# Portuguese language

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Romance language

For other uses, see [Portugues](/source/Portugues_(disambiguation)).

Portuguese português Pronunciation [puɾtuˈɡeʃ] ⓘ (European Portuguese pron.) [poʁtuˈɡe(j)s] ⓘ (Brazilian Portuguese pron.) Native to Portugal, Brazil, Lusophone Africa, other locations in the Portuguese-speaking world Speakers L1: 250 million (2012–2022)[1] L2: 17 million (2022)[1] Total: 267 million (2012–2022)[1] Language family Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Romance Italo-Western Western Romance Gallo-Iberian Iberian Romance West Iberian Galician–Portuguese Portuguese Early forms Old Latin Vulgar Latin Proto-Romance Galician–Portuguese Writing system Latin (Portuguese alphabet) Portuguese Braille Signed forms Manually coded Portuguese Official status Official language in Angola Brazil Cape Verde Timor-Leste Equatorial Guinea Guinea-Bissau Macau (China) Mozambique Portugal São Tomé and Príncipe Numerous international organizations Regulated by Portugal: Lisbon Academy of Sciences (Lisbon Academy Class of Letters) Brazil: Brazilian Academy of Letters Angola : Angolan Academy of Letters Language codes ISO 639-1 pt ISO 639-2 por ISO 639-3 por Glottolog port1283 Linguasphere 51-AAA-a Countries or regions where Portuguese is the native language of the majority Countries and territories where Portuguese is an official or administrative language but not a majority native language Countries and territories where Portuguese is a significant minority language This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

**Portuguese** ([endonym](/source/Endonym): *português*) is a [Western Romance language](/source/Western_Romance_language) of the [Indo-European language family](/source/Indo-European_languages), written in the [Latin script](/source/Latin_alphabet). With approximately 267 million native speakers, it is the [fifth-most spoken native language in the world](/source/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers), and the most widely spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the official language of nine countries — [Portugal](/source/Portugal), [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Angola](/source/Angola), [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique), [Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde), [Guinea-Bissau](/source/Guinea-Bissau), [São Tomé and Príncipe](/source/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe), [Equatorial Guinea](/source/Equatorial_Guinea), and [Timor-Leste](/source/Timor-Leste) — and is co-official with other languages in [Macau](/source/Macau) and [Equatorial Guinea](/source/Equatorial_Guinea).

Portuguese-speaking people or nations are known as [Lusophone](/source/Lusophone) (*lusófono*). As a result of expansion during colonial times, a cultural presence of Portuguese speakers is also found around the world. Portuguese is part of the [Ibero-Romance group](/source/Iberian_Romance_languages), which evolved from several dialects of [Vulgar Latin](/source/Vulgar_Latin) in the medieval [Kingdom of Galicia](/source/Kingdom_of_Galicia) and the [County of Portugal](/source/County_of_Portugal), and has retained some [Celtic](/source/Gallaecian_language) phonology.[2][3]

Portuguese language structure reflects both its Latin roots and centuries of outside influences. These are seen in [phonology](/source/Portuguese_phonology), [orthography](/source/Portuguese_orthography), [grammar](/source/Portuguese_grammar), and [vocabulary](/source/Portuguese_vocabulary). Phonologically, Portuguese has a rich system of [nasal vowels](/source/Nasal_vowels), complex consonant variations, and different types of [guttural R](/source/Guttural_R) – as well as other sounds in its European and Brazilian varieties. Its spelling, based similarly to English on the [Latin alphabet](/source/Latin_alphabet), is largely [phonemic](/source/Phonemic_spelling) but is influenced by [etymology](/source/Etymology) and tradition. [Recent spelling reforms](/source/Portuguese_spelling_reform_of_1990) have attempted to create a unified spelling for the Portuguese language across [all countries that use it](/source/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Portuguese_is_an_official_language). Portuguese grammar retains many [Latin verb forms](/source/Latin_verbs), and possesses several unique features (such as the [future subjunctive](/source/Portuguese_conjugation) and the [personal infinitive](/source/Portuguese_grammar#Infinitive_form)). Its vocabulary is derived largely from Latin, but also includes [numerous loanwords](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_loanwords_in_Portuguese&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empr%C3%A9stimo_(lingu%C3%ADstica)#Exemplos_de_empréstimos)] from Celtic, Germanic, Arabic, African, Amerindian, and Asian languages, resulting from historical contact based on wars, trade, and [colonization](/source/Portuguese_colonization).

There is significant [variation](/source/Variation_(linguistics)) in the dialects of Portuguese worldwide, with two primary [standardized varieties](/source/Standard_language): [European Portuguese](/source/European_Portuguese) and [Brazilian Portuguese](/source/Brazilian_Portuguese), each one having numerous [regional accents](/source/Regional_accent) and [subdialects](/source/Subdialect). African and Asian varieties generally follow the European written standard, though these will often display different [phonological](/source/Phonological), [lexical](/source/Lexical_item), and sometimes even [syntactic features](/source/Syntax). While there is broad [mutual intelligibility](/source/Mutual_intelligibility) among the assorted lusophone population, variation may be observed in speech patterns, vocabulary, or grammar.

## History

Main article: [History of the Portuguese language](/source/History_of_the_Portuguese_language)

### Origins and Roman period

Prior to [Roman](/source/Roman_people) expansion, the territory corresponding to modern [Portugal](/source/Portugal) was inhabited by a heterogeneous set of peoples, including the [Gallaeci](/source/Gallaeci), [Lusitanians](/source/Lusitanians), [Celts](/source/Celts), [Iberians](/source/Iberians), [Phoenicians](/source/Phoenicians), [Greeks](/source/Greeks), and [Ligurians](/source/Ligurians).[4] These groups spoke a variety of languages that were gradually supplanted following Roman conquest, but not without leaving a substratum of lexical and morphological influence.[5] A significant number of Portuguese words — often associated with the natural environment, agriculture, and material culture — are attributed to these pre-Roman sources.[4]

The [Roman presence in the Iberian Peninsula](/source/Roman_conquest_of_the_Iberian_Peninsula) began in 218 BC during the [Second Punic War](/source/Second_Punic_War), initially as part of military operations against [Carthage](/source/Carthage).[6] Roman control expanded progressively, with the defeat of Carthaginian forces completed by 209 BC, although full territorial consolidation was not achieved until 19 BC under the rule of [Augustus](/source/Augustus), following campaigns in the northern regions of [Asturias](/source/Asturias) and [Cantabria](/source/Cantabria). During this period, the territory was administratively organized into provinces such as [Hispania Citerior](/source/Hispania_Citerior) and [Hispania Ulterior](/source/Hispania_Ulterior), later restructured into [Tarraconensis](/source/Tarraconensis), [Baetica](/source/Baetica), and [Lusitania](/source/Lusitania).[4][7] By the late [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire), the northwestern region was designated as the province of [Gallaecia](/source/Gallaecia) (approximately modern-day [Galicia](/source/Galicia_(Spain))).[4]

[Latin](/source/Latin) served as the administrative and ecclesiastical language of the Roman Empire, and proficiency in it was associated with access to public office and social advancement.[8] The degree of [Romanization](/source/Romanization) varied regionally: southern areas, particularly Baetica, underwent rapid cultural assimilation and early adoption of Latin, whereas the northern regions, including Gallaecia, remained comparatively isolated and retained indigenous practices for a longer period.[4] Latin spread from urban centers outward through cities, educational institutions and administrative networks, where proficiency in Latin was closely tied to the acquisition of Roman citizenship;[8][9] the variety spoken by soldiers, settlers and officials was known as [Vulgar Latin](/source/Vulgar_Latin) (*sermo vulgaris*), as distinct from [Classical Latin](/source/Classical_Latin), which was used in literary texts.[9]

In the northwestern periphery of the empire, the Vulgar Latin spoken in Gallaecia developed distinctive features, attributed in part to reduced contact with the imperial center.[10] The most diagnostic phonetic change was the loss of intervocalic *l* and *n*, as in *[luna](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/luna#Latin)* to *[lua](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lua#Portuguese)* ('moon'), *[dolor](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dolor#Latin)* to *[dor](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dor#Portuguese)* ('pain'), and *[moneta](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moneta#Latin)* to *[moeda](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moeda#Portuguese)* ('coin') — a development not attested in neighbouring varieties such as [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language).[11] [Geminate consonants](/source/Gemination) were also simplified, as in *[caballu](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caballu#Latin)* to *[cavalo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cavalo#Portuguese)* ('horse') and *[annu](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/annu#Latin)* to *[ano](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ano#Portuguese)* ('year'),[12] and initial [consonant clusters](/source/Consonant_cluster) *cl-*, *fl-*, and *pl-* evolved into [palatal sounds](/source/Palatalization_(sound_change)), as in *[flamma](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flamma#Latin)* to *[chama](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chama#Portuguese)* ('flame'), *[pluvia](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pluvia#Latin)* to *[chuva](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chuva#Portuguese)* ('rain'), and *[plumbum](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plumbum#Latin)* to *[chumbo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chumbo#Portuguese)* ('lead').[13]

In 409, the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by several Germanic and Iranian peoples, including the [Vandals](/source/Vandals), [Suebi](/source/Suebi), and [Alans](/source/Alans). The [Visigoths](/source/Visigoths) of the [Visigothic Kingdom](/source/Visigothic_Kingdom), already established in [Aquitaine](/source/Aquitaine) and closely connected to Roman institutions, extended their rule over most of the peninsula during the 5th and 6th centuries. Their integration with the Hispano-Roman population was facilitated by measures such as the legalization of intermarriage under [Leovigild](/source/Leovigild), the conversion of [Reccared I](/source/Reccared_I) to Catholic Christianity in 586, and the promulgation of a unified legal code in 654 under [Recceswinth](/source/Recceswinth). These developments contributed to the consolidation of a Romano-Visigothic society in which the vernacular remained a form of Hispano-Romance derived from Vulgar Latin. The Visigothic linguistic contribution to Portuguese was limited, consisting of fewer than forty commonly cited lexical items of [Gothic](/source/Gothic_language) origin, many shared with other Romance languages. Examples include *[guerra](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/guerra#Portuguese)* ('war'), *[espora](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/espora#Portuguese)* ('spur'), *[roupa](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roupa#Portuguese)* ('clothing'), and *[ganso](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ganso#Portuguese)* ('goose').[14]

### Arab conquest and old Galician–Portuguese

Map showing the linguistic evolution of the Iberian Peninsula between 1000 and 2000. The [Galician–Portuguese language](/source/Galician%E2%80%93Portuguese) is shown in blue.

In 711, Muslim forces crossed the [Strait of Gibraltar](/source/Strait_of_Gibraltar) and defeated the Visigothic king [Roderic](/source/Roderic), leading to the [Islamic rule of the Iberian Peninsula](/source/Muslim_conquest_of_the_Iberian_Peninsula).[15][14] The Muslim authorities generally allowed the continued use of local Romance varieties, the preservation of Hispano-Roman customs. In the Muslim-controlled south, Christians living under [Moorish](/source/Moorish) rule, known as [Mozarabs](/source/Mozarabs), maintained their Latin-derived speech, referred to as [Andalusi Romance](/source/Andalusi_Romance).[16] In the northern Christian kingdoms, different Romance varieties gradually emerged, including [Galician–Portuguese](/source/Galician%E2%80%93Portuguese) in the region of Gallaecia, [Asturleonese](/source/Asturleonese) in the [Kingdom of León](/source/Kingdom_of_Le%C3%B3n), [Spanish](/source/Old_Spanish) in [Castile](/source/County_of_Castile), [Navarro-Aragonese](/source/Navarro-Aragonese) in [Navarre](/source/Kingdom_of_Navarre) and [Aragon](/source/Crown_of_Aragon) and [Catalan](/source/Catalan_language) in [Catalonia](/source/County_of_Barcelona).[17]

The northwestern region, corresponding to Gallaecia, also remained outside sustained Islamic rule.[15][18] As a result, its local Romance variety Galician–Portuguese developed with greater continuity from Latin.[19][17] The variety, which was spoken north and south of the [Minho River](/source/Minho_River), constituted a unified linguistic system from the 9th to the 14th century.[18][20] Although Latin remained the language of administration and written literature for centuries, the emerging Romance varieties continued to develop in speech, and extensive texts in the vernacular only began to appear later.[21][22] When the [Kingdom of Portugal](/source/Kingdom_of_Portugal) became independent in 1143,[23] its inhabitants continued to use this shared variety, which remained the common vernacular of the region.[24]

Between the 12th and 14th centuries, Galician–Portuguese served as [the literary language of lyric poetry](/source/Galician-Portuguese_lyric) across the Iberian Peninsula, drawing on the [troubadour](/source/Troubadour) tradition of southern France.[25] The poetry of the period is preserved primarily in three major songbooks. The *[Cancioneiro da Ajuda](/source/Cancioneiro_da_Ajuda)*, dated to the late 13th century, is the oldest and contains predominantly *[cantigas de amor](/source/Cantigas_de_amor)*. The *[Cancioneiro da Vaticana](/source/Cancioneiro_da_Vaticana)* and the *[Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional](/source/Cancioneiro_da_Biblioteca_Nacional)* are 15th-century copies of earlier manuscripts containing secular and satirical compositions.[26] The *[Cantiga da Ribeirinha](/source/Cantiga_da_Ribeirinha)* (c. 1189 or 1198), composed by [Paio Soares de Taveirós](/source/Paio_Soares_de_Taveir%C3%B3s) and preserved in the *Cancioneiro da Ajuda*, is regarded as one of the earliest known pieces of medieval Galician–Portuguese lyric poetry.[27][28]

The Will of Afonso II preserved at the [Torre do Tombo National Archives](/source/Torre_do_Tombo_National_Archive)

The identification of the oldest document written in Old Portuguese is a matter of scholarly debate. [Notícia de Fiadores](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Not%C3%ADcia_de_Fiadores&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not%C3%ADcia_de_Fiadores)] (1175) has been identified by philologist [Ana Maria Martins](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ana_Maria_Martins&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Maria_Martins)] as the earliest surviving document written in Portuguese. However, she explicitly states that this chronology is not consensual and is the one she personally finds most accurate;[29] other scholars argue that the presence of Romance elements in the text is limited and insufficient to classify it as a fully Galician-Portuguese document. The possibly earlier [Pacto dos irmãos Pais](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pacto_dos_irm%C3%A3os_Pais&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacto_dos_irm%C3%A3os_Pais)] has also been cited in this context.[30] By contrast, the [Will of Afonso II of Portugal](/source/Will_of_Afonso_II_of_Portugal) (1214) is widely regarded as one of the earliest dated documents written entirely in Portuguese.[26][31] It consists of three copies of the will of [Afonso II](/source/Afonso_II) (1211–1223), the third [king of Portugal](/source/List_of_Portuguese_monarchs), drawn up during a period of ill health.[32]

### Divergence of Galician and Portuguese

The [Galician](/source/Galician_language) and Portuguese language began to diverge from their common Galician–Portuguese base from around the 11th century. Early signs of separation are attested in Galician prose works, of which the *[Crónica Troiana](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cr%C3%B3nica_Troiana&action=edit&redlink=1) [[gl](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%B3nica_troiana)]* is among the most frequently cited examples.[33] By around 1250, Portuguese texts began to adopt [digraphs](/source/Digraph_(orthography)) such as *lh* and *nh*, replacing the Latin forms *ll* and *nn*.[23][34] Between 1350 and 1450, Galicia experienced a second period of lyric production in which Portuguese poets did not participate.[33]

In the late 13th century, King [Denis of Portugal](/source/Denis_of_Portugal) issued a decree establishing Portuguese as the mandatory language of royal administration, replacing Latin in the chancery.[35] Documents including laws, forals, royal letters and court records were required to be written in Portuguese. Historian Cleusa Teixeira de Sousa has interpreted this measure as a strategy to strengthen the authority of the Portuguese crown.[36] Following the rise of the [House of Aviz](/source/House_of_Aviz) after the [Battle of Aljubarrota](/source/Battle_of_Aljubarrota) in 1385, the political center of Portugal shifted southward, to Lisbon and [Coimbra](/source/Coimbra). Northern Portugal subsequently came to be regarded as a peripheral region, while [Galicia](/source/Galicia_(Spain)) was increasingly treated as a foreign territory.[37]

According to Rodolfo Ilari and Renato Basso, around 1420 marks the transition from Old Portuguese to Middle Portuguese, a periodization they attribute to scholars including [Luís Lindley Cintra](/source/Lu%C3%ADs_Lindley_Cintra) and [Serafim da Silva Neto](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serafim_da_Silva_Neto&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serafim_da_Silva_Neto)].[38] Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the Portuguese language was commonly referred to as *romance* *romanço* or *linguagem*;[35] by the 15th century, the designation "Portuguese language" became more widespread. The earliest known use of the term "Portuguese" (*português*) to designate the language dates to around 1430, appearing in a dedicatory letter written by [Peter, Duke of Coimbra](/source/Peter%2C_Duke_of_Coimbra) to his brother, [King Duarte](/source/King_Duarte), accompanying his translation of [Cicero](/source/Cicero)'s *[De Officiis](/source/De_Officiis)*, in which he writes explicitly: "*eu lia em português*" ('I was reading in Portuguese').[39] The printing press was introduced to Portugal in the late 15th century; *[Sacramental](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sacramental_(book)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_(obra))]*, a translation from Spanish into Portuguese, is among the earliest known printed works in the language,[40] and contributed to the standardization of Portuguese orthography.[39]

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Portuguese underwent a process of Latinate renewal, reincorporating Latin and [Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) vocabulary. Much of this influence entered the language through Spanish.[41] Some words that had lost intervocalic *l* and *n* through regular sound change were reintroduced in Latinate or Castilian forms, such as *maíça* > *[malícia](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mal%C3%ADcia#Portuguese)* ('malice'), *saíva* > *[saliva](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/saliva#Portuguese)* ('saliva') and *paadar* > *[paladar](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paladar#Portuguese)* ('taste').[42] In orthography, this period saw the adoption of pseudo-etymological spellings imitating Latin and Greek forms,[43] such as *pharmacia*, *theatro*, and *rheumatismo*.[44]

The period also produced the first grammars of Portuguese. [Fernão de Oliveira](/source/Fern%C3%A3o_de_Oliveira) published the first in 1536, advocating an orthography based on pronunciation. He is considered one of the first grammaticians of the Portuguese language.[45] [João de Barros](/source/Jo%C3%A3o_de_Barros) followed in 1540 with a grammar informed by humanist principles, at times justifying spellings on the basis of Latin etymologies. The influence of [Renaissance humanism](/source/Renaissance_humanism) promoted an etymological orthography that brought written Portuguese closer to Latin.[46] The publication of [Luís de Camões](/source/Lu%C3%ADs_de_Cam%C3%B5es)'s *[Os Lusíadas](/source/Os_Lus%C3%ADadas)* in 1572 is generally regarded by linguists as the start of Modern Portuguese.[47] He is regarded as Portugal's [national poet](/source/National_poet).[48] [Duarte Nunes de Leão](/source/Duarte_Nunes_de_Le%C3%A3o) extended the grammatical tradition with his *Orthographia* (1576) and *Origem da Língua Portuguesa* (1606), the latter among the earliest works to document dialectal variation in Portuguese.[49]

### Overseas expansion and the development of Portuguese in Brazil

Portuguese expansion beyond the Iberian Peninsula began in the 15th century, following the [conquest of Ceuta](/source/Conquest_of_Ceuta) in 1415.[50] Portuguese contact with sub-Saharan Africa proceeded in stages along the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts. Settlement and exploration extended to [Madeira](/source/Madeira) and the [Azores](/source/Azores) (1425–1439), followed by [Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde) (1444), [Guinea](/source/Guinea) (1446), [Angola](/source/Angola) (1483), and [São Tomé and Príncipe](/source/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe) (1485). The Portuguese navigator [Vasco da Gama](/source/Vasco_da_Gama) reached [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique) in 1498,[35] though the consolidation of Portuguese there was gradual and shaped by prolonged contact with [Bantu languages](/source/Bantu_language).[51] Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Portuguese functioned as a [lingua franca](/source/Lingua_franca) in major ports across India and Southeast Asia.[52] Portuguese established a network of commercial and administrative bases at [Goa](/source/Goa) (1510), [Malacca](/source/Malacca) (1511), [Hormuz](/source/Kingdom_of_Hormuz) (1515), [Macau](/source/Macau) (1557), and [Timor](/source/Timor).[35]

Following the [Treaty of Tordesillas](/source/Treaty_of_Tordesillas), the territory now known as [Brazil](/source/Brazil) was claimed for the [Portuguese Empire](/source/Portuguese_Empire) on 22 April 1500 with [the arrival of the Portuguese fleet](/source/Discovery_of_Brazil) commanded by [Pedro Álvares Cabral](/source/Pedro_%C3%81lvares_Cabral).[53] At the time of Portuguese arrival, the region was [inhabited by Indigenous peoples](/source/Pre-Cabraline_history_of_Brazil) who spoke more than 1,175 languages, with the [Tupi–Guarani languages](/source/Tupi%E2%80%93Guarani_languages) predominating along the coast. Portuguese therefore did not become the majority language immediately.[54] From 1549, Jesuit missionaries systematized several indigenous languages into grammars, among them [Joseph of Anchieta](/source/Joseph_of_Anchieta)'s [grammar of Old Tupi](/source/Art_of_Grammar_of_the_Most_Used_Language_on_the_Coast_of_Brazil) (1595).[55] The [transatlantic slave trade](/source/Atlantic_slave_trade_to_Brazil) brought speakers of an estimated 200 to 300 African languages to Brazil, primarily from West African and Bantu-speaking regions.[56] Enslaved Africans were prohibited from using their native languages, and adopted Portuguese under conditions of irregular transmission.[57]

The discovery of gold in [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais) in the 1690s prompted large-scale internal migration and a wave of immigration from Portugal, strengthening the presence of Portuguese in the centre-south of the colony.[58] In 1757, the [Marquis of Pombal](/source/Sebasti%C3%A3o_Jos%C3%A9_de_Carvalho_e_Melo%2C_1st_Marquis_of_Pombal) issued the *[Diretório dos Índios](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diret%C3%B3rio_dos_%C3%8Dndios&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diret%C3%B3rio_dos_%C3%8Dndios)]*, prohibiting use of the widely used indigenous lingua francas and imposing Portuguese as the sole official language of administration and education.[59] The [transfer of the Portuguese royal court](/source/Transfer_of_the_Portuguese_court_to_Brazil) to [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro) in 1808 reinforced the status of European Portuguese in the capital and introduced the printing press to Brazil.[60] Following [independence in 1822](/source/Independence_of_Brazil), a desire for a "Brazilian language" arose among intellectuals.[49] [Romantic](/source/Romanticism) writers such as [José de Alencar](/source/Jos%C3%A9_de_Alencar) advocated incorporating indigenous and popular terms into written Brazilian Portuguese, while purist grammarians insisted on adherence to European norms.[61] From the mid-19th century onward, mass immigration of Italians, Germans, and Japanese, among others, introduced further lexical and phonetic influences,[62] concentrated primarily in the [South](/source/South_Region%2C_Brazil) and [Southeast regions](/source/Southeast_Region%2C_Brazil).[63]

Portuguese sovereign presence in Asia has since been largely withdrawn: the territories of [Goa](/source/Goa), [Daman](/source/Daman_district%2C_India), and [Diu](/source/Diu_district) were incorporated into the [Indian Union](/source/Government_of_India) in 1961, [East Timor](/source/East_Timor) was [annexed by Indonesia in 1975](/source/Indonesian_invasion_of_East_Timor), gaining independence in 2002, and [Macau](/source/Macau) was [transferred to Chinese administration](/source/Handover_of_Macau) in 1999.[52] In African countries where Portuguese is an official language, it also serves as a lingua franca among speakers of diverse native languages,[51] particularly those belonging to the Bantu language family.[64] Local varieties of Portuguese in Africa developed under sustained contact with indigenous languages, contributing to processes of lexical, phonological, and syntactic variation.[51] On 17 July 1996, the Portuguese-speaking countries established the [Community of Portuguese Language Countries](/source/Community_of_Portuguese_Language_Countries) (CPLP) to promote political, cultural, and linguistic cooperation among Lusophone states.[65]

## Geographic distribution

Main articles: [List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language](/source/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Portuguese_is_an_official_language) and [Geographical distribution of Portuguese speakers](/source/Geographical_distribution_of_Portuguese_speakers)

Portuguese Language Map – World Geographical Distribution
  Native/Mother language of the majority of the population – > 50%

  Official and administrative language, but minority native language – < 50%

  Cultural or secondary language - not official but spoken as a secondary native language - uruguayan portuguese - bayano, fronteiriço or riverense

  Cultural or secondary language - not official but spoken as a minority native or second language

  Galician is an official language – seen by some organizations as the same language as Portuguese

Portuguese – Native Language Gradient
  Native speakers: 90–100%

  Native speakers: 40–70%

  Native speakers: 10–20%

  Native speakers: 1–5%

  Native speakers: Less Than 1%

Sign in Japanese, Portuguese, and English in [Oizumi](/source/Oizumi), Japan, which has a large [Lusophone](/source/Lusophone) community due to the return immigration of [Japanese Brazilians](/source/Japanese_Brazilians)[66]

Portuguese is spoken by approximately 200 million people in South America, 30 million in Africa, 15 million in Europe, 5 million in North America and 0.33 million in Asia and Oceania. It is the native language of the vast majority of the people in Portugal,[67] Brazil[68] and São Tomé and Príncipe (95%).[69] Around 45% of the population of urban Angola speaks Portuguese natively,[70] with approximately 85% fluent; these rates are lower in the countryside.[71] Just over 50% (and rapidly increasing) of the population of [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique) are native speakers of Portuguese, and 70% are fluent, according to the 2007 census.[72] Portuguese is also spoken natively by 30% of the population in Guinea-Bissau, and a Portuguese-based creole is understood by all.[73] Almost 50% of the East Timorese are fluent in Portuguese. No data is available for Cape Verde, but almost all the population is bilingual, and the monolingual population speaks the Portuguese-based [Cape Verdean Creole](/source/Cape_Verdean_Creole). Portuguese is mentioned in the [Constitution of South Africa](/source/Constitution_of_South_Africa) as one of the languages spoken by communities within the country for which the [Pan South African Language Board](/source/Pan_South_African_Language_Board) was charged with promoting and ensuring respect.[74]

There are also significant Portuguese-speaking immigrant communities in many territories including [Andorra](/source/Andorra) (17.1%),[75] [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda),[76] [Canada](/source/Canada) (400,275 people in the 2006 census),[77] [France](/source/France) (1,625,000 people),[78] [Japan](/source/Japan) (400,000 people),[79] [Jersey](/source/Jersey),[80] [Luxembourg](/source/Luxembourg) (about 25% of the population as of 2021), [Namibia](/source/Namibia) (about 4–5% of the population, mainly refugees from Angola in the north of the country),[81] [Paraguay](/source/Paraguay) (10.7% or 636,000 people),[82] [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland) (550,000 in 2019, learning + mother tongue),[83] [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela) (554,000),[84] and the United States (868,900).[85]

In some parts of former [Portuguese India](/source/Portuguese_India), namely [Goa](/source/Goa)[86] and [Daman and Diu](/source/Daman_and_Diu),[87] the language is still spoken by about 10,000 people. In 2014, an estimated 1,500 students were learning Portuguese in Goa.[88] Approximately 2% of the people of Macau, China are fluent speakers of Portuguese. Additionally, the language is being very actively studied in the Chinese school system right up to the doctorate level. The [Kristang people](/source/Kristang_people) in [Malaysia](/source/Malaysia) speak [Kristang](/source/Kristang_language), a Portuguese-Malay creole; however, the Portuguese language itself is not widely spoken in the country.

### Official status

Main article: [List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language](/source/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Portuguese_is_an_official_language)

The [Community of Portuguese Language Countries](/source/Community_of_Portuguese_Language_Countries)[89] (in Portuguese *Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa*, with the Portuguese acronym CPLP) consists of the nine independent countries that have Portuguese as an [official language](/source/Official_language): [Angola](/source/Angola), [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde), [East Timor](/source/East_Timor), [Equatorial Guinea](/source/Equatorial_Guinea), [Guinea-Bissau](/source/Guinea-Bissau), [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique), [Portugal](/source/Portugal) and [São Tomé and Príncipe](/source/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe).[89]

[Equatorial Guinea](/source/Equatorial_Guinea) made a formal application for full membership to the CPLP in June 2010, a status given only to states with Portuguese as an official language.[90] Portuguese became its third official language (besides [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language) and [French](/source/French_language))[91] in 2011, and in July 2014, the country was accepted as a member of the CPLP.[92]

Portuguese is also one of the official languages of the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China of Macau (alongside [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language)) and of several international organizations, including [Mercosul](/source/Mercosul),[93] the [Organization of Ibero-American States](/source/Organization_of_Ibero-American_States),[94] the [Union of South American Nations](/source/Union_of_South_American_Nations),[95] the [Organization of American States](/source/Organization_of_American_States),[96] the [African Union](/source/African_Union),[97] the [Economic Community of West African States](/source/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States),[97] the [Southern African Development Community](/source/Southern_African_Development_Community)[97] and the [European Union](/source/European_Union).[98]

### Lusophone countries

According to *[The World Factbook](/source/The_World_Factbook)*'s country population estimates for 2018, the population of each of the ten jurisdictions is as follows (by descending order):

Country Population[99][100][101] More information Native language of the majority Spoken by Brazil 203,062,512 Portuguese in Brazil 95% as a native language[102] Angola 35,981,281 Portuguese in Angola 45% as a native language,[70] 82% total[103] Mozambique 32,513,805 Portuguese in Mozambique 40% as a native language, 60% total[102] Portugal 10,467,366 Portuguese in Portugal 95% as a native language[104] Guinea-Bissau 2,078,820 Portuguese in Guinea-Bissau 5% as a native language, 50% total[105] Equatorial Guinea2 1,679,172 Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea Small minority as a second language East Timor 1,340,513 Portuguese in East Timor 0.5% as a native language; 50% total[105] Macau1 682,300 Portuguese in Macau 0.5% as a native language, 7% total[106] Cape Verde 561,901 Portuguese in Cape Verde 5% as a native language, 80% total[107] São Tomé and Príncipe 220,372 Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe 75% as a native language, 99% total[102] Total 288,588,042 Community of Portuguese Language Countries

Notes:

1. [Macau](/source/Macau) is one of the two autonomous [Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China](/source/Special_Administrative_Region_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China) (the other being [Anglophone](/source/English_language) [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong), a former British colony).

1. [Equatorial Guinea](/source/Equatorial_Guinea) adopted Portuguese as one of its official languages in 2007, being admitted to CPLP in 2014. The use of the Portuguese language in this country is limited, but quickly growing.

The combined population of the entire [Lusophone](/source/Lusophone) area was estimated at 300 million in January 2022.[101][100][108] This number does not include the Lusophone [diaspora](/source/Diaspora), estimated at 10 million people (including 4.5 million Portuguese, 3 million Brazilians), although there are no official accurate figures for diasporic Portuguese speakers because a significant portion of these citizens are naturalized citizens born outside of Lusophone territory or are children of immigrants, and may have only a basic command of the language. Additionally, a large part of the diaspora is a part of the already-counted population of the Portuguese-speaking countries and territories, such as the high number of Brazilian and [PALOP](/source/Portuguese-speaking_African_countries) emigrant citizens in Portugal or the high number of Portuguese emigrant citizens in the PALOP and Brazil.

The Portuguese language therefore serves more than 250 million people daily, who have direct or indirect legal, juridical and social contact with it, varying from the only language used in any contact, to only education, contact with local or international administration, commerce and services or the simple sight of road signs, public information and advertising in Portuguese.

### Portuguese as a foreign language

Portuguese is a mandatory subject in the school curriculum in [Uruguay](/source/Uruguay).[109] Other countries where Portuguese is commonly taught in schools or where it has been introduced as an option include [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela),[110] [Zambia](/source/Zambia),[111] the [Republic of the Congo](/source/Republic_of_the_Congo),[112] [Senegal](/source/Senegal),[112] [Namibia](/source/Namibia),[81] [Eswatini](/source/Eswatini),[112] [South Africa](/source/South_Africa),[112] [Ivory Coast](/source/Ivory_Coast),[113] and [Mauritius](/source/Mauritius).[114] In 2017, a project was launched to introduce Portuguese as a school subject in [Zimbabwe](/source/Zimbabwe).[115][116] Also, according to Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the language will be part of the school curriculum of a total of 32 countries by 2020.[117] In such countries, Portuguese is spoken either as a native language by vast majorities due to their Portuguese colonial past or as a *[lingua franca](/source/Lingua_franca)* in bordering and multilingual regions, such as on the Brazilian borders of Uruguay and Paraguay and in regions of Angola and Namibia. In many other countries, Portuguese is spoken by majorities as a second language. There remain communities of thousands of Portuguese (or [Creole](/source/Creole_language)) first language speakers in [Goa](/source/Goa), [Sri Lanka](/source/Sri_Lanka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur), [Daman and Diu](/source/Daman_and_Diu), and other areas due to [Portuguese colonization](/source/Portuguese_Empire). In [East Timor](/source/Timor-Leste), the number of Portuguese speakers is quickly increasing as Portuguese and Brazilian teachers are making great strides in teaching Portuguese in the schools all over the island.[118] Additionally, there are many large Portuguese-speaking immigrant communities all over the world.

Country Population[119] (July 2017 est.) More information Compulsory education Spoken by Uruguay 3,444,006 Portuguese in Uruguay Significant minority as a native language; significant minority as a second language Argentina 43,847,430 Portuguese in Argentina Minority as a second language Paraguay 7,052,984 Portuguese in Paraguay Significant minority as a native language Venezuela 31,568,179 Portuguese in Venezuela Minority as a second language South Africa 57,725,600 Portuguese in South Africa Small minority as a native language Namibia 2,606,971 Portuguese in Namibia Small minority as a native language Congo 5,125,821 Portuguese in Congo Small minority as a second language Zambia 16,591,390 Portuguese in Zambia Small minority as a second language Senegal 15,411,614 Portuguese in Senegal Small minority as a second language Eswatini 1,343,098 Portuguese in Eswatini Small minority as a second language

### Future

Multilingual signage in Chinese, Portuguese and English at the [Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge](/source/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Zhuhai%E2%80%93Macau_Bridge) port building in [Macau](/source/Macau). Portuguese is a co-official language in Macau.

According to estimates by [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO), Portuguese is the fastest-growing [European language](/source/European_language) after [English](/source/English_language) and it has the highest potential for growth as an international language in [southern Africa](/source/Southern_Africa) and [South America](/source/South_America).[120] Portuguese is a globalized language spoken officially on five continents, and as a second language by millions worldwide.

Since 1991, when Brazil signed into the economic community of [Mercosul](/source/Mercosul) with other South American nations, namely [Argentina](/source/Argentina), [Uruguay](/source/Uruguay) and [Paraguay](/source/Paraguay), Portuguese is either mandatory, or taught, in the schools of those South American countries.

Although early in the 21st century, after [Macau](/source/Macau) was returned to [China](/source/China) and immigration of Brazilians of [Japanese descent](/source/Japanese_Brazilian) to [Japan](/source/Japan) slowed down, the use of Portuguese was in decline in [Asia](/source/Asia), it is once again becoming a language of opportunity there, mostly because of increased diplomatic and financial ties with economically powerful Portuguese-speaking countries in the world.[121][122]

### Current status and importance

Portuguese, being a language spread on all continents, has official status in several international organizations. It is one of twenty official languages of the [European Union](/source/European_Union), an official language of NATO, the [Organization of American States](/source/Organization_of_American_States) (alongside Spanish, French and English), and one of eighteen official languages of the [European Space Agency](/source/European_Space_Agency).

Portuguese is a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the [Red Cross](/source/International_Red_Cross_and_Red_Crescent_Movement) (alongside English, German, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian), [Amnesty International](/source/Amnesty_International) (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, French, German, and Italian), and [Médecins sans Frontières](/source/M%C3%A9decins_sans_Fronti%C3%A8res) (used alongside English, Spanish, French and Arabic), in addition to being the official legal language in the [African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights](/source/African_Court_on_Human_and_Peoples'_Rights), also in [Community of Portuguese Language Countries](/source/Community_of_Portuguese_Language_Countries), an international organization formed essentially by [lusophone countries](/source/Lusophone).

## Linguistic demography

With approximately 250 million native speakers and 17 million [second language](/source/Second_language) speakers, Portuguese has approximately 267 million total speakers.[123] It is usually listed as the [fifth-most spoken native language](/source/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers),[124] the third-most spoken European language in the world in terms of native speakers[125] and the second-most spoken [Romance language](/source/Romance_languages) in the world, surpassed only by [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language). Being the first most widely spoken language in [South America](/source/South_America)[126][127][128] and the most-spoken language in the [Southern Hemisphere](/source/Southern_Hemisphere),[129][130][131] it is also the second-most spoken language, after Spanish, in [Latin America](/source/Latin_America), one of the 10 most spoken languages in [Africa](/source/Africa),[132] and an official language of the [European Union](/source/European_Union), [Mercosul](/source/Mercosul), the [Organization of American States](/source/Organization_of_American_States#Official_languages), the [Economic Community of West African States](/source/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States), the [African Union](/source/African_Union), and the [Community of Portuguese Language Countries](/source/Community_of_Portuguese_Language_Countries), an international organization made up of all of the world's officially [Lusophone](/source/Lusophone) nations. In 1997, a comprehensive academic study ranked Portuguese as one of the 10 most influential languages in the world.[133][134]

## Classification and related languages

Map showing mostly contemporary [West Iberian](/source/West_Iberian_languages) and [Occitano-Romance](/source/Occitano-Romance_languages) languages, as well many of their mainland European dialects (areas colored green, [gold](/source/Aragonese_language) or pink/purple represent languages deemed [endangered](/source/Endangered_language) by [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO), so this may be outdated in less than a few decades). It shows European Portuguese, [Galician](/source/Galician_language), [Eonavian](/source/Galician-Asturian), [Mirandese](/source/Mirandese_language) and the [Fala](/source/Fala_language) as not only closely related but as [dialect continuum](/source/Dialect_continuum), though it excludes dialects spoken in insular Portugal (Azores and Madeira–[Canaries](/source/Canarian_Spanish) is not shown either).[*[image reference needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Main articles: [Iberian Romance languages](/source/Iberian_Romance_languages), [Galician–Portuguese](/source/Galician%E2%80%93Portuguese), and [Comparison of Spanish and Portuguese](/source/Comparison_of_Spanish_and_Portuguese)

Portuguese belongs to the [West Iberian](/source/West_Iberian_languages) branch of the [Romance languages](/source/Romance_language), and it has special ties with the following members of this group:

- [Galician](/source/Galician_language) and [Fala](/source/Fala_language).

- [Mirandese](/source/Mirandese_language), [Leonese](/source/Leonese_language), [Asturian](/source/Asturian_language), [Extremaduran](/source/Extremaduran_language) and [Cantabrian](/source/Cantabrian_dialect) ([Astur-Leonese languages](/source/Astur-Leonese_languages)). Mirandese is the only recognised regional language spoken in Portugal (beside Portuguese, the only official language in Portugal).

- [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language) and [*calão*](/source/Cal%C3%B3_language) (the Portuguese term for *caló*, language of the Iberian [Romani](/source/Romani_people)).

Portuguese and other Romance languages (namely [French](/source/French_language) and [Italian](/source/Italian_language)) share considerable similarities in both vocabulary and grammar. Portuguese speakers will usually need some formal study before attaining strong comprehension in those Romance languages, and vice versa. However, Portuguese and [Galician](/source/Galician_language) are fully mutually intelligible. Spanish is relatively intelligible for lusophones, owing to their geographic proximity and history as [West Iberian](/source/West_Iberian_languages) ([Ibero-Romance languages](/source/Ibero-Romance_languages)), historical contact between speakers and mutual influence, shared [areal features](/source/Areal_features) as well as modern lexical, structural, and grammatical similarity (over 85%) between them.[135][136][137][138][139] Many young Portuguese speakers however, will often choose [English](/source/English_language) as the lingua-franca of choice, with Spanish, French, Italian, other Europeans, and speakers of other languages. Over 97% of 18 to 24 year olds in Portugal speak a second language fluently, 95% of those have English as L2, some 33.7% speak French, 23% German, and 14% Spanish.[140][141]

[Portuñol](/source/Portu%C3%B1ol)/Portunhol, a form of [code-switching](/source/Code-switching), has a lively use and is mentioned in popular culture in South America. Said code-switching is not to be confused with the Portuguese varieties spoken on the borders of Brazil with Uruguay (*dialeto do pampa*) and Paraguay (*dialeto dos [brasiguaios](/source/Brasiguayos)*), and of Portugal with Spain (*[barranquenho](/source/Barranquenho)*), that are Portuguese dialects spoken natively by thousands of people, which have been heavily influenced by Spanish.[142]

Portuguese and Spanish are the only Ibero-Romance languages, and perhaps the only Romance languages in Latin-America, with such thriving inter-language forms, in which visible and lively bilingual contact dialects and code-switching have formed, in which functional bilingual communication is achieved through attempting an approximation to the target foreign language (known as 'Portuñol') without a learned acquisition process, but nevertheless facilitates communication. There is an emerging literature focused on such phenomena in South America (including informal attempts of standardization of the linguistic continua and their usage).[142]

### Galician–Portuguese in Spain

See also: [Reintegrationism](/source/Reintegrationism)

The closest relative of Portuguese is Galician, which is spoken in the autonomous community and historical nationality of Galicia ([Spain](/source/Spain)). The two were part of a common dialect continuum during the Middle Ages, known today as [Galician–Portuguese](/source/Galician%E2%80%93Portuguese), but they have diverged especially in pronunciation and vocabulary due to the political separation of [Portugal](/source/County_of_Portugal) from [Galicia](/source/Kingdom_of_Galicia). There is, however, still a linguistic continuity consisting of the variant of Galician referred to as *galego-português baixo-limiao*, which is spoken in several Galician and Portuguese villages within the transboundary biosphere reserve of [Gerês](/source/Peneda-Ger%C3%AAs_National_Park)-[Xurés](/source/Baixa_Limia_%E2%80%93_Serra_do_Xur%C3%A9s). It is "considered a rarity, a living vestige of the medieval language that ranged from [Cantabria](/source/Cantabria) to [Mondego](/source/Mondego_River) [...]".[143] As reported by [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO), due to the pressure of Spanish on the standard official version of Galician and centuries-old [Castilianization](/source/Hispanization), the Galician language was on the verge of disappearing.[143]

According to the UNESCO philologist Tapani Salminen, the proximity to Portuguese protects Galician.[144] The core vocabulary and grammar of Galician are noticeably closer to Portuguese than to those of Spanish. Within the EU, Galician, while not being a [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament) official language, can be used and is in fact used by some European Parliament constituents due to its similarity with Portuguese.[145][146] Galician like Portuguese, uses the future subjunctive, the personal infinitive, and the synthetic pluperfect. Mutual intelligibility estimated at 85% is excellent between Galicians and Portuguese.[147] Despite political efforts in Spain to define them as separate languages, many linguists consider [Galician](/source/Galician_language) and Portuguese to be co-dialects of the same language with regional variations.[148][146]

Another member of the Galician–Portuguese group, most commonly thought of as a Galician dialect, is spoken in the [Eonavian](/source/Galician-Asturian) region in a western strip in [Asturias](/source/Asturias) and the westernmost parts of the provinces of [León](/source/Province_of_Le%C3%B3n) and [Zamora](/source/Province_of_Zamora), along the frontier with Galicia, between the [Eo](/source/Eo_(river)) and [Navia](/source/Navia_(river)) rivers (or more exactly Eo and Frexulfe rivers). It is called *eonaviego* or *gallego-asturiano* by its speakers.

The Fala language, known by its speakers as *xalimés*, *mañegu*, *a fala de Xálima* and *chapurráu* and in Portuguese as *a fala de Xálima*, *a fala da Estremadura*, *o galego da Estremadura*, *valego* or *galaico-estremenho*, is another descendant of Galician–Portuguese, spoken by a small number of people in the Spanish towns of [Valverde del Fresno](/source/Valverde_del_Fresno) (*Valverdi du Fresnu*), [Eljas](/source/Eljas) (*As Ellas*) and [San Martín de Trevejo](/source/San_Mart%C3%ADn_de_Trevejo) (*Sa Martín de Trevellu*) in the autonomous community of [Extremadura](/source/Extremadura), near the border with Portugal.

There are a number of other places in Spain in which the native language of the common people is a descendant of the Galician–Portuguese group, such as [La Alamedilla](/source/La_Alamedilla), [Cedillo](/source/Cedillo) (*Cedilho*), [Herrera de Alcántara](/source/Herrera_de_Alc%C3%A1ntara) (*Ferreira d'Alcântara*) and [Olivenza](/source/Olivenza) (*Olivença*), but in these municipalities, what is spoken is actually Portuguese, not disputed as such in the mainstream.

In the kingdom of Portugal, *Ladinho* (or *Lingoagem Ladinha*) was the name given to the pure Portuguese romance language, without any mixture of Aravia or Gerigonça Judenga.[149] While the term *língua vulgar* was used to name the language before D. Dinis decided to call it "Portuguese language",[150] the erudite version used and known as Galician–Portuguese (the language of the Portuguese court) and all other Portuguese dialects were spoken at the same time. In a historical perspective the Portuguese language was never just one dialect. Just like today there is a standard Portuguese (actually two) among the several dialects of Portuguese, in the past there was Galician–Portuguese as the "standard", coexisting with other dialects.

### Influence on other languages

An Old Portuguese [memento mori](/source/Memento_mori) memorial sign in [Malacca City](/source/Malacca_City)

See also: [List of English words of Portuguese origin](/source/List_of_English_words_of_Portuguese_origin), [Loan words in Indonesian](/source/Loan_words_in_Indonesian), [Japanese words of Portuguese origin](/source/Japanese_words_of_Portuguese_origin), [List of Malay loanwords](/source/List_of_Malay_loanwords), [Portuguese loanwords in Sinhala](/source/Portuguese_loanwords_in_Sinhala), [Loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil § Portuguese](/source/Loan_words_in_Sri_Lankan_Tamil#Portuguese), [Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language](/source/Sri_Lanka_Indo-Portuguese_language), [Hindustani etymology § Loanwords from Portuguese](/source/Hindustani_etymology#Loanwords_from_Portuguese), [Gujarati language § Portuguese](/source/Gujarati_language#Portuguese), [Burmese language](/source/Burmese_language), [Bengali vocabulary § Portuguese (পর্তুগিজ Pôrtugij)](/source/Bengali_vocabulary#Portuguese_(পর্তুগিজ_Pôrtugij)), [Thai language § Portuguese-origin](/source/Thai_language#Portuguese-origin), [Chittagonian language](/source/Chittagonian_language), and [Tok Pisin](/source/Tok_Pisin)

Portuguese has provided [loanwords](/source/Loanword) to many languages, such as [Indonesian](/source/Indonesian_language), [Manado Malay](/source/Manado_Malay), [Malayalam](/source/Malayalam), [Sri Lankan Tamil](/source/Sri_Lanka_Tamils_(native)) and [Sinhala](/source/Sinhala_language), [Malay](/source/Malay_language), [Bengali](/source/Bengali_language), [English](/source/English_(language)), [Hindi](/source/Hindi), [Swahili](/source/Swahili_language), [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans), [Konkani](/source/Konkani_language), [Marathi](/source/Marathi_language), [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language), [Tetum](/source/Tetum_language), [Xitsonga](/source/Tsonga_language), [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language), [Lanc-Patuá](/source/Lanc-Patu%C3%A1_creole), [Esan](/source/Esan_people#Language), [Bandari](/source/Bandar_Abbas) (spoken in Iran) and [Sranan Tongo](/source/Sranan_Tongo) (spoken in Suriname). It left a strong influence on the *[língua brasílica](/source/Old_Tupi)*, a [Tupi–Guarani language](/source/Tupi%E2%80%93Guarani_language), which was the most widely spoken in Brazil until the 18th century, and on the language spoken around [Sikka](/source/Sikka_Regency) in [Flores](/source/Flores) Island, [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia). In nearby [Larantuka](/source/Larantuka), Portuguese is used for prayers in [Holy Week](/source/Holy_Week) rituals. The Japanese–Portuguese dictionary *[Nippo Jisho](/source/Nippo_Jisho)* (1603) was the first dictionary of Japanese in a European language, a product of [Jesuit](/source/Society_of_Jesus) missionary activity in Japan. Building on the work of earlier Portuguese missionaries, the *[Dictionarium Anamiticum, Lusitanum et Latinum](/source/Dictionarium_Anamiticum%2C_Lusitanum_et_Latinum)* (Annamite–Portuguese–Latin dictionary) of [Alexandre de Rhodes](/source/Alexandre_de_Rhodes) (1651) introduced the modern [orthography of Vietnamese](/source/Vietnamese_alphabet), which is based on the orthography of 17th-century Portuguese. The [Romanization](/source/Romanization) of [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language) was also influenced by the Portuguese language (among others), particularly regarding [Chinese surnames](/source/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames); one example is *Mei*. During 1583–88 Italian Jesuits [Michele Ruggieri](/source/Michele_Ruggieri) and [Matteo Ricci](/source/Matteo_Ricci) created a Portuguese–Chinese dictionary – the first ever European–Chinese dictionary.[151][152]

For instance, as [Portuguese merchants](/source/Portuguese_Empire) were presumably the first to introduce the [sweet orange](/source/Sweet_orange) in Europe, in several modern [Indo-European languages](/source/Indo-European_languages) the fruit has been named after them. Some examples are Albanian *[portokall](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/portokall#Albanian)*, Bosnian (archaic) *portokal*, *prtokal*, Bulgarian [портокал](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB#Bulgarian) (*portokal*), Greek [πορτοκάλι](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%81%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%BB%CE%B9#Greek) (*portokáli*), [Macedonian](/source/Macedonian_language) **portokal**, Persian [پرتقال](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84#Persian) (*porteghal*), and Romanian *[portocală](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/portocal%C4%83#Romanian)*.[153][154] Related names can be found in other languages, such as Arabic [البرتقال](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84#Arabic) (*burtuqāl*), [Georgian](/source/Georgian_language) [ფორთოხალი](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%A4%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A0%E1%83%97%E1%83%9D%E1%83%AE%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98#Georgian) (*p'ort'oxali*), Turkish *[portakal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/portakal#Turkish)* and [Amharic](/source/Amharic) *birtukan*.[153] Also, in southern [Italian dialects](/source/Italian_language) (e.g. [Neapolitan](/source/Neapolitan_language)), an orange is *[portogallo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/portogallo)* or *[purtuallo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/it:purtuallo)*, literally "(the) Portuguese (one)", in contrast to [standard Italian](/source/Standard_Italian) *arancia*.

Participating countries of the [Lusophony Games](/source/Lusophony_Games)

### Derived languages

Main article: [Portuguese-based creole languages](/source/Portuguese-based_creole_languages)

Beginning in the 16th century, the extensive contacts between Portuguese travelers and settlers, African and Asian slaves, and local populations led to the appearance of many [pidgins](/source/Pidgin) with varying amounts of Portuguese influence.

As each of these pidgins became the mother tongue of succeeding generations, they evolved into fully fledged [creole languages](/source/Creole_language), which remained in use in many parts of Asia, Africa and South America until the 18th century.

Some Portuguese-based or Portuguese-influenced creoles are still spoken today, namely [Cape Verdean Creole](/source/Cape_Verdean_Creole) and [Papiamento](/source/Papiamento). Portuguese-based creoles are spoken by over three million people worldwide, especially people of partial [Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_people) ancestry.

## Phonology

Main article: [Portuguese phonology](/source/Portuguese_phonology)

Sara, a native speaker of the [European Portuguese](/source/European_Portuguese) of Lisbon

Freddie, a native speaker of the [Brazilian Portuguese](/source/Brazilian_Portuguese) of São Paulo

[Portuguese phonology](/source/Portuguese_phonology) and [phonetics](/source/Phonetics) vary across regional dialects, but these differences generally do not impede [mutual intelligibility](/source/Mutual_intelligibility) among speakers. Portuguese has one of the larger phonological inventories among the Romance languages.[155] This overview mainly describes [European Portuguese](/source/European_Portuguese) (EP) and [Brazilian Portuguese](/source/Brazilian_Portuguese) (BP), the [standard varieties](/source/Standard_varieties) of Portugal and Brazil respectively.[156]

#### Vowels

Monophthongs of European Portuguese as they are pronounced in Lisbon, from [Cruz-Ferreira (1995](#CITEREFCruz-Ferreira1995):91). The vowel transcribed /ɯ/ on this chart appears only in unstressed syllables and corresponds to the symbol /ɨ/ in this article

Monophthongs of Brazilian Portuguese as they are pronounced in São Paulo, from [Barbosa & Albano (2004](#CITEREFBarbosaAlbano2004):229). The vowels [ɪ, ʊ, ë] appear only in unstressed syllables.

Vowel phonemes of Portuguese[157][158][159] Front Central Back oral nasal oral nasal oral nasal Close i ĩ (ɨ) u ũ Near-close ɪ ʊ Close-mid e ẽ o õ Open-mid ɛ ɐ ɐ̃ ɔ Open a

EP has nine oral vowels (/a, ɐ, e, ɛ, i, o, ɔ, u, ɨ/) and 19 consonants,[160] while BP is generally analyzed as having seven oral vowels in stressed position (/i, e, ɛ, a, ɔ, o, u/).[158] Both varieties have five [nasal vowels](/source/Nasal_vowel),[160][158] though linguists Maria Helena Mateus and Ernesto d'Andrade analyze these as [allophones](/source/Allophone) of the oral vowels rather than independent phonemes.[161] Portuguese has ten oral [diphthongs](/source/Diphthong) and five nasal diphthongs.[160][158]

In unstressed positions, EP frequently reduces or deletes vowels in colloquial speech, as in *[dever](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dever#Portuguese)* ('to owe') realized as [\[ˈdveɾ\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Portuguese). In both varieties, the tense mid vowels /e/ and /o/ tend to raise when unstressed, as in *[menino](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/menino#Portuguese)* ('boy') [\[mĩ.ˈnĩ.nu\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Portuguese). In BP, this raising is especially consistent in word-final position, while in other syllables tends to vary depending on the accent, where the most common vocalic realizations are /i/, /a/ and /u/, as in *[sabe](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sabe#Portuguese)* ('he/she knows') [\[ˈsa.bi\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Portuguese) and *[juro](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/juro#Portuguese)* ('I swear') [\[ˈʒu.ɾu\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Portuguese).[162] BP frequently employs vowel [epenthesis](/source/Epenthesis) to break up consonant clusters, typically inserting a high front vowel such as [i] or [[ɪ](/source/Near-close_near-front_unrounded_vowel)], although many times it can be completely removed or reduced to palatalization ("prática" [ˈpɾatʃikɐ > ˈpɾatʃkɐ]; "truque" ['tɾuki > 'tɾukʲ]).[163] [Semivowels](/source/Semivowel) contrast with unstressed high vowels in verbal conjugation, as in *(eu) rio* ('I laugh') /ˈʁi.u/ and *(ele) riu* ('he laughed') /ˈʁiw/.[164] Phonologists discuss whether their nature is vowel or consonant.[165]

#### Consonants

Consonant phonemes of Portuguese[160][166][167][168] Labial Dental/ Alveolar Palatal(-alveolar) Dorsal plain labialized Nasal m n ɲ Plosive/ Affricate voiceless p t tʃ k kʷ voiced b d dʒ ɡ ɡʷ Fricative voiceless f s ʃ voiced v z ʒ ʁ Sonorant median w ɾ j (w) lateral l ʎ

EP has 19 consonant phonemes,[160] while BP has 21, including the post-alveolar [affricates](/source/Affricate) [tʃ] and [dʒ].[166] In most Brazilian varieties, the stops /t/ and /d/ are realized as the affricates [tʃ] and [dʒ] before the high front vowel [i], as in *[tia](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tia#Portuguese)* ('aunt') and *[dia](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dia#Portuguese)* ('day').[169] Portuguese distinguishes two rhotic phonemes: a flap /ɾ/, occurring intervocalically as in *[caro](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caro#Portuguese)* ('cheap'), and a stronger rhotic /R/, occurring word-initially and in the geminate RR as in *[carro](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carro#Portuguese)* ('car').[170] The consonant hereafter denoted as /ʁ/ has a variety of realizations depending on dialect. In EP, it is typically a [uvular trill](/source/Uvular_trill) [ʀ]; however, a pronunciation as a [voiced uvular fricative](/source/Voiced_uvular_fricative) [ʁ] may be becoming dominant in urban areas. There is also a realization as a [voiceless uvular fricative](/source/Voiceless_uvular_fricative) [χ], and the original pronunciation as an [alveolar trill](/source/Alveolar_trill) [r] also remains very common in various dialects.[171] A common realization of the word-initial /r/ in the Lisbon accent is a [voiced uvular fricative trill](/source/Voiced_uvular_fricative_trill) ʀ̝.[172] In Brazil, /ʁ/ can be [velar](/source/Velar_consonant), [uvular](/source/Uvular_consonant), or [glottal](/source/Glottal_consonant) and may be voiceless unless between voiced sounds.[166] The typical syllable-final rhotic is the /ɾ/ in Portugal and the hard /ʁ/ (or other common allophones) in Brazil, although the pronunciation as /ɾ/ and /ɹ/ ~ /ɻ/ exists in some accents of the country.[158]

Portuguese has a strong tendency toward falling diphthongs, in which a vowel is followed by a semivowel, as in *[feira](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feira#Portuguese)* ('market'), *[noivo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/noivo#Portuguese)* ('fiancé'), *[ruivo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ruivo#Portuguese)* ('auburn').[173] Sequences of two vowels in separate syllables, known as [hiatus](/source/Hiatus_(linguistics)), also occur, as in *[saída](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sa%C3%ADda#Portuguese)* ('exit').[174] The lateral /l/ in syllable-final position is realised as the semivowel [w] in most of Brazil, making *[alto](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alto#Portuguese)* ('high') and *[auto](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/auto#Portuguese)* ('public deed') phonetically identical in those varieties;[175] in EP, the same consonant is realised as a velarized [[ɫ](/source/Velarized_alveolar_lateral_approximant)].[176] Many speakers of BP further shift ɫ to [w] in closed syllables.[158] [Bisol (2005](#CITEREFBisol2005):122) proposes that Portuguese possesses labio-velar stops /kʷ/ and /ɡʷ/ as additional phonemes rather than sequences of a velar stop and /w/.[168]

[Sibilants](/source/Sibilant) in syllable-final position are realised as the palato-alveolar fricatives [ʃ] and [ʒ] in EP[177] and in the Rio de Janeiro variety of BP, while most other Brazilian varieties retain the alveolar [s] and [z].[178] In most of Brazil and Angola, the consonant hereafter denoted as /ɲ/ is realized as a [nasal palatal approximant](/source/Nasal_palatal_approximant) [[j̃](/source/Nasalized_voiced_palatal_approximant)], which [nasalizes](/source/Nasalization) the vowel that precedes it: [ˈnĩj̃u].[179] In northern and central Portugal, the voiced stops (/b/, /d/, and /ɡ/) are usually lenited to [fricatives](/source/Fricative) [[β](/source/Voiced_bilabial_fricative)], [[ð](/source/Voiced_dental_fricative)], and [[ɣ](/source/Voiced_velar_fricative)], respectively, except at the beginning of words or after nasal vowels.[157][159]

### Stress, rhythm and intonation

Prosodically, [syllabic stress](/source/Stress_(linguistics)) in Portuguese falls on one of the last three syllables of a word. [Paroxytones](/source/Paroxytone), with stress on the penultimate syllable, are the most frequent pattern, as in *[barro](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/barro#Portuguese)* ('clay') and *[poderoso](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/poderoso#Portuguese)* ('powerful'), followed by [oxytones](/source/Oxytone), with stress on the final syllable, as in *[café](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caf%C3%A9#Portuguese)* ('coffee') and *[principal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/principal#Portuguese)* ('principal'), and [proparoxytones](/source/Proparoxytone), with stress on the antepenultimate syllable, as in *[sólido](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/s%C3%B3lido#Portuguese)* ('solid') and *[felicíssimo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/felic%C3%ADssimo#Portuguese)* ('very happy').[180] European Portuguese is generally described as [stress-timed](/source/Stress-timed), with unstressed syllables subject to significant reduction. Brazilian Portuguese is more syllable-timed, with unstressed vowels better preserved.[181] In [intonation](/source/Intonation_(linguistics)), declarative sentences are typically characterized by a falling pitch contour,[182] while [yes/no questions](/source/Yes%2Fno_question) are marked by a rise in pitch on the final stressed syllable; in BP, a pattern with pitch rising on both the first and last accented syllables is common.[183] [*Wh*-questions](/source/Wh-question) typically carry a falling contour when seeking information.[184]

## Orthography

These paragraphs are an excerpt from [Portuguese orthography](/source/Portuguese_orthography).[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portuguese_orthography&action=edit)]

[Portuguese orthography](/source/Portuguese_orthography) is based on the [Latin alphabet](/source/Latin_alphabet) and makes use of the [acute accent](/source/Acute_accent), the [circumflex accent](/source/Circumflex_accent), the [grave accent](/source/Grave_accent), the [tilde](/source/Tilde), and the [cedilla](/source/Cedilla) to denote stress, [vowel height](/source/Vowel_height), nasalization, and other sound changes. The [diaeresis](/source/Diaeresis_(diacritic)) was abolished by the last [Orthography Agreement](/source/Portuguese_Language_Orthographic_Agreement_of_1990). Accented letters and digraphs are not counted as separate characters for [collation](/source/Collation) purposes.

The spelling of Portuguese is largely [phonemic](/source/Phonemic_orthography), but some [phonemes](/source/Phoneme) can be spelled in more than one way. In ambiguous cases, the correct spelling is determined through a combination of [etymology](/source/Etymology) with [morphology](/source/Morphology_(linguistics)) and tradition; so there is not a perfect one-to-one correspondence between sounds and letters or digraphs. Knowing the main [inflectional](/source/Inflection) paradigms of Portuguese and being acquainted with the orthography of other Western European languages can be helpful.

#### Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990

This table is an excerpt from [Portuguese-Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990 § Changes](/source/Portuguese-Language_Orthographic_Agreement_of_1990#Changes).[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portuguese-Language_Orthographic_Agreement_of_1990&action=edit)]

Written varieties Area Before 1990 Agreement Translation Euro-African Brazilian Different pronunciation anónimo anônimo Both forms remain anonymous Vénus Vênus Both forms remain Venus facto fato Both forms remain fact ideia idéia ideia idea Silent consonants acção ação ação action direcção direção direção direction eléctrico elétrico elétrico electric óptimo ótimo ótimo optimal Diacritics pinguim pingüim pinguim penguin voo vôo voo flight Non-personal and non-geographical names Janeiro janeiro janeiro January

## Grammar

Main article: [Portuguese grammar](/source/Portuguese_grammar)

A notable aspect of the grammar of Portuguese is the verb. Morphologically, more verbal inflections from classical Latin have been preserved by Portuguese than by any other major [Romance language](/source/Romance_language). Portuguese and Spanish share very similar grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure. Portuguese also has some grammatical innovations not found in other Romance languages (except Galician and Fala):

- The [present perfect](/source/Present_perfect) has an iterative sense unique to the Galician–Portuguese language group. It denotes an action or a series of actions that began in the past but expected to occur again in the future. For instance, the sentence *Tenho tentado falar contigo* would be translated to "I have been trying to talk to you", not "I have tried to talk to you." On the other hand, the correct translation of "Have you heard the latest news?" is not **Tens ouvido as últimas?* but *Ouviste as últimas?* since no repetition is implied.[185]

- Portuguese makes use of the future [subjunctive mood](/source/Subjunctive_mood), which developed from medieval [West Iberian Romance](/source/West_Iberian_languages). In modern Spanish and Galician, it has almost entirely fallen into disuse. The future subjunctive appears in dependent clauses that denote a condition that must be fulfilled in the future so that the independent clause will occur. English normally employs the present tense under the same circumstances:

- *Se eu*for*eleito presidente, mudarei a lei.*

- If *I am* elected president, I will change the law.

- *Quando*fores*mais velho, vais entender.*

- When *you grow* older, you will understand.

- The personal [infinitive](/source/Infinitive) can [inflect](/source/Inflection) according to its subject in [person](/source/Grammatical_person) and [number](/source/Grammatical_number). It often shows who is expected to perform a certain action. *É melhor voltares* "It is better [for you] to go back", *É melhor voltarmos* "It is better [for us] to go back." Perhaps for that reason, infinitive clauses replace subjunctive clauses more often in Portuguese than in other Romance languages.

## Vocabulary

Main article: [Portuguese vocabulary](/source/Portuguese_vocabulary)

The Portuguese lexicon consists of around 228,500 entries, 382,000 definitions, 415,500 synonyms, 26,400 antonyms and 57,000 [archaic words](/source/Archaism), according to an estimate based on the 2001 edition of the *[Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language](/source/Houaiss_Dictionary_of_the_Portuguese_Language)*.[186][187] Most of the lexicon of Portuguese is derived, directly or through other Romance languages, from Latin.[188]

A number of Portuguese words can still be traced to the [pre-Roman inhabitants of Portugal](/source/Pre-Roman_peoples_of_the_Iberian_Peninsula), which included the [Gallaeci](/source/Gallaeci), [Lusitanians](/source/Lusitanians), [Celtici](/source/Celtici) and [Cynetes](/source/Cynetes). Most of these words derived from the Hispano-Celtic [Gallaecian language](/source/Gallaecian_language) of northwestern Iberia, and are very often shared with [Galician](/source/Galician_language) since both languages have the same origin in the medieval language of Galician–Portuguese. A few of these words existed in Latin as loanwords from other [Celtic](/source/Celtic_languages) sources, often [Gaulish](/source/Gaulish). Altogether these are over 3,000 words, verbs, toponymic names of towns, rivers, surnames, tools, lexicon linked to rural life and natural world.[189]

In the 5th century, the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman [Hispania](/source/Hispania)) was conquered by the [Germanic](/source/Germanic_peoples), [Suebi](/source/Suebi) and [Visigoths](/source/Visigoths). As they adopted the [Roman](/source/Ancient_Rome) civilization and language, however, these people contributed with some 500 [Germanic](/source/Germanic_languages) words to the lexicon. Many of these words are related to:

- **warfare**, such as *espora* 'spur', *estaca* ('stake'), and *guerra* ('war'), from [Gothic](/source/Gothic_language) **spaúra*, **stakka*, and **wirro* respectively;

- **natural world**, such as *suino* ('swine') from **sweina*, *gavião* ('hawk') from **gabilans*, *vaga* ('spot') from **vigan*;

- **human emotions**, such as *orgulho* or *orgulhoso* ('pride', 'proud') from Old Germanic **urguol*, and

- **verbs** like *gravar* ('to craft, record, graft') from **graba* or *esmagar* ('to squeeze, quash, grind') from Suebian **magōn* or *esfarrapar* ('to shred') from **harpō*.

The [Germanic languages](/source/Germanic_languages) influence also exists in [toponymic surnames](/source/Toponymic_surname) and [patronymic surnames](/source/Patronymic_surname) borne by Visigoth sovereigns and their descendants, and it dwells on placenames such as [Ermesinde](/source/Ermesinde), [Esposende](/source/Esposende) and [Resende](/source/Resende%2C_Portugal) where *sinde* and *sende* are derived from the Germanic *sinths* ('military expedition') and in the case of Resende, the prefix *re* comes from Germanic *reths* ('council'). Other examples of Portuguese names, surnames and town names of Germanic [toponymic](/source/Toponymic) origin include Henrique, [Henriques](/source/Henriques_(surname)), Vermoim, Mandim, Calquim, Baguim, Gemunde, Guetim, Sermonde and many more, are quite common mainly in the old [Suebi](/source/Suebi) and later [Visigothic](/source/Visigothic) dominated regions, covering today's Northern half of Portugal and [Galicia](/source/Galicia_(Spain)).

Between the 9th and early 13th centuries, Portuguese acquired some 400 to 600 words from [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language) by influence of [Moorish Iberia](/source/Al-Andalus). They are often recognizable by the initial [Arabic article *a(l)-*](/source/Definite_article_in_Arabic), and include common words such as *aldeia* ('village') from الضيعة *aḍ-ḍayʿa*, *alface* ('lettuce') from الخسة *al-khassa*, *armazém* ('warehouse') from المخزن *al-makhzan*, and *azeite* ('olive oil') from الزيت *az-zayt*.

A sign at [Goa Central Library](/source/Goa_State_Central_Library), in [Panaji](/source/Panaji), India, listing three Portuguese-language newspapers

Starting in the 15th century, the Portuguese maritime explorations led to the introduction of many loanwords from Asian languages. For instance, *catana* ('[cutlass](/source/Cutlass)') from [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language) *[katana](/source/Katana)*, *chá* ('tea') from [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language) *[chá](/source/Tea#Etymology)*, and *[canja](/source/Canja_de_galinha)*[190] ('chicken-soup, piece of cake') from [Malayalam](/source/Malayalam).

.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries, because of the role of Portugal as intermediary in the [Atlantic slave trade](/source/Atlantic_slave_trade), and the establishment of large Portuguese colonies in Angola, Mozambique, and Brazil, Portuguese acquired several words of African and [Amerind](/source/Indigenous_peoples_of_Brazil) origin, especially names for most of the animals and plants found in those territories. While those terms are mostly used in the former colonies, many became current in European Portuguese as well. From [Kimbundu](/source/Kimbundu_language), for example, came *kifumate* > *cafuné* ('head caress') (Brazil), *kusula* > *caçula* ('youngest child') (Brazil), *marimbondo* ('tropical wasp') (Brazil), and *kubungula* > *bungular* ('to dance like a wizard') (Angola). From South America came *batata* ('[potato](/source/Potato)'), from [Taino](/source/Ta%C3%ADno_language); *ananás* and *abacaxi*, from [Tupi–Guarani](/source/Tupi%E2%80%93Guarani_languages) *naná* and [Tupi](/source/Tupi_language) *ibá cati*, respectively (two species of [pineapple](/source/Pineapple)), and *pipoca* ('[popcorn](/source/Popcorn)') from Tupi and *tucano* ('[toucan](/source/Toucan)') from [Guarani](/source/Guarani_language) *tucan*.

Finally, it has received a steady influx of loanwords from other European languages, especially French and [English](/source/English_language). These are by far the most important languages when referring to loanwords. There are many examples such as: *colchete*/*crochê* ('bracket'/'crochet'), *paletó* ('jacket'), *batom* ('lipstick'), and *filé*/*filete* ('steak'/'slice'), *rua* ('street'), respectively, from French *crochet*, *paletot*, *bâton*, *filet*, *rue*; and *bife* ('steak'), *futebol*, *revólver*, *stock*/*estoque*, *folclore*, from English "beef", "football", "revolver", "stock", "folklore".

Examples from other European languages: *macarrão* ('pasta'), *piloto* ('pilot'), *carroça* ('carriage'), and *barraca* ('barrack'), from Italian *maccherone*, *pilota*, *carrozza*, and *baracca*; *melena* ('hair lock'), *fiambre* ('wet-cured ham') (in Portugal, in contrast with *presunto* 'dry-cured ham' from Latin *prae-exsuctus* 'dehydrated') or ('canned ham') (in Brazil, in contrast with non-canned, wet-cured (*presunto cozido*) and dry-cured (*presunto cru*)), or *castelhano* ('Castilian'), from Spanish *melena* ('mane'), *fiambre* and *castellano.*

## Dialects, accents and varieties

Modern Standard [European Portuguese](/source/European_Portuguese) (*português padrão*[191] or *português continental*) is based on the Portuguese spoken in the area including and surrounding the cities of [Coimbra](/source/Coimbra) and [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon), in central Portugal. Standard European Portuguese is also the preferred standard by the Portuguese-speaking African countries. As such, and despite the fact that its speakers are dispersed around the world, Portuguese has only two dialects used for learning: the European and the Brazilian. Some aspects and sounds found in many dialects of Brazil are exclusive to South America, and cannot be found in Europe. The same occur with the Santomean, Mozambican, Bissau-Guinean, Angolan and Cape Verdean dialects, being exclusive to Africa. See [Portuguese in Africa](/source/Portuguese_in_Africa).

Audio samples of some dialects and accents of Portuguese are available below. There are some differences between the areas but these are the best approximations possible. IPA transcriptions refer to the names in local pronunciation.

### Portugal

Portugal's Portuguese dialects

Map of Angola 2024 – percentage of native speakers in each municipality.

Portuguese as a Native Language in Mozambique – Proportion of Speakers

The main [post office](/source/Post_office) building of [Macau](/source/Macau)

Percentage of worldwide Portuguese speakers per country (c. 2023)[192]

1. Brazil (80.1%)

1. Angola (9.00%)

1. Mozambique (5.90%)

1. Portugal (4.10%)

1. Others (0.90%)

1. [*Micaelense (Açores)*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som69.html) (São Miguel) – [Azores](/source/Azores).

1. [*Alentejano*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som40.html) – [Alentejo](/source/Alentejo) ([Alentejan Portuguese](/source/Alentejan_Portuguese)), with the [Oliventine](/source/Oliventine_Portuguese) subdialect.

1. [*Algarvio*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som44.html) – [Algarve](/source/Algarve) (there is a particular dialect in a small part of western Algarve).

1. [*Minhoto*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som1.html) – Districts of [Braga](/source/Braga) and Viana do Castelo (hinterland).

1. [*Beirão*; *Alto-Alentejano*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som49.html) – Central Portugal (hinterland).

1. [*Beirão*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som9.html) – Central Portugal.

1. [*Estremenho*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som22.html) – Regions of [Coimbra](/source/Coimbra) and [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon) (this is a disputed denomination, as Coimbra and is not part of "Estremadura", and the Lisbon dialect has some peculiar features that are not only not shared with that of Coimbra, but also significantly distinct and recognizable to most native speakers from elsewhere in Portugal).

1. [*Madeirense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som60.html) (Madeiran) – [Madeira](/source/Madeira).

1. [*Portuense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som14.html) – Regions of the district of [Porto](/source/Porto) and parts of [Aveiro](/source/Aveiro%2C_Portugal).

1. [*Transmontano*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som6.html) – [Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro](/source/Tr%C3%A1s-os-Montes_e_Alto_Douro).

The status of second person pronouns in Brazil:

  Near exclusive use of *você* (greater than 96%)

  Decidedly predominant use of *tu* (greater than 80%), but with near exclusive third person (*você*-like) verbal conjugation.

  50-50 *você*/*tu* variation, with *tu* being nearly always accompanied by third person (*você*-like) verbal conjugation.

  Decidedly predominant to near exclusive use of *tu* (76% to 95%) with reasonable frequency of second person (*tu*-like) verbal conjugation.

  Balanced você/tu distribution, being *tu* exclusively accompanied by third person (*você*-like) verbal conjugation.

  Balanced *você*/*tu* distribution, *tu* being predominantly accompanied by third person (*você*-like) verbal conjugation.

  No data

[Statue](/source/Statue) of the Portuguese poet [Luís de Camões](/source/Lu%C3%ADs_de_Cam%C3%B5es) at the entrance of the [Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading](/source/Royal_Portuguese_Cabinet_of_Reading) in [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro)

[Museum of the Portuguese Language](/source/Museum_of_the_Portuguese_Language) in [São Paulo](/source/S%C3%A3o_Paulo)

Audio samples of some dialects and accents of Portuguese are available below.[193] There are some differences between the areas but these are the best approximations possible. IPA transcriptions refer to the names in local pronunciation.

### Brazil

Brazil's Portuguese dialects

1. *[Caipira](/source/Caipira_dialect)* – Spoken in the states of [São Paulo](/source/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(state)) (most markedly on the countryside and rural areas); southern [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais), northern [Paraná](/source/Paran%C3%A1_(state)) and southeastern [Mato Grosso do Sul](/source/Mato_Grosso_do_Sul). Depending on the vision of what constitutes *caipira*, [Triângulo Mineiro](/source/Tri%C3%A2ngulo_Mineiro), border areas of [Goiás](/source/Goi%C3%A1s) and the remaining parts of Mato Grosso do Sul are included, and the frontier of *caipira* in Minas Gerais is expanded further northerly, though not reaching metropolitan [Belo Horizonte](/source/Belo_Horizonte). It is often said that *caipira* appeared by [decreolization](/source/Decreolization) of the [língua brasílica](/source/Old_Tupi) and the related [língua geral paulista](/source/L%C3%ADngua_geral_paulista), then spoken in almost all of what is now São Paulo, a former [lingua franca](/source/Lingua_franca) in most of the contemporary [Centro-Sul](/source/Centro-Sul) of Brazil before the 18th century, brought by the *[bandeirantes](/source/Bandeirante)*, interior pioneers of [Colonial Brazil](/source/Colonial_Brazil), closely related to its northern counterpart [Nheengatu](/source/Nheengatu_language), and that is why the dialect shows many general differences from other variants of the language.[194] It has striking remarkable differences in comparison to other Brazilian dialects in phonology, prosody and grammar, often [stigmatized](/source/Social_stigma) as being strongly associated with a [substandard variant](/source/Prestige_(sociolinguistics)), now mostly rural.[195][196][197][198][199]

1. [*Cearense* or *Costa norte*](/source/North_coast_Portuguese) – is a dialect spoken more sharply in the states of Ceará and Piauí. The variant of Ceará includes fairly distinctive traits it shares with the one spoken in Piauí, though, such as distinctive regional phonology and vocabulary (for example, a debuccalization process stronger than that of Portuguese, a different system of the vowel harmony that spans Brazil from *fluminense* and *mineiro* to *amazofonia* but is especially prevalent in *nordestino*, a very coherent coda sibilant palatalization as those of Portugal and Rio de Janeiro but allowed in fewer environments than in other accents of *nordestino*, a greater presence of dental stop palatalization to palato-alveolar in comparison to other accents of *nordestino*, among others, as well as a great number of archaic Portuguese words).[200][201][202][203][204][205]

1. *Baiano* – Found in [Bahia](/source/Bahia) and border regions with [Goiás](/source/Goi%C3%A1s) and [Tocantins](/source/Tocantins). Similar to *nordestino*, it has a very characteristic [syllable-timed rhythm](/source/Stress_timing) and the greatest tendency to pronounce unstressed vowels as open-mid [[ɛ](/source/Open-mid_front_unrounded_vowel)] and [[ɔ](/source/Open-mid_back_rounded_vowel)].

1. [*Fluminense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som90.html) – A broad dialect with many variants spoken in the states of [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro_(state)), [Espírito Santo](/source/Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo) and neighboring eastern regions of [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais). *Fluminense* formed in these previously *caipira*-speaking areas due to the gradual influence of European migrants, causing many people to distance their speech from their original dialect and incorporate new terms.[206] *Fluminense* is sometimes referred to as *carioca*, however *carioca* is a more specific term referring to the accent of the [Greater Rio de Janeiro](/source/Greater_Rio_de_Janeiro) area by speakers with a *fluminense* dialect.

1. *[Gaúcho](/source/Ga%C3%BAcho_dialect)* – in [Rio Grande do Sul](/source/Rio_Grande_do_Sul), similar to *sulista*. There are many distinct accents in Rio Grande do Sul, mainly due to the heavy influx of European immigrants of diverse origins who have settled in colonies throughout the state, and to the proximity to [Spanish-speaking nations](/source/Hispanosphere). The word *gaúcho* itself is a Spanish [loanword](/source/Loanword) into Portuguese, of obscure [Indigenous Amerindian](/source/Indigenous_languages_of_the_Americas) origins.

1. *[Mineiro](/source/Mineiro)* – [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais) (but not prevalent in the [Triângulo Mineiro](/source/Tri%C3%A2ngulo_Mineiro)). As with the *fluminense* area, its associated region was formerly a sparsely populated land where *caipira* was spoken, but [the discovery of gold and gems made it the most prosperous Brazilian region](/source/Minas_Gerais#History), attracting Portuguese colonists, commoners from other parts of Brazil, and their African slaves. The south-southwestern, [southeastern](/source/Zona_da_Mata_(Minas_Gerais)), and northern areas of the state each have fairly distinctive speech, actually approximating to *caipira*, *fluminense* (popularly and often pejoratively called *carioca do brejo*, "marsh carioca"), and *baiano* respectively. [Belo Horizonte](/source/Belo_Horizonte) and the area surrounding it have a distinctive accent.

1. [*Nordestino*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som91.html)[207] – more marked in the [Sertão](/source/Sert%C3%A3o) (7), where, in the 19th and 20th centuries and especially in the area including and surrounding the *sertão* (the dry land after [Agreste](/source/Agreste)) of Pernambuco and southern Ceará, it could sound less comprehensible to speakers of other Portuguese dialects than Galician or [Rioplatense Spanish](/source/Rioplatense_Spanish), and nowadays less distinctive from other variants in the metropolitan cities [along the coasts](/source/Zona_da_Mata). It can be divided in two regional variants, one that includes the northern [Maranhão](/source/Maranh%C3%A3o) and southern of [Piauí](/source/Piau%C3%AD), and other that goes from [Ceará](/source/Cear%C3%A1) to [Alagoas](/source/Alagoas).

1. *Nortista* or *[amazofonia](/source/Amazofonia)* – Most of [Amazon Basin](/source/Amazon_Basin) states, i.e. [Northern Brazil](/source/North_Region%2C_Brazil). Before the 20th century, most people from the *nordestino* area fleeing the droughts and their associated poverty settled here, so it has some similarities with the Portuguese dialect there spoken. The speech in and around the cities of [Belém](/source/Bel%C3%A9m) and [Manaus](/source/Manaus) has a more European flavor in phonology, prosody and grammar.

1. *[Paulistano](/source/Paulistano_dialect)* – Variants spoken around [Greater São Paulo](/source/Greater_S%C3%A3o_Paulo) in its maximum definition and more easterly areas of São Paulo state, as well as perhaps "educated speech" from anywhere in [the state of São Paulo](/source/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(state)) (where it coexists with *caipira*). *Caipira* is the hinterland sociolect of much of the [Central-Southern half](/source/Centro-Sul) of Brazil, nowadays conservative only in the rural areas and associated with them, that has a historically [low prestige](/source/Prestige_(sociolinguistics)) in cities as Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, and until some years ago, in São Paulo itself. [Sociolinguistics](/source/Sociolinguistics), or what by times is described as "[linguistic prejudice](/source/Linguistic_discrimination)", often correlated with [classism](/source/Class_discrimination),[208][209][210] is a polemic topic in the entirety of the country since the times of [Adoniran Barbosa](/source/Adoniran_Barbosa#Musical_production). Also, the "Paulistano" accent was heavily influenced by the presence of immigrants in the city of São Paulo, especially the Italians.

1. *Sertanejo* – [Center-Western states](/source/Center-West_Region%2C_Brazil), and also much of [Tocantins](/source/Tocantins) and [Rondônia](/source/Rond%C3%B4nia). It is closer to *mineiro*, *caipira*, *nordestino* or *nortista* depending on the location.

1. *Sulista* – The variants spoken in the areas between the northern regions of [Rio Grande do Sul](/source/Rio_Grande_do_Sul) and southern regions of São Paulo state, encompassing most of [southern Brazil](/source/South_Region%2C_Brazil). The city of [Curitiba](/source/Curitiba) does have a fairly distinct accent as well, and a relative majority of speakers around and in [Florianópolis](/source/Florian%C3%B3polis) also speak this variant (many speak *florianopolitano* or *manezinho da ilha* instead, related to the European Portuguese dialects spoken in [Azores](/source/Azores) and [Madeira](/source/Madeira)). Speech of northern Paraná is closer to that of inland São Paulo.

1. *[Florianopolitano](/source/Florianopolitan_dialect)* – Variants heavily influenced by European Portuguese spoken in [Florianópolis](/source/Florian%C3%B3polis) city (due to a heavy immigration movement from Portugal, mainly its [insular regions](/source/Autonomous_regions_of_Portugal)) and much of its metropolitan area, [Grande Florianópolis](/source/Grande_Florian%C3%B3polis), said to be a continuum between those whose speech most resemble *sulista* dialects and those whose speech most resemble *fluminense* and European ones, called *manezinho da ilha*.

1. *[Carioca](/source/Carioca)* – Not a dialect, but [sociolects](/source/Sociolect) of the *fluminense* variant spoken in an area roughly corresponding to [Greater Rio de Janeiro](/source/Greater_Rio_de_Janeiro). It appeared after locals came in contact with the Portuguese aristocracy amidst the [Portuguese royal family fled](/source/Transfer_of_the_Portuguese_Court_to_Brazil) in the early 19th century. There is actually a continuum between Vernacular countryside accents and the *carioca* sociolect, and the educated speech (in Portuguese *norma culta*, which most closely resembles other Brazilian Portuguese standards but with marked recent Portuguese influences, the nearest ones among the country's dialects along *florianopolitano*), so that not all people native to the state of Rio de Janeiro speak the said sociolect, but most *carioca* speakers will use the standard variant not influenced by it that is rather uniform around Brazil depending on context (emphasis or formality, for example).

1. *Brasiliense* – used in [Brasília](/source/Bras%C3%ADlia) and its metropolitan area.[211] It is not considered a dialect, but more of a regional variant – often deemed to be closer to *fluminense* than the dialect commonly spoken in most of Goiás, *sertanejo*.

1. *Arco do desflorestamento* or *[serra amazônica](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialeto_da_serra_amaz%C3%B4nica)* – Known in its region as the "accent of the migrants", it has similarities with *caipira*, *sertanejo* and often *sulista* that make it differing from *amazofonia* (in the opposite group of Brazilian dialects, in which it is placed along *nordestino*, *baiano*, *mineiro* and *fluminense*). It is the most recent dialect, which appeared by the settlement of families from various other Brazilian regions attracted by the cheap land offer in recently [deforested](/source/Deforestation) areas.[212]

1. *Recifense* – used in [Recife](/source/Recife) and its metropolitan area.

1. *Amazônico Ocidental* — used in the extreme [Western Amazon](/source/Amaz%C3%B4nia_Legal) region, namely: Southwestern [Amazonas](/source/Amazonas_(Brazilian_state)), including the region of [Boca do Acre](/source/Boca_do_Acre) and throughout the State of [Acre](/source/Acre_(state)), which share important historical-cultural aspects, such as, once belonging to [Peru-Bolivian Confederation](/source/Peru-Bolivian_Confederation), the First [Amazon rubber cycle](/source/Amazon_rubber_cycle) and [Acre Time Zone](/source/Time_in_Brazil), sociologically, is considered a homogenous region. Differing from the traditional Northern dialect, in which the phonetic realization of the "s" always has the sound of *ch*, in the Brazilian Western Amazon region, there will only be the sound of *ch* whose words the "s" are in the middle of the word, as examples; *costa*, *festa* or *destino*, as well as the one observed in [dialect of the north coast](/source/North_coast_Portuguese). Within the [Brazilian countryside](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_do_Brasil), it is one of the few areas where the phonetic realization of "r" resembles those observed in the Carioca dialect (open), other examples where this phenomenon is observed: Brasília dialect and [Belo Horizonte dialect](/source/Mineiro).[213]

*Você*, a pronoun meaning "you", is used for educated, formal, and colloquial respectful speech in most Portuguese-speaking regions. In a few Brazilian states such as [Rio Grande do Sul](/source/Rio_Grande_do_Sul), Pará, among others, *você* is virtually absent from the spoken language. Riograndense and European Portuguese normally distinguishes formal from informal speech by verbal conjugation. Informal speech employs *tu* followed by second person verbs, formal language retains the formal *você*, followed by the third person conjugation.

Conjugation of verbs in *tu* has three different forms in Brazil (verb "to see": *tu viste?*, in the traditional second person; *tu viu?*, in the third person; and *tu visse?*, in the innovative second person), the conjugation used in the Brazilian states of Pará, Santa Catarina and Maranhão being generally traditional second person, the kind that is used in other Portuguese-speaking countries and learned in Brazilian schools.

The predominance of Southeastern-based media products has established *você* as the pronoun of choice for the second person singular in both writing and multimedia communications. However, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the country's main cultural center, the usage of *tu* has been expanding ever since the end of the 20th century,[214] being most frequent among youngsters, and a number of studies have also shown an increase in its use in a number of other Brazilian dialects.[215][216]

### Other countries and dependencies

- [Angola](/source/Angola) – [*Angolano*](http://www.cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som85.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200806102044/http://www.cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som85.html) 6 August 2020 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) ([Angolan Portuguese](/source/Angolan_Portuguese))

- [Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde) – [*Cabo-verdiano*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som87.html) ([Cape Verdean Portuguese](/source/Cape_Verdean_Portuguese))

- [India](/source/India) – *Damaense* (Damanese Portuguese) and *Goês* ([Goan Portuguese](/source/Goan_Portuguese))

- [Guinea-Bissau](/source/Guinea-Bissau) – [*Guineense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som88.html) ([Guinean Portuguese](/source/Guinean_Portuguese))

- [Macau](/source/Macau) – [*Macaense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som92.html) ([Macanese Portuguese](/source/Macanese_Portuguese))

- [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique) – [*Moçambicano*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som89.html) ([Mozambican Portuguese](/source/Mozambican_Portuguese))

- [São Tomé and Príncipe](/source/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe) – [*Santomense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som83.html) ([São Tomean Portuguese](/source/S%C3%A3o_Tomean_Portuguese))

- [Timor-Leste](/source/Timor-Leste) – [*Timorense*](http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/hlp/geografia/som84.html) ([East Timorese Portuguese](/source/East_Timorese_Portuguese))

- [Uruguay](/source/Uruguay) – [*Dialetos Portugueses do Uruguai (DPU)*](/source/Riverense_Portu%C3%B1ol_language)

Differences between dialects are mostly of [accent](/source/Accent_(dialect)) and [vocabulary](/source/Vocabulary), but between the Brazilian dialects and other dialects, especially in their most colloquial forms, there can also be some grammatical differences. The [Portuguese-based creoles](/source/Portuguese_creole) spoken in various parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas are independent languages.

### Characterization and peculiarities

Portuguese, like [Catalan](/source/Catalan_language), preserves the stressed vowels of [Vulgar Latin](/source/Vulgar_Latin) which became diphthongs in most other Romance languages; cf. Port., Cat., Sard. *[pedra](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pedra)*; Fr. **[pierre](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pierre#French)**, Sp. **[piedra](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/piedra#Spanish)**, It. **[pietra](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pietra#Italian)**, Ro. **[piatră](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/piatr%C4%83#Romanian)**, from Lat. **[petra](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/petra#Latin)** ("stone"); or Port. **[fogo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fogo#Portuguese)**, Cat. **[foc](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foc#Catalan)**, Sard. **[fogu](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fogu#Sardinian)**; Sp. **[fuego](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fuego#Spanish)**, It. **[fuoco](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fuoco#Italian)**, Fr. **[feu](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feu#French)**, Ro. **[foc](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foc#Romanian)**, from Lat. **[focus](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/focus#Latin)** ("fire"). Another characteristic of early Portuguese was the loss of [intervocalic](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intervocalic) *l* and *n*, sometimes followed by the merger of the two surrounding vowels, or by the insertion of an [epenthetic vowel](/source/Epenthesis) between them: cf. Lat. **[salire](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/salire#Latin)** ("to exit"), **[tenere](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tenere#Latin)** ("to have"), **[catena](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catena#Latin)** ("jail"), Port. **[sair](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sair#Portuguese)**, **[ter](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ter#Portuguese)**, **[cadeia](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cadeia#Portuguese)**.

When the [elided](/source/Elision) consonant was *n*, it often [nasalized](/source/Nasalization) the preceding vowel: cf. Lat. **[manum](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/manum#Latin)** ("hand"), **[ranam](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ranam#Latin)** ("frog"), **[bonum](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonum#Latin)** ("good"), Old Portuguese **[mão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/m%C3%A3o#Portuguese)**, **[rãa](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%A3a#Portuguese)**, **[bõo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/b%C3%B5o#Portuguese)** (Portuguese: **[mão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/m%C3%A3o#Portuguese)**, **[rã](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%A3#Portuguese)**, **[bom](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bom#Portuguese)**). This process was the source of most of the language's distinctive nasal diphthongs. In particular, the Latin endings *-anem*, **[-anum](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-anum#Latin)** and **[-onem](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-onem#Latin)** became **[-ão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%C3%A3o#Portuguese)** in most cases, cf. Lat. **[canis](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canis#Latin)** ("dog"), **[germanus](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/germanus#Latin)** ("brother"), **[ratio](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ratio#Latin)** ("reason") with Modern Port. **[cão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/c%C3%A3o#Portuguese)**, **[irmão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/irm%C3%A3o#Portuguese)**, **[razão](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/raz%C3%A3o#Portuguese)**, and their plurals *-anes*, *-anos*, *-ones* normally became *-ães*, *-ãos*, *-ões*, cf. *cães*, *irmãos*, *razões*. This also occurs in the minority Swiss [Romansh](/source/Romansh_language) language in many equivalent words such as *maun* ("hand"), *bun* ("good"), or *chaun* ("dog").[217]

The Portuguese language is the only [Romance language](/source/Romance_language) that preserves the clitic case [mesoclisis](/source/Mesoclisis): cf. *dar-te-ei* (I'll give thee), *amar-te-ei* (I'll love you), *contactá-los-ei* (I'll contact them). Like [Galician](/source/Galician_language), it also retains the Latin synthetic [pluperfect](/source/Pluperfect) tense: *eu estivera* (I had been), *eu vivera* (I had lived), *vós vivêreis* (you had lived).[218] [Romanian](/source/Romanian_language) also has this tense, but uses the -s- form.

## Sample text

Article 1 of the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights](/source/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights) in Portuguese:[219]

- *Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.*

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in English:[220]

- *All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.*

Phonetic transcription ([Brazilian Portuguese](/source/Brazilian_Portuguese)):

- [ˈtoduz us ˈseɾiz uˈmɐnuz ˈnasẽȷ̃ ˈlivɾiz i‿iˈgwajz ẽȷ̃ d͡ʒigniˈdad͡ʒi‿i‿ẽȷ̃ d͡ʒiˈɾejtus | doˈtaduz d͡ʒi ʁaˈzɐ̃w i d͡ʒi kõsiˈẽsjɐ | devẽȷ̃ aˈʒiʁ ũs ˈpaɾɐ kõ‿uz ˈotɾuz ẽȷ̃‿sˈpiɾitu d͡ʒi fɾateʁniˈdad͡ʒi ‖]

Phonetic transcription ([European Portuguese](/source/European_Portuguese)):

- [ˈtoðuz uʃ ˈseɾɨz uˈmɐnuʒ ˈnaʃsɐ̃j ˈɫivɾɨz i‿iˈɣwajz ɐ̃j diɣniˈðaðɨ‿i‿ɐ̃j diˈɾɐjtuʃ | duˈtaðuʒ dɨ ʁɐˈzɐ̃w i dɨ kõʃsiˈẽsjɐ | ˈdevɐ̃j ɐˈʒiɾ ũʃ ˈpɐɾɐ kõ‿uz ˈotɾuz ɐ̃j‿ʃˈpiɾɨtu dɨ fɾɐtɨɾniˈðaðɨ ‖]

## See also

- [Portugal portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Portugal)
- [Language portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Language)

- [Portuguese literature](/source/Portuguese_literature)

- [Portuguese Africans](/source/Portuguese_Africans)

- [Angolan literature](/source/Angolan_literature)

- [Brazilian literature](/source/Brazilian_literature)

- [Gallaecian language](/source/Gallaecian_language)

- [Indo-Portuguese](/source/Indo-Portuguese)

- [Galician Reintegrationism](/source/Reintegrationism)

- [International Portuguese Language Institute](/source/International_Portuguese_Language_Institute)

- [List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language](/source/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Portuguese_is_an_official_language)

- [List of international organizations which have Portuguese as an official language](/source/List_of_international_organizations_which_have_Portuguese_as_an_official_language)

- [List of Portuguese-language poets](/source/List_of_Portuguese-language_poets)

- [Lusitanian language](/source/Lusitanian_language)

- [Mozambican Portuguese](/source/Mozambican_Portuguese)

- [Portuguese language in Asia](/source/Portuguese_language_in_Asia)

- [Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990](/source/Portuguese_Language_Orthographic_Agreement_of_1990)

- [Portuguese poetry](/source/Portuguese_poetry)

## References

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade20001–2_155-0)** [Mateus & d'Andrade 2000](#CITEREFMateusd'Andrade2000), pp. 1–2.

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199592_157-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199592_157-1) [Cruz-Ferreira 1995](#CITEREFCruz-Ferreira1995), p. 92.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004229_158-5) [Barbosa & Albano 2004](#CITEREFBarbosaAlbano2004), p. 229.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade200011_159-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade200011_159-1) [Mateus & d'Andrade 2000](#CITEREFMateusd'Andrade2000), p. 11.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199591_160-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199591_160-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199591_160-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199591_160-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECruz-Ferreira199591_160-4) [Cruz-Ferreira 1995](#CITEREFCruz-Ferreira1995), p. 91.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade200020_161-0)** [Mateus & d'Andrade 2000](#CITEREFMateusd'Andrade2000), p. 20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFerreiraHolt2014131–132_162-0)** [Ferreira & Holt 2014](#CITEREFFerreiraHolt2014), pp. 131–132.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004227_163-0)** [Barbosa & Albano 2004](#CITEREFBarbosaAlbano2004), p. 227.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERodrigues201239–40_164-0)** [Rodrigues 2012](#CITEREFRodrigues2012), pp. 39–40.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBisol2005123_165-0)** [Bisol 2005](#CITEREFBisol2005), p. 123.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004228_166-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004228_166-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarbosaAlbano2004228_166-2) [Barbosa & Albano 2004](#CITEREFBarbosaAlbano2004), p. 228.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECarvalho201220_167-0)** [Carvalho 2012](#CITEREFCarvalho2012), p. 20.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBisol2005122_168-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBisol2005122_168-1) [Bisol 2005](#CITEREFBisol2005), p. 122.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBechara202460–61_169-0)** [Bechara 2024](#CITEREFBechara2024), pp. 60–61.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade200015_170-0)** [Mateus & d'Andrade 2000](#CITEREFMateusd'Andrade2000), p. 15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMateusd'Andrade20005–6,_11_171-0)** [Mateus & d'Andrade 2000](#CITEREFMateusd'Andrade2000), pp. 5–6, 11.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGrønnum2005157_172-0)** [Grønnum 2005](#CITEREFGrønnum2005), p. 157.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVenâncio2024177_173-0)** [Venâncio 2024](#CITEREFVenâncio2024), p. 177.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBechara202459_174-0)** [Bechara 2024](#CITEREFBechara2024), p. 59.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEda_CunhaCintra201659_175-0)** [da Cunha & Cintra 2016](#CITEREFda_CunhaCintra2016), p. 59.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTENoll2022120_176-0)** [Noll 2022](#CITEREFNoll2022), p. 120.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBassoGonçalves2014156_177-0)** [Basso & Gonçalves 2014](#CITEREFBassoGonçalves2014), p. 156.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEda_HoraBattisti2022358_178-0)** [da Hora & Battisti 2022](#CITEREFda_HoraBattisti2022), p. 358.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBechara202477_180-0)** [Bechara 2024](#CITEREFBechara2024), p. 77.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEQueiroz2008305_182-0)** [Queiroz 2008](#CITEREFQueiroz2008), p. 305.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-204)** Aragão, Maria do Socorro Silva de (2009). ["Os estudos fonético-fonológicos nos estados da Paraíba e do Ceará"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171011052325/http://www.abralin.org/site/data/uploads/revistas/2009-vol-8-n-1/mariasocorro.pdf) [Phonetic-phonological studies in the states of Paraíba and Ceará] (PDF). *Revista da ABRALIN* (in Portuguese). **8** (1): 163–184. Archived from [the original](http://www.abralin.org/site/data/uploads/revistas/2009-vol-8-n-1/mariasocorro.pdf) (PDF) on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-206)** ["Learn about Portuguese language"](http://sibila.com.br/english/learn-about-portuguese-language-2/2721). *Sibila – Revista de Poesia e Crítica Literária*. Sibila. 25 April 2009. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121222082929/http://sibila.com.br/english/learn-about-portuguese-language-2/2721) from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ReferenceB_207-0)** Note: the speaker of this sound file is from Rio de Janeiro, and he is talking about his experience with *nordestino* and *nortista* accents.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-208)** ["O MEC, o "português errado" e a linguistica..."](https://web.archive.org/web/20120419090139/http://www.imprenca.com/2011/05/mec-portugues-errado-e-linguistica.html) [MEC, "wrong Portuguese" and linguistics…]. *Imprenca.com* (in Portuguese). 17 May 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.imprenca.com/2011/05/mec-portugues-errado-e-linguistica.html) on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-209)** ["Cartilha do MEC ensina erro de Português"](http://www.saindodamatrix.com.br/archives/2011/05/cartilha_do_mec.html) [MEC primer teaches Portuguese error]. *Saindo da Matrix* (in Portuguese). 18 May 2011. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120612030228/http://www.saindodamatrix.com.br/archives/2011/05/cartilha_do_mec.html) from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-210)** ["Livro do MEC ensina o português errado ou apenas valoriza as formas linguísticas?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171111080402/http://www.jornaldebeltrao.com.br/noticia/63414/livro-do-mec-ensina-o-portugues-errado-ou-apenas-valoriza-as-formas-linguisticas). *Jornal de Beltrão* (in Portuguese). 26 May 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.jornaldebeltrao.com.br/noticia/63414/livro-do-mec-ensina-o-portugues-errado-ou-apenas-valoriza-as-formas-linguisticas) on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-211)** ["Sotaque branco"](http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517200320/http://www.meiamaratonadebrasilia.com.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=71) [White accent] (in Portuguese). Meia Maratona Internacional CAIXA de Brasília. Archived from [the original](http://www.meiamaratonadebrasilia.com.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=71) on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-212)** ["O Que É? Amazônia"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121222084453/https://amarnatureza.org.br/site/amazonia-2%2C9399/) [What is? Amazon]. *Amarnatureza.org.br* (in Portuguese). Associação de Defesa do Meio Ambiente Araucária (AMAR). 1 September 2009. Archived from [the original](http://amarnatureza.org.br/site/amazonia-2,9399/) on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-213)** [pdf](https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8136/tde-07052002-130429/publico/tese04b.) – Seringueiros da Amazônia, University of São Paulo (USP), Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences, Department of Geography

1. **[^](#cite_ref-214)** Viviane Maia dos Santos. ["A Constituição de Corpora Orais Para a Análise das Formas de Tratamento"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034721/http://www.celsul.org.br/Encontros/09/artigos/Viviane%20dos%20Santos.pdf) (PDF). Anais do IX Encontro do CELSUL Palhoça, SC, out. 2010 Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina. Archived from [the original](http://www.celsul.org.br/Encontros/09/artigos/Viviane%20dos%20Santos.pdf) (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2017.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-216)** Loregian-Penkal, Loremi (2005). ["Alternância tu/você em Santa Catarina: uma abordagem variacionista"](http://www.gel.org.br/estudoslinguisticos/edicoesanteriores/4publica-estudos-2005/4publica-estudos-2005-pdfs/alternancia-tu-voce-411.pdf) (PDF). *Estudos Lingüísticos* (in Portuguese). **XXXIV**: 362–367. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171011052320/http://www.gel.org.br/estudoslinguisticos/edicoesanteriores/4publica-estudos-2005/4publica-estudos-2005-pdfs/alternancia-tu-voce-411.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017 – via Tu/você alternation in Santa Catarina: a variationist approach.

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- Queiroz, Horácio dos Santos (12 September 2008). "As funções gramatical e expressiva da entonação". *As Letras E O Seu Ensino: Anais Da Ix Semana De Letras* (in Brazilian Portuguese). Ala. pp. 304–307. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-85-89269-28-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-85-89269-28-5).

- Rodrigues, Marisandra Costa (2012). [*Encontros Vocálicos Finais em Português: Descrição e Análise Otimalista*](https://web.archive.org/web/20171011052326/http://www.letras.ufrj.br/posverna/doutorado/GomesMCR.pdf) (PDF) (Thesis). Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Archived from [the original](http://www.letras.ufrj.br/posverna/doutorado/GomesMCR.pdf) (PDF) on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2015.

- de Sousa, Cleusa Teixeira (3 March 2022). ["A relevância da escrita e a oficialização do uso da língua portuguesa na documentação régia de Portugal no tempo de D. Dinis (1279-1325)"](https://doi.org/10.4025%2Factascieduc.v44i1.54713). *Acta Scientiarum. Education*. **44**. Universidade Estadual de Maringá. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4025/actascieduc.v44i1.54713](https://doi.org/10.4025%2Factascieduc.v44i1.54713). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2178-5201](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2178-5201).

- Teyssier, Paul (2001). *História da língua portuguesa* (in Brazilian Portuguese). Lisboa: Livraria Sa Da Costa. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-972-562-129-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-972-562-129-5).

- Thomas, Earl W. (1974). [*A Grammar of Spoken Brazilian Portuguese*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Gm8yS1ZKJ5gC). Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8265-1197-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8265-1197-3). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240427105116/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Gm8yS1ZKJ5gC&redir_esc=y) from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

- Timbane, Alexandre António (8 November 2012). ["A criatividade lexical da língua portuguesa: uma análise com brasileirismos e moçambicanismos"](https://periodicos.ufmg.br/index.php/caligrama/article/view/30064). *Caligrama: Revista de Estudos Românicos*. **18** (2): 7–30. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.17851/2238-3824.18.2.7-30](https://doi.org/10.17851%2F2238-3824.18.2.7-30). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2238-3824](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2238-3824). Retrieved 28 April 2026.

- Venâncio, Fernando (15 April 2024). *Assim nasceu uma língua* (in Brazilian Portuguese). São Paulo, SP: Tinta-da-China Brasil. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-65-84835-22-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-65-84835-22-1).

## External links

- [*Automatic Transcription of Phonemic and Phonetic Portuguese*](http://crandall.altervista.org/p/phonetic-portuguese-portugues-fonetico.html)

**Portuguese language** at Wikipedia's [sister projects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikimedia_sister_projects):

- [**Definitions**](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Portuguese_language) from Wiktionary
- [**Media**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Portuguese_language) from Commons
- [**Quotations**](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Portuguese_language) from Wikiquote
- [**Textbooks**](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Portuguese) from Wikibooks
- [**Resources**](https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Category:Portuguese) from Wikiversity
- [**Phrasebook**](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Portuguese_phrasebook) from Wikivoyage
- [**Portuguese edition**](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/) of Wikipedia
- [**Data**](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5146) from Wikidata

Links to related articles v t e Languages of Portugal Official language Portuguese Regional languages Barranquenho Minderico Mirandese Sign languages Portuguese Sign Language Non-official Caló v t e Languages of Brazil Official language Portuguese Brazilian Sign Language Regional languages German Pomeranian Hunsrik Venetian Talian Indigenous languages Arawakan Asháninka Aroaqui Atorada Bahuana Baniwa of Içana Baniwa of Guainía Baré Canamaré Cararí Enawenê-Nawê Kariaí Kawishana Kustenaú Manáo Mandahuaca Mapidian/Mawayana Marawá Marawan Mehinaku Mepuri Palikúr Parauana Paresi Pasé Tariana Terêna Wainumá-Mariaté Wapishana Waraikú Waurá Wiriná Yabaâna–Mainatari Yumana Arawan Arawá Deni Jamamadí Kulina Paumarí Zuruahá Cariban Apalaí Apiaká of Tocantins Arakajú Bakairi Bonari Carib Hixkaryana Ikpeng Juma Kuikúro Macushi Matipuhy Palmela Pará Arára Paravilhana Pauxiána Pimenteira Purukotó Sapará Sikiana Yarumá Ye'kuana Waiwai Wayumará Pano–Tacanan Amawaka Dëmushbo Karipuna Kashinawa Kashinawa-Tarauacá Kasharari Korubo Kulina Kulina-Olivença Marubo Matis Matsés Mayoruna-Amazon Mayoruna-Jandiatuba Mayoruna-Tabatinga Nawa Nukini Poyanawa Remo-Jaquirana Shanenawa Sharanawa Shipibo Tuxinawa Yaminawa Yawanawa Macro-Jê Acroá-Mirim Akwẽ-Xerénte Apinajé Arikapú Chiquitano Djeoromitxí Guayana Gueren Ingain Jaikó Kaingang Kaingang of São Paulo Kamakã Kapoxó Karajá Kĩsêdjê Koropó Kotoxó Krenak Nakrehé Laklãnõ (Xokléng) Makoní Malalí Masakará Maxakalí Ritual Maxakalí Mẽbêngôkre Menién Ofayé Panará–Southern Kayapó Pataxó Pataxó-Hãhãhãe Rikbaktsa Tapayúna Timbira Canela Krahô Krẽje Krĩkatí Parkatêjê Pykobjê Xakriabá Xavante Nadahup Dâw Hup Nadëb Tupian Akuntsu Akwáwa Parakanã Suruí do Pará Amanayé Anambé Asuriní Apiaká Araweté Aurê–Aurá Avá-Canoeiro Awetí Arikem Aruá Cinta Larga Cocama Gavião of Jiparaná Guajá Guarani Ava Mbyá Juruna Kaʼapor Kabanaé Kabixiana Kagwahiva Amondawa Capivarí Diahói Juma Karipuna Morerebi Paranawát Parintintin Piripkura Tenharim Tukumãféd 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Somaliland Dependencies and other territories Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) Mayotte / Réunion (France) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) Western Sahara v t e Languages of Macau Official Portuguese Macanese Portuguese Cantonese Other Macanese Patois English Mandarin Chinese v t e Languages of Timor-Leste Official languages Portuguese Tetun National languages Atauru Baikeno Bekais Bunak Fataluku Galoli Habun Idalaka Kawaimina Kemak Makalero Makasae Makuva Mambai Tokodede Hakka Working languages English Indonesian v t e Romance languages (classification) Major branches Eastern Italo-Western Italo-Dalmatian Western Southern Eastern Aromanian Istro-Romanian Megleno-Romanian Daco-Romanian dialects Banat Bukovinian Crișana Maramureș Moldavian Oltenian Transylvanian Wallachian Italo- Dalmatian Central Central Italian Central Marchigiano Ancona Fabriano Macerata Central−Northern Latian Romanesco Sabino Corsican Gallurese Italian 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Creoles Portugis Papiamento Judeo-Portuguese Castilian Judeo-Spanish Haketia Tetuani Spanish dialects Equatoguinean Latin American Argentinian Bolivian Chilean Chilote Colombian Ecuadorian Mexican Paraguayan Peruvian Peruvian Ribereño Rioplatense Uruguayan Venezuelan Peninsular Andalusian Llanito Castilian Castrapo Castúo Murcian Philippine Saharan Creoles Old Spanish Pyrenean–Mozarabic Mozarabian Navarro-Aragonese Aragonese Central Eastern Ribagorçan Benasquese Judeo-Aragonese Southern Somontanés Navalese Western Aisinian Ansó Aragüés Hecho Community of Villages Aragonese Ebro Valley Aragonese Navarrese Old Riojan Valencian Aragonese Others Barranquenho (mixed Portuguese–Spanish) Caló (mixed Romani–Ibero- and Occitano-Romance) Occitano- Romance Catalan dialects Eastern Algherese Balearic Menorcan Central Northern Judeo-Catalan Patuet Western Ribagorçan Valencian Occitan Auvergnat Gascon Aranese Béarnese Aas whistled Landese Judeo-Gascon Judeo-Provençal Languedocian Limousin Provençal Niçard Vivaro-Alpine Gardiol Mentonasc Old Occitan Old Catalan Rhaeto- Romance Friulian Fornes Ladin Cadorino Nones Romansh Jauer Putèr Surmiran Sursilvan Tuatschin Sutsilvan Vallader Others Franco-Italian Mediterranean Lingua Franca (Western Romance-based pidgin) Venetian (unknown further classification) Chipilo Fiuman Judeo-Venetian Paduan Talian Triestine Southern African Romance Sardinian Campidanese Logudorese Others British Latin Pannonian Latin Dialects of Latin Reconstructed Proto-Romance Proto-Eastern Romance Italics indicate extinct languages Bold indicates languages with more than 5 million speakers Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left. v t e Languages of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Sovereign Military Order of Malta v t e Languages of South America Sovereign states Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands v t e Dialects and varieties of Portuguese by continent Africa and Asia Angolan Cape Verdean Equatoguinean Guinean Goan Macanese Mozambican São Tomean East Timorese Americas (Pan-American) Brazilian Amazonian Bahian [pt] Caipira Carioca [pt] Brasiliense [pt] Florianopolitan/Manês Gaúcho Mineiro North Coast/Cearense Northeastern Paulistano Pernambucan [pt] Serra amazônica [pt] Sertanejo [pt] Southern [pt] United States Uruguayan Europe (European) Peninsular Alentejan Algárvio [pt] Estremenho Lisboeta Coimbrese Nortenho Oliventine Trasmontano [pt] Insular Açoriano [pt] Madeirense [pt] Judaeo-Portuguese See also Geographic distribution of Portuguese Brazilian diaspora Portuguese diaspora Portuguese phonology Portuguese vocabulary Portuñol Barranquenho

Authority control databases International GND National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Israel Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Portuguese language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.