When you think of the languages of Portugal, your mind probably immediately thinks of “Portuguese”. But what if I told you that there were so many more languages spoken in the country?
Indeed, the languages of Portugal are incredibly diverse, ranging from some of the most well spoken languages in the world, to some less well spoken languages you’ve never heard of!
Official Language of Portugal
According to the Constitution of Portugal (ratified in April 1976), there is only one official language spoken everywhere in the country (although some other languages may have co-official status in some areas). This is:
Portuguese
Perhaps not surprisingly, the official language of Portugal is well… Portuguese.
As a Romance language, Portuguese is descended from Vulgar Latin (a dialect of Latin spoken by the peasants). Thus, Portuguese is related to other European languages such as Spanish, French and Italian.
More specifically, Portuguese is an Iberian Romance language, meaning it’s more closely related to Spanish (as well as other languages like Catalan) than non-Iberian Romance languages like French or Italian.
This is why Portuguese and Spanish have abnormally high levels of mutual intelligibility!
As the official language of Portugal, Portuguese is the language of everyday life, the media, education, healthcare and business. In other words, if you live in Portugal and don’t speak Portuguese, it’s going to be much harder for you.
Beyond this, Portuguese is also the official language of the Portuguese government, with all government debates and communication being done in the language.
Currently, the most recent Portuguese government statistics claim that 98% of the Portuguese population (an estimated 10.07 million people) can speak Portuguese either natively or as a second language.
For the most part, the Portuguese speakers in Portugal speak the European Portuguese dialect. However, due to immigration, there are also minorities of Macanese, Brazilian and Angolan Portuguese speakers too!
Regional Dialects of Portuguese
Although Portuguese is the official language of the country, there are several dialects of Portuguese spoken in particular areas/regions of the country which vary slightly from the European Portuguese you were taught in school…
Estremaduran
Estremaduran, otherwise known as Estremenho to distinguish it from the similar sounding Extremaduran language spoken in the neighboring Spain, is arguably the most important dialect of Portuguese you’ve never heard.
Historically spoken in the former provinces of Estremadura and Beira Litoral, Estremaduran was the dialect of Portuguese spoken in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. In other words, this was the dialect spoken by the people in the capital.
Whilst this may not seem like much, the people who lived in Lisbon were often the traders and merchants who helped establish the Portuguese trading empire. And guess what dialect of Portuguese they spoke? Estremaduran Portuguese.
Due to this fact, Estremaduran Portuguese soon became the basis for modern European Portuguese too!
Sadly, with the adoption of modern Portuguese by Portugal, regional languages like Estremaduran have suffered, even if the two languages are extremely similar to one another. For Estremaduran, this has seen it lose most of its speakers.
Despite being so historically significant, there are only around 10,000 Estremaduran speakers left, which isn’t a lot given Portugal’s rather large size!
Alentejan
Spoken in the southern Portuguese region of Alentejo, Alentejan Portuguese is spoken primarily in the Táliga and Olivença (hence why it’s sometimes called Oliventine Portuguese too).
Historically the language of the Alentejan peasants, it was the language the Alentejan peasants spoke whilst working the fields for their feudal master, as Portuguese was reserved for official government business and the language of the court.
Although the exact number of people who speak Alentejan Portuguese is unknown, estimates currently place it at between 500 and 2,000 people depending on the criteria, which has caused quite a few debates in recent years.
Despite this, there is one thing that the experts agree on: Alentejan Portuguese is dying out as younger generations aren’t learning it, instead preferring standard Portuguese.
Perhaps not surprisingly – given the fact it has relatively few speakers, it’s not that historically relevant and is dying out quickly – Alentejan Portuguese currently has no official status either locally or nationally.
Regional Languages of Portugal
Beyond the various dialects of Portuguese spoken throughout the country, Portugal is also home to several regional languages too, some of which are (somewhat) mutually intelligible with Portuguese.
Galician
Although mainly a language spoken in Spain, there are actually a surprising number of Galician speakers in Portugal.
Descended from a language called “Galician-Portuguese” both Galician and Portuguese have incredibly high mutual intelligibility (to the point where Portuguese speakers can understand Galician almost word for word without issue!)
Native to the Galicia region of Spain (the part of Spain that is north of Portugal), the majority of Portugal’s Galician speakers are located along the Galicia-Portugal border, where families speak Spanish, Portuguese and Galician natively.
Whilst Galician is spoken all across Northern Portugal, by far the most speakers are located in the districts (states) of Viana do Castelo and Braga, with there also being a sizable Galician-speaking minority in the city of Porto too.
According to the most recent government surveys, there are approximately 45,000 Galician speakers in Portugal.
Sadly, it appears that whilst growing in numbers in Spain, Portugal’s number of Galician speakers is steadily declining, and has been doing so for quite a while.
Mostly, this is down to younger generations not seeing the point of speaking Galician, as Portuguese is viewed by them as more useful. As such, Galician is mostly only spoken by the older generations, who are quickly dying out.
Mirandese
Historically speaking, the majority of Portuguese peasants didn’t speak Portuguese. Instead, they spoke various regional languages, most of whom have since died out due to the adoption of modern Portuguese.
A few, however, have remained. For example, in the Portuguese region of Miranda do Duoro, they spoke a language called Mirandese, a Romance language part of the Astur-Leonese sub-family.
From a historical point of view, Mirandese was the sole language most people spoke – you used it on the farm, at home, to greet strangers and so on.
Today, however, Mirandese has been replaced by Portuguese.
Instead, Mirandese is more of a cultural and historical language, something you’d use with a childhood friend or with an elderly relative to lighten the mood, rather than for just general conversion in the street.
According to the most recent Portuguese government surveys, there are approximately 15,000 people who speak Mirandese, with only one-third of them speaking it regularly.
Much like Galician, younger generations are choosing to not to learn Mirandese, similarly under the belief that learning it is a waste of time. As such, Mirandese is on the verge of extinction according to most linguists.
Barranquenho
I have to say of the regional languages of Portugal, Barranquenho is by far the most interesting. Spoken by only 1,500 people in the southwest of the country, Barranquenho is quite a unique language…
You see, unlike the other regional languages spoken in Portugal, Barranquenho didn’t occur how most languages do.
Instead of forming from Latin as most other Romance languages do, Barranquenho is a mixed language – having come about due to bilingual groups on the Portuguese-Spanish border combining the two languages into everyday speech.
A mixture of standard Portuguese, Andalusian Spanish and Extremaduran Spanish, Barranquenho is native to the town and municipality of Barrancos, where the language has been spoken continuously for the past 200 years!
Due to being a mixture of two dialects of Spanish and standard Portuguese, the language actually sounds quite odd to see or hear if you speak either language (and it’s even weirder if you speak both).
For example, Barranquenho verb conjugations have clearly been influenced by Spanish, as have pronunciation of some of these verbs as well as the pronouns.
However, when it comes to pronunciation and other grammar points, Portuguese has clearly influenced these. Whilst not the only example the best would be the pronunciation of “j”, “ge” and “gi” sounds as a “x” sounds – just like Portuguese.
Foreign Languages of Portugal
Beyond the regional dialects and languages of Portugal, there are also a number of foreign languages spoken by immigrant groups in the country. Whilst not an exhaustive list, by far the most well spoken foreign languages in Portugal are…
English
Since joining the EU in 1986, Portugal has become a prime tourist spot for many in Europe, especially those in the UK owing mostly to the nice weather in Portugal, especially in the south, which often appeals to British tourists.
This, combined with the lower costs of living and low cost of real estate over there (compared to the UK anyway) has also made Portugal a favorite of British retirees.
Once here, these British retirees tend to form their own “mini-Britains” along the Portuguese coast, some of which are gated communities, whilst others are not.
Whilst British retirees make up the bulk of the 26,500 British citizens in Portugal, the comparable low cost of living in Portugal has attracted many younger British people, especially those whose jobs allow them to work from anywhere in the world!
Although British expats make up the largest English-speaking group in Portugal, there are also smaller groups of Americans and Canadians in the country too, most of whom are similarly retirees.
Currently, there are an estimated 40,000 native English speakers in Portugal, most of whom reside on the coast, more so in the south of the country where the weather is better.
Beyond this, most Portuguese school students learn English as a second language (a part of the national curriculum). Whilst not all have remained, an estimated 27% of the population (2.775 million people) can understand the language.
French
Yet it hasn’t just been British retirees that have seen the ease of moving to Portugal and have arrived there en masse. So have their French cousins.
Much like the British, Portugal’s French retirees have moved to Portugal for several reasons. Primarily, it’s for the better weather, but also the fact that Portugal is cheaper than living on the French Riviera in the south of France or in Monaco.
For the most part, these French retirees live along the coast in French expat communities, often only a stone’s throw away from their British cousins!
To date, there are an estimated 20,000 French speakers in Portugal, most of whom are from France. However, there are also small minorities of French-speaking Canadians and Swiss too.
Beyond French-speaking immigrants, French’s status as a major world language (and a former Lingua Franca!) has seen many Portuguese students study French at school.
Whilst not all have retained their fluency, and estimated 15% of the population (roughly 1.542 million people) can understand the language to varying degrees.
Spanish
Looking at Portuguese history, it’s impossible not to at least mention the Spanish. After all, despite speaking different languages, they have often come into contact with one another, often exchanging their languages and ideals.
Today, relationships between the two countries are much more jovial, with both countries enjoying an especially close relationship, similar to the US-UK bond or the Australia-New Zealand one.
With this, Spanish citizens are free to move to Portugal, which many have done. For some, it has been for retirement, as Portugal has lower costs of living compared to Spain, whilst for others it has been out of necessity – mostly for work.
Beyond Spanish immigrants, many Portuguese people who live on the Spain-Portugal border are bilingual in both languages, with some even having a Spanish parent or grandparent as well!
As of the time of writing, there are an estimated 30,000 native Spanish speakers in Portugal, most of whom are from Spain, with a large minority also coming from Venezuela.
If they don’t study French or English, Portuguese schoolchildren will often study Spanish. Although not all have remained fluent in the language, an estimated 10% of the population (about 1.25 million people) speak Spanish as a second language.
Romanian
With Portugal having joined the EU in 1986 and Romania having joined in 2007, Romanian citizens were free to move to Portugal under EU laws.
Thanks to higher wages, the similar weather between Portugal and Romania, and the higher standards of living in Portugal, has attracted many Romanians to the country.
For the most part, these Romanian immigrants work low-skilled jobs in one of two places.
The first (and most common) is in the countryside, where they work in Portugal’s agricultural sector, primarily working as farm hands on the many olive farms, vineyards and orchards dotted throughout the company.
Here, these Romanian immigrants tend to live either on the land they work (in accommodation provided by the employer) or in a house in a nearby town/village, with Romanian immigrants tending to stick together.
The second is in the city, working as low-skilled factory workers in what remains of Portugal’s manufacturing and industrial sectors. Here, they tend to live not far from the factory they work in, often living with other Romanian immigrants.
Whilst most of these immigrants tend to leave their wives and children in Romania (supporting them with their paycheck), some have brought their children to the country, some of whom have married Portuguese spouses.
Some have even had children that are native speakers of both Portuguese and Romanian!
As of the time of writing, there are an estimated 30,000 native Romanian speakers in Portugal.
Chinese
For the most part, the foreign languages that are spoken in Portugal are all European languages of some sort. However, there are also quite a few non-European languages spoken in the country too.
By far the most spoken of these languages is Chinese.
Searching for a better life for themselves and their children, many Chinese people have left China for Europe. Whilst many have gone to other countries like France, Britain and Germany, a few have gone to Portugal.
Most of these Chinese immigrants have come from Macau, migrating in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, after Portugal transferred sovereignty of Macau back to China.
Coming to Portugal, most of these Chinese immigrants already spoke Portuguese. At home, however, the Chinese immigrants spoke two languages, either Cantonese (if they were from Macau) or Mandarin (if they weren’t).
To date, there are an estimated 25,000 native Chinese speakers in Portugal (as the Chinese government views all the widely spoken languages in China as dialects of Mandarin).
Owing to China’s increasing global presence, some Portuguese schools are beginning to offer Mandarin as a second language instead of English, Spanish and French.
Which are your favorite languages of Portugal? Do you speak any (except English of course!)? Tell me in the comments!