I thought I was kind of “over” Latin America. You get to a point where you feel like, as different as Argentina and Mexico are … you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. They’re all the same.
That I didn’t feel this in Brazil I attribute to the fun of getting along in Portuguese. A new language gets that race of men with gypsy blood that don’t fit in a strong fix of “the strange and new.”
I was always dismissive of people who claim to be tri-, penta- or octo-lingual. For any more than three languages, how competent is Tim Ferriss at any one of them (besides English)? I carried an air of superiority as a master, someone who could read academic texts and get translation or interpretation gigs while also being able to rap local slang with coke dealers or handle customer service on the phone.
Anything less is pointless.
I changed my mind this year. I wanted to get a little Portuguese before spending a week in Brazil, and doing so made me feel something I hadn’t felt since my freshman and sophomore years in South America. Forget utility. Learning a language is FUN for its own sake. I’d say “thrilling” if it didn’t betray my age and boringness.
I knew in my mind how similar Portuguese was to Spanish. I could almost read it, but in my heart I felt it futile, if not just a waste of time. But when you have Spanish, I saw that tacking on Portuguese is so easy that I now believe all the continent-trotters you meet over the years in South America who claim to be trilingual. By the end of one week the pronunciation just flows out.
I’m a convert. If you get one second language under your belt, you’re at least a recreational linguist who can do more. And again, it’s FUN.
Back in my early years there were no language-learning apps. I don’t think so anyway. I didn’t have a smartphone until six years after going expat, so I’m not sure when the apps came online. Rosetta Stone was a thing back then. I always advised quantity over quality. In other words, forget methodology. Rack up hours of practice with a girlfriend or boyfriend who doesn’t speak English.
But alas, I wasn’t in Brazil or Portugal, much less single. So I downloaded Duolingo a couple months before this trip. I see what all the fuss is about. It’s great. My only complaint is how long it takes to get to the most useful vocabulary, like NUMBERS. We spent way too much time on just a few of the same words, while everybody underestimates numbers. And Duolingo could probably introduce verb conjugation a little earlier.
When we didn’t have Duolingo, I utilized MUSIC. Find a couple songs catchy enough that you can listen them 1,000 times in a month or so. You have a real gem if it’s so powerful you can’t live without knowing what the singer is on about. Then listen to hit over and over until you can sing it. Yes, sing it. In sum:
- Find song you like enough to hear 1,000 times.
- Learn the words and sing it.
Reggaeton was always with me, but its partner in my first year was Peruvian cumbia. My second year in Colombia is when I went down the salsa rabbit hole. I’ve since done cumbia from Colombia and Argentina, Peruvian criolla and vals, tango (if for just a minute) and, yes I admit, even rock en español.
So in addition to Duolingo for Portuguese, I also scratched the surface of Brazilian music. Stay tuned for my picks and analysis of sertanejo, funk, samba and more!
Expat Chronicles 
I have been speaking Spanish at home almost daily for about 30 years now. About 25 years ago I was on an American Airlines flight. I started browsing their in flight magazine that was printed in both Spanish and Portuguese. I didn’t realize I was in the Portuguese section and I was reading an article. I got most of the words but some like the prepositions seemed odd and then I recognized it was Portuguese. I haven’t studied it or used it but if I went to Brazil and studied the basics like “do” and “da” I think I could function in the street with natives. Probably Italian, too, but French is way different. French would take me months, probably.
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You could definitely function. It’s so similar I almost want to call it a dialect, not a unique language!
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So many good songs and artists from Brazil – I came across a Brazilian music playlist on Amazon and what an excellent five hours that was! Here are some of the highlights.
Raul Seixas – Metamorfose Ambulante, Gita and many many others
Caetano Veloso and Tropicalia
Jorge ben Jor and lariri – olala
Edu Lobo – Viola Fora de Moda
I have Mercosur associate membership and have toyed with moving to Brazil to live but the learning of Portuguese is a pain in the arse to my mind.
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Re: learning Portuguese a pain in the arse — I mistaken believed the same for over a decade. If you have professional or native Spanish, you need a week and it will start to flow. TRUST ME.
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Interesting how you mention how easy Portuguese is
After 8 years in Mexico, I have been thinking of exploring the rest of Latin America and maybe moving to a different country for fun and a new chapter. Well I have been thinking of that for a long time but never rocked the boat because I am pretty comfortable in Mexico
But in thinking of where to move to, I keep coming back to Brazil. Brazil has always seemed like the most obvious choice as to what I am looking for. That or Argentina.
Brazil honestly seems more exciting than Argentina. Both could work though. But most criteria point to Brazil over Argentina. But if I am being honest, the biggest thing discouraging me from doing Brazil is the Portuguese. I learned a few words and basics in college but it wasnt a Portuguese learning course. Just a week of learning basics before a trip. So I dont remember any of it or really how hard or easy it is to learn
So there are some concerns I have about learning Portuguese
They have some sound in the language called ao. Like Sao Paulo. I always thought that maybe I would fuck that up whenever finding a word with the ao. Hard to pronounce? I dont know. Always came off as a weird sound
2. Laziness in general. The biggest thing here. Just having to learn another language sounds like a drag and how much time would I have to put into it?
3. For long term living, such as maybe settling down some day, I have thought certain parts of Brazil, like the southern states, look nice. Settle down or not, I have considered maybe spending a few years in Brazil at least. In either scenario, I admit I am worried about ¨losing my Spanish.¨ Well I have spent 8 years of classes learning it and have spent a decade speaking it in Latin America. So it sounds silly the idea of losing Spanish. But could my Spanish get really bad if I lived in Brazil for say 5 years or more? All the work I put into Spanish just to lose it or have it turn to shit because now I live in Brazil sounds ass. Maybe that’s a dumb concern. Probably be OK lol.
Anyway, I have looked at Portuguese classes in Mexico City. Will take some soon because I plan to visit Brazil again someday. Glad to hear it´s not hard at least if you know Spanish. Good article, Colin.
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I was only there for a week, but it’s easier than you are imagining … NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF!
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I learned Portuguese before I learned Spanish. Immersion is really the best way. Back in 2000 I stayed with a Brazilian family while studying at local school. Then I returned for a year and became fluent, it helped that I was really into the music (MPB, samba, axe, forro) and watching TV shows like Faustão. After that I went straight to Colombia. there was a bit of adjusting and I entertained the local Colombians with my gringo Portuñol hybrid, but it wasn’t a difficult transition as they are basically the same language. I married a Colombiana and have now been speaking Spanish for over 20 years. I’ve only returned to Brazil once in that time, so barely use my Portuguese although I haven’t forgotten it, I can easily slip back into ‘Oi todo beleza’ whenever I happen to run into a Brasileiro.
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