Use of the infinitive vs. the gerund

I'm working
Portugal: Estou a trabalhar
Brazil: Estou trabalhando

I'm writing
Portugal: Estou a escrever
Brazil: Estou escrevendo

Both forms are understood in Brazil and Portugal, but while Brazilian form is used in certain regions of Portugal and is considered correct in some situations, the Portuguese form is not used in Brazil. Both of them are correct.

Position of object pronouns

Someone told me
Portugal: Alguém disse-me
Brazil: Alguém me disse

Someone saw me
Portugal: Alguém viu-me
Brazil: Alguém me viu

Both forms are understood in Brazil and Portugal, but while Brazilian form is used in Portugal in some situations, the Portuguese form is not used in Brazil. Both of them are correct.

Tu/Você (=you, singular)

Portugal

Tu: For someone we know and have confidence with (brother, friend, parents..)- informal
Você: People older than us that we don't know that well (teachers, our parents' friends..) - formal

Brazil

Tu: informal (only used in some regions)
Você: formal/informal

"Você" is conjugated like 3rd person, singular
"Tu" is conjugated like 2rd person, singular (in Brazil, it's like 3rd person, singular, which is not correct - informal)

Preposition "em"

Brazil
They have a choice of contracting or not the prepositions "em" followed by an indefinite article, adjective or pronoun
em um / num
em este / neste
em outro / noutro

Portugal
Portuguese people generally opts for the contracted forms
num
neste
noutro

really nice topic \o/

guuh17 wrote:

really nice topic \o/

There are more but I haven't had time

Articles (o,a,os,as - the)

In Portugal we use them very often and it's not so correct omit them unlike Brazilians who have a choice of omitting them or not.

My name is José
Portugal: O meu nome é José
Brazil: Meu nome é José

When my father...
Portugal: Quando o meu pai...
Brazil: Quando meu pai...

Picking up the phone

Portugal: Estou? or 'Tou? (informal) or Está lá? (grandparents' favourite) or Estou sim? (formal)
Brazil: Alô?

How to say "cool"

Portugal: fixe (we don't know where it comes from)
Brazil: legal (yes it means legal...literally)

Interesting topic. But remember Brazil is an enormous country, and there are lots of regional differences in the language.

For example, to say "cool" in different parts of Brazil, there are lots of local slangs. In São Paulo they say "da hora", in Rio de Janeiro they say "maneiro", and here in Fortaleza people say "massa", "só o filé", etc.

dantefortbr wrote:

Interesting topic. But remember Brazil is an enormous country, and there are lots of regional differences in the language. For example, to say "cool" in different parts of Brazil, there are lots of local slangs. In São Paulo they say "da hora", in Rio de Janeiro they say "maneiro", and here in Fortaleza people say "massa", "só o filé", etc.

Yes but that is brazilian slang and you have a LOTTTTTTTTT of slang. "Legal" is kind of universal isn't it?

Yes, you're right, "legal" is understood by everyone, in all of Brazil, since Porto Alegre until Manaus.

these are other expressions and slangs... legal is the mainly n mostly used....

Vocabulary

Brazilian has been influenced by Amerindian languages, such as Tupian, or Tupí-Guaraní, which was the language used by the natives. Brazil has also accepted more US technical terms into the language On the other hand, European Portuguese was influenced by French (because of the French invasions). Phonetically Brazilian Portuguese is closer to Spanish and Italian and European Portuguese is closer to Catalan and French.

English: pineapple, mouse (computer), screen, baby bottle, pantyhose, train, chiclet, nylon, sandwich

Portugal: ananás, rato, ecrã (Fr. écran), biberão (Fr. biberon), colãs (Fr. collants - we always say/write the french word, not colãs which is the most correct), comboio, pastilha elástica, nylon, sandes

Brazil: abacaxi, mouse, tela, mamadeira, meias-calças, trem, chiclete, náilon, sanduíche