Portuguese Speakers

[pinhodecarlos]

Originally Posted by Dubslow

To be honest, anyone who knows some French, Spanish or Italian could probably understand simple Portuguese.

I think it's otherwise.
When I go to Spain and slowly speak Portuguese the Spanish people don't understand, only if they live in the north of Spain. I often make that test. I speak fluent Spanish.
If a Spanish guy comes to Portugal and speaks to Portuguese people we have "brains" to make an effort to understand him, Spanish people don't do that.

[davieddy]

Sympathy for the Devil

[Dubslow]

Originally Posted by pinhodecarlos

I think it's otherwise.
When I go to Spain and slowly speak Portuguese the Spanish people don't understand, only if they live in the north of Spain. I often make that test. I speak fluent Spanish.
If a Spanish guy comes to Portugal and speaks to Portuguese people we have "brains" to make an effort to understand him, Spanish people don't do that.

I think we all have brains here but I get your point.

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by Dubslow

I think we all have brains here

Can't see mine ATM :((
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TSpV4wJC2Y

[scalabis]

Originally Posted by pinhodecarlos

I think it's otherwise.
When I go to Spain and slowly speak Portuguese the Spanish people don't understand, only if they live in the north of Spain. I often make that test. I speak fluent Spanish.
If a Spanish guy comes to Portugal and speaks to Portuguese people we have "brains" to make an effort to understand him, Spanish people don't do that.

I do not agree. It is true that most Portuguese people can speak "Castelhano" the most common of the languages used in Spain.

But on Portuguese TV, subtitles (or CC) are used, and the original English or American sountrack is kept.

This is also true for any hollywood movie and blockbuster.

In Spain all soundtracks are changed to Spanish (Castelhano).

To me, this makes all the difference, as most of the Portuguese people are exposed to foreign languages since they start to watch TV.

In the North of Spain (at least the zone to the North of Portugal) people speak using "Galego" which is closer to Portuguese than to Spanish (Castelhano).