· 7 min read
English vs Portuguese: How They Compare
By Language Lab editorial team
English vs Portuguese compared: shared words, verb endings, where each is spoken, how long each takes to learn, the official tests and which to learn first.
English and Portuguese are both Indo-European languages from different branches: English is Germanic, Portuguese is a Romance language that came from Latin. They share more vocabulary than you might expect, including televisão, estudante and universidade on one side and cobra, flamingo and piranha on the other. The main difference for a learner is the verb: in Portuguese each tense has six different endings. For an English speaker, the US State Department lists Portuguese in Category I, languages close to English, at 24 weeks of classes, the shortest figure it gives. For a learner of English, Cambridge English's guideline is roughly 500–600 guided learning hours to reach B2 from zero. Portuguese is the language of Portugal, Brazil and six other countries; English is the language of international tests and study.
Side by side
| English | Portuguese | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Indo-European; West Germanic | Indo-European; Romance, from Latin |
| Verb endings | Not covered in the sources used here | Six different endings in each tense |
| Shared words | cobra, flamingo and piranha came from Portuguese | Recent loan words from English; many words recognisable to English speakers |
| Varieties | Not covered in the sources used here | European and Brazilian |
| Main tests | IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English Qualifications, PTE Academic | CAPLE exams in Portugal; Celpe-Bras in Brazil |
| Time for speakers of the other | About 200 guided learning hours per level, by Cambridge English's general guideline | 24 weeks of classes for an English speaker, by State Department figures |
What they share
- Recognisable words. The BBC's guide to Portuguese lists televisão, estudante, universidade, mapa, problema and bicicleta as words an English speaker will find familiar.
- Words that travelled. During the times of Portuguese exploration, cobra, flamingo and piranha entered English. More recent arrivals include bossa nova and caipirinha from Brazil.
- Loan words. Portuguese has taken words from Arabic, from French and, more recently, from English.
- A whole headline. The guide's example, Brasil vai negociar subsídios à agricultura com União Europeia, is readable with no Portuguese at all: Brazil will negotiate agricultural subsidies with the European Union.
Where they differ
Verbs
In Portuguese each tense has six different endings, a feature the BBC's guide says it shares with Spanish, Italian and French. This is the main piece of grammar an English speaker has to drill.
Sounds
The BBC's guide says some Portuguese sounds can be harder to pronounce, and adds a comforting note: generally, pronunciation mistakes will not change what you meant. English makes a different demand: its spelling has plenty of irregularities, so new words are best learned from audio.
Two varieties
Portuguese learners choose between European and Brazilian Portuguese. Pick one variety at the start and stay with material in it.
The same phrases in both
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Thank you | Obrigado / Obrigada |
| You're welcome | De nada |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| See you later! | Até logo! |
Thank you has two forms in the BBC's list, obrigado and obrigada. English has one.
How long each takes
- Portuguese, for an English speaker: the US State Department lists it in Category I at 24 weeks of classes, at the short end of a range of 552–690 class hours, to reach a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale.
- English, for any learner: Cambridge English estimates approximately 200 guided learning hours to move up one level of the European framework, which puts B1 at roughly 350–400 hours from zero and B2 at 500–600. Cambridge says the figures are a guideline and vary with your language background.
The two figures measure different things, a US government training target and a level-by-level guideline, so do not read them as a direct comparison.
Where each is used
- Portuguese: the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries has nine members: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea. Portuguese also has official status in Macau.
- English: ETS reports that its TOEFL iBT is accepted by over 13,500 institutions in more than 160 countries.
Which should you learn?
- You speak Portuguese and want to study or work internationally: English, planned by level, B1 then B2.
- You speak English and are heading for Brazil, Portugal, Angola or Mozambique: Portuguese. It is one of the shortest courses on the State Department's list.
- You plan to learn more languages later: Portuguese shares words and structures with all the Romance languages, such as Spanish, Italian and French.
- You need a certificate: Portugal's exams are run by CAPLE at the University of Lisbon, from A1 upward; Brazil has Celpe-Bras.
- You speak neither: English first for reach, Portuguese for the countries above.
Language Lab offers both. Its English and Portuguese courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Is Portuguese similar to English?
They are from different branches, Romance and Germanic, but share many recognisable words, such as universidade and problema. The verb systems differ: Portuguese has six endings in each tense.
Is Portuguese hard for English speakers?
The US State Department places it in Category I, languages close to English, at 24 weeks of classes.
Is English hard for Portuguese speakers?
Cambridge English's general guideline is 350–400 guided learning hours to reach B1 from zero, and it says the figure varies with language background.
Which English words come from Portuguese?
The BBC's guide lists cobra, flamingo and piranha, and more recently bossa nova and caipirinha.
Where is Portuguese spoken?
In the nine members of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea. It also has official status in Macau.
Which Portuguese should I learn, European or Brazilian?
The one you will use. Choose a variety at the start and keep to material in it.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Portuguese: 10 facts and Key phrases, Portuguese Quick Fix, A Guide to German and A Guide to Urdu (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Cambridge English, Guided learning hours; CAPLE, University of Lisbon; Inep, Celpe-Bras; ETS, TOEFL iBT. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Pena Palace, Sintra, by Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
