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De nada.Oh that's a good idea Charlotte, I'll give that a try. Thanks!
Nothing annoys me more than foreigners trying to speak to me in spanishMany times in Portugal I have been told "please don't speak Spanish."
My Portuguese colleagues (I go to Lisbon at least three times a year for work) tell me that they used to watch Spanish children's programmes on TV, so they understand a lot of Spanish.
I tend to ask "Inglés o Castellano?" when talking to people I haven't met before in Portugal - though I can say a few phrases and understand 40 - 60 % of what people say when they speak clearly and slowly, I am NOT fluent in Portuguese.
Most people 50 + say Castellano and laugh, young people prefer English and are very good at it.
Honestly, I'd stick with Spanish. It will help you with written Portuguese, and may be useful when talking to people who don't speak English.
Contrary to the opinion of many (non Spanish speakers) Spanish isn't easy.
MI have a terrible time in France, because I am always mixing my Spanish with my very limited schoolgirl French. I don't mean to offend, but it would not surprise me at all anyone was horrified at how I mutilate both beautiful languages.
OK -- Learn Spanish! It is spoken in so many countries around the world. .
you may want to take the easy way out like I did and download google translate...Thank you, that makes sense. Trouble is, I'm having so much difficulty learning Spanish (a beginners class plus audio lessons) I'm not sure I could cope with Portuguese as well.
Spanish helps w/ Portuguese and meanwhile has wider use, unless you plan to spend tons of time in Portugal or Brazil. I'd stick w/ Spanish. Actually, I'd switch to Basque, but that's my personal bias speaking.Hi. I'm struggling to learn Spanish.... I'm thinking of doing the CP next time: should I keep going with Spanish, or would it make more sense to learn Portuguese? Thanks for your anticipated opinions.
Whenever you visit a country where English is not the first, or a popular second language, it is always good manners to learn at least some basic phrases, greetings, essential questions, etc.
I have been studying Spanish for about two months now to prepare for my camino and have used Durolingo (free on the internet, and covers basic words and grammar which is pretty good for vocabulary), and recently found a course entitled Synergy Spanish (also on the internet, but cost money). The synergy course I have found to be excellent .
Don't tell the Portuguese ! They do not apreciate that !I also found that speaking just a few phrases in Portuguese was sufficient. Learn "please", "thank you", "good morning", "it's raining cats and dogs", etc and it will be appreciated. If you are finding Spanish a challenge to learn, I would think adding Portuguese into the process won't be any easier. What you have picked up in Spanish won't be wasted anyway because I'd swear that Portuguese is just Spanish with a thick Russian accent anyway.
In lots of areas they speak Portuguese like Brasil, Angola and Moçambique, East Timor ,Guinea Bissau .Spanish helps w/ Portuguese and meanwhile has wider use, unless you plan to spend tons of time in Portugal or Brazil. I'd stick w/ Spanish. Actually, I'd switch to Basque, but that's my personal bias speaking.
That's why I said "helps you" with Portuguese, not that you could/should speak Castilian in Portugal. And I somehow think Spanish speaking countries outweigh East Timor and Guinea. I'll give you Brazil, but I mentioned that myself. Being a smaller language isn't a reason not to learn it. See that I advocate learning Basque. Meanwhile Portuguese is a beautiful (and useful) language. But given the specifics of the original post, I stand by my comments/adviceIn lots of areas they speak Portuguese like Brasil, Angola and Moçambique, East Timor ,Guinea Bissau .
Portuguese do not like if somebody speaks castillean (spanish) to them and definitively will answer back in Portuguese.
Although a lot of the grammatics are similar there are significant differences between Portuguese and Castillean .
If you have knowledge of Castillean you are let say halfway to learn Portuguese.
If you like the learn Portuguese , find a school were they teach Brazilean Portuguese.It is more doable than the Portuguese of Portugal.The Brazilean pronouncation is clearer .
As far as I know one could say they are equally old. They were one language that turned into two.d) it may, at some point, be useful to know that Gallego, the language spoken in Galicia, and Portuguese are very similar, connected languages and I am not sure which one is actually older.
@notion900 +1000.
I had German in college and can only remember a few words or phrases. Fast forward 20 years and I used Rosetta Stone twice. First for Italian, then for Spanish (Castilian). However, I wrestled with the pure immersion technique and the grammatical structure eluded me. So, I started beginning Spanish 1 at the local state college this semester (Latin America not Castilian). It really helped me understand the basics. The class is an immersion class, but la profesora will interject a little English when needed. I think you have to go with the flow. I know that sometimes I work too hard and try to force it. We have to be willing to make mistakes and laugh about them. It takes time to develop vocabulary and learn the grammar let alone apply them in a sentence when speaking to someone. I feel "slow" .... I am still not at the point where I can think in Spanish. Instead I am trying to translate from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. I do feel like I am learning something and every once in a while it seems natural. I am hopeful that progression will continue. La profesora said it really takes at least 6 months before we assimilate enough to start to converse.
As far as listening, I feel tone deaf, but I listen to the radio in the car and a little TV. The pace or cadence is much faster than I am used to. I know I am picking up more words and the "gist", but not the exact meaning. I am going to take beginning Spanish 2 in summer B. It is an accelerated semester in 6 weeks. Meets 4 times a week. This will increase my exposure. Hopefully, it gives me a base to start my camino in the fall. I think we have to walk before we can run. Watch a toddler start walking ... they loose their balance and fall a lot. They make mistakes, learn a little, make mistakes, and learn a little more.
The class I am taking uses the Vistas program. The text and activities (tarea) are online. There is a lot more filling in the blanks, writing, etc. than Rosetta Stone. I think this is a significant difference. In class we started responding with words, then sentences, and now we are starting to write paragraphs on the test. Baby steps.
I used quizlet to learn vocabulary and verb conjugation. I listen to the flash cards while I walk. I always go back to some older vocabulary to increase retention. Here is a hyperlink to some camino vocabulary in quizlet if interested: https://quizlet.com/linkster3/folders/camino-vocabulario
I also listen to the Coffee Break Spanish free lesson podcasts while I walk: https://radiolingua.com/coffeebreakspanish/
YouTube: Spanish Dude, Senor Jordan
Es difícil enseñar a un perro viejo nuevos trucos.
Buena Suerte
As far as I know one could say they are equally old. They were one language that turned into two.
A Galician - Portuguese interaction is a lot easier than an Castellan - Portuguese interaction.
Sometimes I'm in websites in galician and my brain gets confused because it seems portuguese.
I wasn't offended in the least. I just thought I had offended you (and couldn't quite figure out why). I guess this serves as more evidence of how meaning/intent get lost on the internetDesculpa I did not want to offend you. It is just additional .
You folks are so wonderful.... very helpful, and within minutes of me posting the question.... thank you so much!
Although I can converse in basic French, Spanish is proving so difficult.... I am writing things down, and I managed to "get by" with a very limited vocabulary on my "mini" Camino, but couldn't understand a word said to me... I can't seem to "hear" the words to even know what the sounds are (let alone the meaning!) I know that sounds weird!
I (try to) speak "Portuñol" when I fake my best spanish accent and mix some portuguese and spanish words ahaha Sometimes is the only way to communicate with spanish people.Some Portuguese people call Galician "Portuñol".
Contrary to the opinion of many (non Spanish speakers) Spanish isn't easy. Coming to it after French and Latin, I still don't find it easy. I did my Intermedio 2 exam at the Instituto Cervantes in London yesterday and honestly thought I would cry half way through! My written piece was so embarrassing!
Relax and enjoy! So says my Spanish teacher (as she plots a hideous exam!) The rewards are great.
I want to bring another viewpoint to this discussion. It doesn't answer your question as stated, but I think it answers the spirit of the question. And it happened to me, so I trust it can happen to you.
I found myself quickly together with Spanish pilgrims that spoke English and Americans who spoke fluent Spanish. I contributed something to the group, I don't know what, but we stuck together. They knew not only language but culture, we had several great times with local farmers and merchants that any level of Spanish I might have learned would not have encouraged.
I also made friends with some folks that shared no language with me, but we walked, ate and laughed together.
Lesson learned: Italian is the most beautiful language to listen to with absolutely no comprehension.
Relax, as your teacher suggests - the Camino provides. Your open smile and greetings go a long way. Giving up the need to be in control of your Way and allowing others to assist you is part of the experience of pilgrimage, in my opinion. Do not leave your smile at home!
Thank you, that makes sense. Trouble is, I'm having so much difficulty learning Spanish (a beginners class plus audio lessons) I'm not sure I could cope with Portuguese as well.
As regards the Camino Portuguese specifically, LEARN SPANISH, as you end up in Spain anyway once you reach Tui. But, consider the Berlitz-level effort I mentioned for Portuguese. Consider typing up a laminated, card-sized "cheat sheet" of simple phrases that you can keep in your pocket to refer to rapidly when in a shop or train station, etc.
When in Spain, asking "Habla Inglese?" I am typically met with either a polite "no" or a "no, sorry." Sometimes, depending on where you are in Spain, you get a more emphatic "NO, Catalan!, or NO, Gallego!, or NO Euskerra (Basque)!"
I reply with a "Sorry, please pardon my bad Spanish..." ("Lo siento, perdona por favor mi mal español."), then I try to do as well as I can.