Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese is a variant of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil. Normally Portuguese speakers call it an "accent" (not a dialect). It is generally used in Brazil by the 180 million inhabitants. It is based on the dialect of the Capital Brasília, DF.

There are many changes in grammar from European Portuguese to Brazilian Portuguese – many colloquial simplifications, such as the dropping of the second person in everyday usage and the use of subject pronouns (ele, ela, eles, elas) as direct objects; Portuguese people can understand Brazilian Portuguese quite well, due to strong Brazilian influence in Portugal (music, soap operas, movies). But, Portugal has very limited influence on today's Brazil which it makes very difficult for an average Brazilian to understand the Continental Portuguese dialect.

History

Portuguese was inherited due to the Portuguese colonization of the Americas. The first wave of Portuguese-speaking immigrants was settled in Brazil in the 15th Century. But the language was not widely used.Lingua Geral was Brazil's first language, spoken by vast majority of Brazilians. In the 18th century, the use Lingua Geral was prohibited by the Portuguese colonizer. Its defenders (the Jesuits The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits) were expelled from Brazil by The Marquis of Pombal. From then, the Portuguese was imposed as the only Brazil's language.

Phonology

In many ways, compared to European Portuguese (EP), Brazilian Portuguese (BP) is conservative in its phonology. In some areas of Brazil, the accent of the Portuguese spoken in the 16th and 17th centuries is maintained. This also occurs in São Tomean Portuguese.

The most important reason why Brazilians can have some difficulty understanding European Portuguese speakers is the pronunciation (phonetics), especially because of the close central unrounded vowel (a sound that does not exist in BP and is there replaced by [i] or [e]. The close central unrounded vowel is here represented by [ɨ] in IPA, and corresponds to \1\ in X-SAMPA). The suppression of these vowels can occur in quick speech at the end of a word, but it may also occur in the middle. This kind of speech causes many words to have their number of syllabs reduced: a word like "quente" (heard to be [ke~t]) or "Setembro" (usually [s'te~bɾu] in EP), sometimes confuse Brazilians who have never heard the European standard. The standard European Portuguese accent for these words are [ke~tɨ] (hot) and[sɨte~bɾu] (September), respectively.

While in EP some syllables may be left out in careless fast speech, in BP syllables may be pronounced where they do not exist. For instance, rítmico is usually pronounced [Ritʃimiku], creating a strange situation - the word becomes not oxitone, paroxitone nor proparoxitone.

Other changes occur in diphthongs--[bẽj] becomes [bɐ̃j] in many regions of Portugal, and in the north many people use [b] where it should be [v]. The town of Ermesinde becomes [eɾmɨzĩdɨ], while in Brazil it is read [eRmezi~dʒi]. The word presidente, pronounced [pɾɨzidẽtɨ] is read in Brazil as [pɾεzidẽtʃi], with the [tʃi] sound (sound used mainly in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). Another pronunciation that Brazilians are not prepared for is the [ʃi] sound in careless spoken Lisbon Portuguese for written "sc" (piscina--[pɨʃinɐ].

Many vowels are opened in BP and not in EP - for instance the article a, which is pronounced the same way as the contraction à in BP - that is the reason why it is more common to confuse the spelling of those words in Brazil. Less commonly, some vowels are closed in BP - in EP, we have the word harmónico [ɐɾm'ɔniku]; in BP, harmônico [aɾm'oniku].

There are also regions of Brazil--certain areas of the Northeast--where the locals, due to sociolinguistic factors, say that they don't understand Standard Brazilian Portuguese and Standard European Portuguese, but in reality comprehension is almost perfect. All this is due to lack of contact between the different dialects in Brazil, while the Portuguese are used to various Portuguese dialects from the country or abroad. For the most part, the actual differences are less than those of American and European English, although this is hard to verify.

Overall, the Brazilian variety is regarded as more perceptible.

Brazilian Lexicon

Although most lexicon is the same as of Portugal, there are some differences. Especially those of new objects of the 19th and 20th century, after the political separation of the two countries.

Brazil	Portugal	Translation
Água-viva	Alforreca	Jellyfish
aquarela	aguarela	aquarel
alho poró	alho-porro	leek
aterrissagem	aterragem	landing
berinjela	beringela	eggplant
brócolis	brócolos	broccoli
camundongo	rato	mouse
carona	boleia	hitchhiking
carteira de identidade	bilhete de identidade	ID card
concreto	betão	concrete
esparadrapo, band-aid	adesivo, penso rápido	Band-Aid
favela	bairro de lata	slum quarters
fila de pessoas	fila de pessoas, bicha	line-up or queue made by people
fones de ouvido	auscultadores	headphones
grampeador	agrafador	stapler
jaqueta	blusão	jacket
locatário	arrendatário	tenant
mamadeira	biberon, biberão, mamadeira	baby bottle
nadadeiras, pé de pato	barbatanas, pé de pato	paddles
ônibus	autocarro	bus
rato	ratazana	house rat
secretária eletrônica	atendedor de chamadas	answering machine

Spelling

Brazilian Portuguese has different spelling from European and African Portuguese, usually simplified letter combinations. For example the words for action and actual in Brazilian Portuguese are "ação" and "atual", whereas in European Portuguese, they would be "acção" and "actual". For further information on this: Written varieties of the Portuguese language. Most of these differences in spelling are to be eliminated.

Grammar

There are a few different grammatical possibilities (possibilities, because they are understood as correct in every variety, but a speeker from each country has a tendency to choose one way over the other) between the two varieties discussed below, both are understood as part of the language from any place. The difference is that Brazilians or Portuguese use them to a greater or lesser degree, but that also depends on the dialect.

The use of the gerund instead of the infinitive

In BP people say, estou falando (I'm Speaking), estou escrevendo (I'm writing), vou rindo (i'm going laughing) etc. There are exceptions in verbs where the infinitive can not be used in EP. The EP norm is to say "estou a falar", "estou a escrever.", "vou rindo" ("vou a rir" is much used in the North of Portugal). Both solutions are well understood in both countries. The Brazilian form (from where they gain this caracteristic) is also used in Portugal in southern regions and some situations and is considered fully correct. The infinitive is used in Brazil in other situations, such has "voltamos a apresentar" (we are back presenting). And the gerund is always used in all varieties in cause such as "vamos indo" (were are going).

Position of object pronouns

Brazilians usually place the object pronoun before the verb (proclitic position) -- "Ele me viu", while in Portugal it comes after the verb (enclitic position) -- "Ele viu-me". The EP "me" is suppressed and becomes a schwa sound, while the Brazilian "me" is pronounced [mi]. One almost disappears while the other is emphasized. There are several particles and constructions that alter the position of the pronoun. This subject is so complex that it is out of the scope of this article to treat it. Moreover, in spoken BP, subject pronouns replacing object pronouns is common, but frequently regarded as a grammatically incorrect. In Portugal this does not occur. Examples taken from the Portuguese translation of Lituma nos Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa: "Sei-o tão bem como sei que me chamo Lituma." ". . . estendeu-lhe Dionisio um macinho de tabaco negro". "Perseguia-me por todos os Andes". Another difference is combination of the direct object pronoun with the indirect object pronoun to form one word. Thus "me" + "o" becomes "mo", "te" + "os" becomes "tos". This often occurs in spoken EP and always in the formal written form. In Brazil it has disappeared entirely. Adolescent informants confirmed that these forms are used in spoken EP. "O Bilhete? Eu dei-to ontem!". "Não fale assim dela, rogo-lho eu, agora que ela é minha mulher". Some combinations are, however, quite rare, even in EP, namely vo-lo, no-lo and their variants.

The final difference is in the mesoclitic position, that is in the middle of the verb. This is only possible with forms of the simple future or the conditional. Thus we see in the EP formal written language: "Calar-me-ei and Calar-me-ia". To the relief of all, these rather bizarre forms--to the observer--are rarely used in spoken EP. This construction is usually avoided because it is common to replace the future with present and the conditional/future perfect with the imperfect in the spoken Portuguese. For instance, one would say Amanhã deito-me cedo in place of Amanhã deitar-me-ei cedo e Nesse caso tinha-me deitado instead of Nesse caso ter-me-ia deitado. The construction can also be avoided by using particles that attract the pronoun, for instance Nesse caso já me teria deitado. Two examples of mesoclitic pronoun use from Lituma nos Andes: ". . .deitar-lhe-iam a mão e levá-lo-iam à mina abandonada para o atirarem ao poço." These forms are usually written, being uncommon in spoken language.

Use of Subject pronouns (Pronomes de Tratamento)

Tu

TU means THOU, YOU. This pronoun is an archaism and dialectalism in Brazilian Portuguese. In most of Brazilian dialects it has been replaced by the pronoun VOCÊ (meaning YOU). Some regions still use TU as subject pronoun: --South (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, parts of Paraná) --Southeast (cities of Santos and Rio) --Northeast (interior of some northeast states and some speakers from the coast) --North.

In the South and the city of Santos, VOCÊ is somewhat formal, and therefore, TU is preferred among friends, relatives etc. In Rio, parts of Northeast and North, both TU and VOCÊ are used, with no difference. Most Brazilians who use TU, use it with the 3rd person verb: TU FALOU ISSO (You said it), SE TU VIER ME VISITAR (If you come to visit me). The use of 2rd person verb is often seen as an archaism, even among persons who use TU. TU accompanied by the 2rd-person verb can still be found in Maranhão (Northeast of Brazil).

Most people from the TU-using (tuteante) regions of Brazil use the words TEU for YOUR, CONTIGO for WITH YOU and PARA TI for FOR YOU. In regions where both TU and VOCÊ are used as an informal addressing forms, SEU can be used for YOUR as well. Same is true of COM VOCÊ, meaning WITH YOU and PARA VOCÊ meaning FOR YOU.

In regions where TU is never used (Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, parts of São Paulo state and parts of Northeast), words TEU, CONTIGO, (PARA) TI are normally not used; SEU, COM VOCÊ, (PARA) VOCÊ being preferred. Still, the word TE (unstressed object form of TU) is used throughout Brazil. So a speaker from Minas Gerais can say I LOVE YOU in two ways: EU AMO VOCÊ and/or EU TE AMO.

Você

VOCÊ is a modern Portuguese word meaning YOU [singular]. It dervies from the old form [i]vossa merce[/i] .It can be used as the formal addressing form (thoughout Brazil and Portugal) as well as the informal addressing form (in most of Brazil except for the South and the city of Santos where TU (=THOU) is preferred).

VOCÊ can be used as a direct object form as well. This usage is widely accepted by Brazilian grammarians:

VOCÊ SABE QUE EU AMO VOCÊ = You know I love you (normal usage).

As a direct object of VOCÊ, one can use:

1. TE (in colloquial speech):

  VOCÊ SABE QUE EU TE AMO. =  You know I love you. (colloquial usage)

2. O or A (in extremely formal, mostly written contexts):

  VOCÊ SABE QUE EU O AMO = You know I love you. (extremely formal usage)

  /This usage sounds very dated. Therefore, in formal context, this would be preferred:

  O SENHOR SABE QUE EU AMO O SENHOR. = You know I love you (formal)/

3. LHE (in Rio and Northeast):

  VOCÊ SABE QUE EU LHE AMO. = You know I love you. (dialectal, Rio & Northeast usage, known 
  as LHEÍSMO)

As a indirect object of VOCÊ, one uses

1. the construction PARA VOCÊ (or A VOCÊ is some dialects):

  EU ABRO PARA VOCÊ. (or EU ABRO A VOCÊ). = I open it for you.

2. TE (in spoken language, but many people prefer the construction given above):

  EU TE ABRO. = I open it for you. (informal)

3. LHE (in formal language):

  EU LHE ABRO. = I open it for you (formal)

Possessive forms of VOCÊ are

1. SEU or DE VOCÊ:

   SEU CACHORRO = Your dog.
   O CAHORRO DE VOCÊ. = The dog of yours. = Your dog

2. TEU (in dialects where both TU and VOCÊ coexist).

O senhor

O Senhor, a senhora, and a menina are the European variants of the forms of respect and courtesy. In Brazil, você is replacing these forms. In Portugal, when a person talks to someone who has a professional title or occupies a specific position, the forms of o senhor and a senhora are usually accompanied by the respective title or position: o senhor doutor, a senhora doutora, o senhor engenheiro. In Brazil these forms are not used.

The Imperative

When referring to someone with tu, EP speakers will conjugate the verb in the second person singular of the Imperative Mode for affirmative orders, requests, etc. and in the Present Tense of the Subjunctive Mode for the negative (sometimes referred to as Negative Imperative). The same will happen for the grammatical second person plural in the regions or contexts wherein it is used. Examples:
"Passa-me (tu) o sal, se fazes favor." (=Hand me the salt, please).
"Não me digas (not não me diz) nada!" (=Don't say anything to me).
Examples with vós: "Fazei (vós) como quiserdes.", "Nunca me deixeis (vós) cair em tentação."
When treating someone by "você"/"o senhor" or a group of people by "vocês"/"os senhores", an EP speaker will always use the verbal inflections in the grammatical third person of the subjunctive, since the Imperative only has forms for the second person. BP speakers, as already stated, will always adopt the forms você/vocês/o senhor/os senhores. However, contrary to the consistent use of the EP, which employs the third person in those cases, it is common in spoken BP to, for the singular, conjugate the verb in either the second person or the third person, according to the formality of the context. Examples:
"Cala a boca, você é o próximo!" (=Shut up, you're next; ocurrs only in BP).
"Corra, você tem apenas até amanhã." (=Hurry up, you have only until tomorrow; ocurrs both in EP and BP).
Moreover, wherein the grammatical second person is concerned, rarely will BP speakers use the subjunctive for the Negative Imperative; instead they will employ the Imperative inflexion. This never ocurrs in EP, except for some jocular contexts or when scolding or giving incisive orders to a child. This used to be true for both the singular and plural, but nowadays no one uses the grammatical second person plural in Brazil. Examples:
"Não faz nada, eu te ajudo!" (=Do not do anything, I'll help you; ocurrs mainly in spoken BP).
"Não faças nada, eu ajudo-te!" (same meaning; ocurrs mainly in EP. Compare also the colocation of the pronoun te).

Loan words

Many words of Brazilian origin (also used in other Portuguese language countries) have also entered into English: samba (originally Angolan), bossa nova, cruzeiro, milreis, capoeira(originally Angolan).