European vs Brazilian Portuguese: the grammar differences

European Portuguese (spoken in Portugal and, with local features, in Angola, Mozambique and the other African countries) and Brazilian Portuguese share one grammar. The verb forms, tenses, noun genders and most of the vocabulary are the same, and a Portuguese and a Brazilian speaker understand each other without effort.

The differences are a handful of habits, and a learner who knows them can follow both. Each section below shows the same idea in both varieties, and you can hear each one in its own voice.

Tu and você

This is the first difference you will notice.

• Portugal. Tu is for friends, family and people of your own age. Você is avoided because it can sound distant or rude. For politeness, use the third person with the person's title: O senhor quer um café? (Would you like a coffee, sir?)
• Brazil. Você is the standard "you" for almost everyone. Tu is used in some regions, often with the você verb form, so tu vai is heard alongside tu vais.

In both countries, the plural "you" is vocês. Vós only appears in old texts and in some religious language.

Where the pronoun goes

Short object pronouns (me, te, o, a, lhe) sit in different places. European Portuguese normally places them after the verb, joined by a hyphen. Brazilian Portuguese normally places them before the verb.

The Brazilian eu vi ele is spoken language. Careful written Brazilian Portuguese would say eu o vi, and the European vi-o is also correct in Brazil, but rarely heard. In Portugal, certain words, such as não, que and já, pull the pronoun in front of the verb: Não me disse nada (He did not tell me anything).

The progressive: estar a or estar -ando

To say what is happening right now, Portuguese uses estar with another verb. The second part is the difference.

Portugal uses estar a with an infinitive. Brazil uses the gerund, which ends in -ando, -endo or -indo. The gerund also exists in Portugal, but it is used less.

Possessives and articles

In Portugal, possessives usually come with the definite article. In Brazil, the article is usually left out.

Brazil also uses the article in some cases, so you will see o meu there too. Both forms are understood everywhere.

What does not change

• Verb conjugations and tenses, apart from the tu and vós forms and the progressive forms above.
• The use of ser and estar. See ser vs estar in Portuguese.
• The personal infinitive. See the personal infinitive.
• Most spelling, since the 1990 spelling agreement.

For the words that change, see everyday vocabulary. For the sounds, see the pronunciation guide.

Practice