Are you considering learning a foreign language? How about Portuguese?
Portuguese is one of the largest world languages and according to UNESCO it is also one of the fastest-growing European languages.
Check here the 6 reasons to prove why it’s worth to learn Portuguese:
1. It’s the 6th most spoken language in the World
Portuguese is spoken by more than 200 million people around the World, mostly thanks to the Portuguese discoveries between the 15th and the 17th Century.
It is spoken by native-speaking communities in almost every continent (except Antarctica), the principal countries with Portuguese-speaking are Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique and Angola. Also Guinnea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe speak Portuguese and it’s the native language of some communities in India, Indonesia and China.
2. It’s romantic an amazing
Portuguese is a beautiful and expressive language to learn, part of that comes from the vowel sounds that compose the language. These sounds make learning the language a challenge, but this rich and lovely language is a joy to speak and hear.
Also it has a lot of romantic words like the word “saudade” which has no direct translation to any other language. Basically it means that you miss a person.
3. It has a unique history
Portuguese has its own History, yes it doesn’t simply evolved from Latin into its present form.
Portuguese grew on the Iberian Peninsula – Portugal and Spain from Latin, in 197 BC, after the Roman soldiers arrived in the region. The language has suffered many changes over the centuries and was influenced by the Celtic culture and linguistics of the people who inhabited the area.
Germanic invasions in the 5th century introduced Germanic words to the language, while the presence of Arabs in the region between the 9th and the 12th centuries brought Arabic words and phrases to the language.
During the age of discoveries, new words were introduced to the Portuguese from Africa, Asia, and the Americas and it evolved into the Portuguese language that we know today!
4. There are incredible works of art in Portuguese
Portuguese speaking countries have a rich tradition of arts and humanities – we’ve Luís de Camões a much known poet, Paulo Coelho, whose novel “The Alchemist” has inspired millions of people worldwide and José Saramago, the author of Blindness.
Also we’ve popular and talented musicians like: Mariza and Ana Moura and international actors like: Daniella Ruah, Diogo Morgado and Joaquim de Almeida.
5. Multi-linguistic
Once you learn to speak Portuguese, learning Spanish, French and Italian becomes much easier, in part, because of the similarity between many of the words.
6. Bring smiles on Portuguese people!
And of course, you’ll find out that when you visit Portugal, even though most Portuguese people will attempt to speak your language once they realize you are a tourist, every one of them will be happy and proud to hear you say obrigado (‘thank you’)!
If you’re still not convinced to learn our language we suggest you to visit Portugal and fall in love with this unique and warm hospitality Country! Reading these amazing 5 reasons for traveling to Portugal you will get to know why Portugal is the first choice for many travelers.
