like Mexico has yet to catch up to the one spoken across the Atlantic.

As for Brazilian Portuguese, it was also first introduced in the 16th century, but it took more time to settle. In later centuries, it would also be heavily influenced by waves of settlers from Italy, Japan, Poland, Germany, and Spain, creating a language that is distinct from European Portuguese but still mutually intelligible.

Is Portuguese Spanish?

One of the most popular keywords relating to “Spanish” and “Portuguese” is “Is Portuguese Spanish?”.

That’s not a typo. We didn’t accidentally exclude any words and this is also not one of those awkward and forced keyword phrases that excludes all “stop” words. It’s a genuine question that people are asking.

And when you think about it, it’s not that silly.

Sure, it sounds like a stupid question to someone who speaks Spanish and/or Portuguese. But if you don’t know these languages, don’t know much about their history, and only have vague references, it’s easy to mistake them.

To the untrained English-speaking ear, they sound similar, come from similar regions, and seemingly have a lot of words and phrases in common. In reality, however, there are some big differences.

On paper, Spanish and Portuguese look very similar, and a speaker of one language can read the other without too much difference. It’s not quite the same as if they were reading their own language, but they can certainly understand the content.

The spoken forms, however, are very different. It has been said that Portuguese speakers have an easier time understanding Spanish speakers than Spanish do with Portuguese, but the pronunciation is very different.

There are also many words that sound similar and may even have the same origin, but have very different meanings. These “false friends” can make it harder for a speaker of one of these languages to understand the other.

Pronunciation Differences Between Portuguese and Spanish Languages

There are 5 vowel sounds in Spanish, but Portuguese has 9. It’s one of the reasons that Portuguese is often said to be a harder language for English speakers to learn, even though they would both rank among the top 10 easiest languages to learn.

The complex phonology of Portuguese is why Spanish speakers may struggle to understand them. Simply put, they are using sounds that Spaniards don’t use and therefore don’t recognize.

Occasionally, Spanish words that end in ón become ão in Portuguese, such as corazón and coração (heart) or emoción and emoção. There are also differences between how “s” and “j” are pronounced, although this is not just true for Spanish and Portuguese and there are also differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese.

Portuguese and Spanish “False Friends”

In English, the word “bimbo” doesn’t have a great connotation and is used to reference an unintelligent (but usually attractive) woman. If an Italian called your child a “bimbo”, you’d probably get offended.

But in Italian, it is just the masculine form of “child” or “baby”.

There are words like this in all languages, and they are very common among romance languages. Portuguese and Spanish have many of them, including: 

Portuguese Word	Portuguese Meaning	Spanish Word	Spanish Meaning
Sobrenome	Family Name	Sobrenombre	Nickname
Trair	To betray	Traer	To bring
Esquisito	Rare	Exquisito	Exquisite
Acordar	To awake	Acordar(se)	To remember
Quarto	Bedroom	Cuarto	Room
Rato	Rat	Rato	While/time
Barata	Cheap	Barata	Cockroach; Cheap
Reparar	To Notice	Reparar	To Repair
Escova	Brush	Escoba	Broom
Roxo	Purple	Rojo	Red
Cadeira	Chair	Cadera	Hip
Cena	Scene	Cena	Supper
Escritorio	Office	Escritorio	Desk
Largo	Wide	Largo	Long
Ruivo	Red Head	Rubio	Blonde

Spanish and Portuguese Cognates

Spanish and Portuguese share a lot of actual cognates, and not just false ones. These words look the same, sound the same, and have the same meaning. There are a lot of them, so we won’t go through them all, but here’s a taster:

English	Portuguese Word	Spanish Word
Water	Agua	Agua
Table	Mesa	Mesa
Excuse me	Desculpa	Desculpa
Good Morning	Buen Dia	Bom Dia
You’re Welcome	De nada	De nada
Please	Por Favor	Por favor
Sun	Sol	Sol

FAQs about Spanish and Portuguese Language Similarities

Still have a few questions about these two languages? Check out these FAQs.

Can I speak Spanish if I already speak Portuguese?

No, not really. You might be able to understand Spanish books, but you may struggle to fully grasp the spoken language.

How many romance languages are there?

There are over 40 romance languages. All of these can trace their roots back to Vulgar Latin. The most common include Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.

Can Portuguese and Spanish speakers understand other languages?

If you speak Portuguese or Spanish, you have a small head-start on other romance languages. You can also understand a lot of Esperanto, a “man-made language” created using many words from European languages. However, you can’t simply jump into another language and attain instant fluency.

How many Spanish-speaking countries are there?

There are 20 official Spanish-speaking countries, many of which are in Latin America.

How many Portuguese-speaking countries are there?

There are 10 countries on this list, a number of which are in Africa.