We often get asked about how widely English is spoken in Portugal and some are critical about the response, it may not be what you were expecting. Here's our candid Blog (and opinion) on the subject.
The answer is Yes generally (but not as you might expect)! In the Algarve you will find English is more widely spoken than in other parts of Portugal, with the exception of tourist areas and hotels throughout Portugal. In tourist settings like popular beaches, resorts, restaurants, bars, boat trips, golf courses and souvenir shops you should have no trouble speaking English. Actually you may find the Portuguese are generally much more bi-lingual and even tri-lingual, than some British, Irish and French and other nationalities you may know, often not just speaking their native language Portuguese, but also English and French all of which they learn at public schools in Portugal. On visiting other countries in mainland Europe because they can cross borders to multiple countries much easier than the UK and Ireland, you may find the communities are often bi/tri-lingual, they have to be. Saying that, the Portuguese rarely speak Spanish, though some nouns are similar such as table, door, but not many other words.
People often ask whether Doctors in public health settings in Portugal speak English, we would say in our opinion generally 'no, they do not' some will but many will speak Portuguese, Spanish and French. You are more likely to get an English speaking Doctor, or Dentist in a private health setting, but you pay a premium for that (see our article on that). With public Health Care in Portugal you should assume that all staff only speak Portuguese. In Portugal you may often find that you will not get the readily available free translation and interpretation service that you may find in other countries for foreigners. This also applies to the public schools and other government offices, and national shops and businesses. You will really benefit from making the effort to speak and understand the Portuguese language if you are planning a life in Portugal, not so much if you're just having a holiday. You will likely get by without it, but you will probably thrive with it.
You will likely get by without it
but you will probably thrive with it
The Portuguese are very proud of their language, culture, religion, traditions and history and this includes their language, as your country probably does, in fact these may be the very same charms that attract you to Portugal along with the climate and scenery. Moving to Portugal you will have to accept and expect to hear and read Portuguese, if you come across English then count yourself lucky as it is the exception rather than the rule. This may not be what you want to hear that English is not as widely available as you may want, but it is important to fully inform you properly. If you are frustrated that English is not widely spoken then you will remain frustrated and disappointed, Portugal is going to be different than what you're used to and it is unreasonable to expect any Portuguese people, shops or businesses to speak anything other than Portuguese, they are not racist they are Portuguese in Portugal. Walking around the typical streets of the Algarve you won't get the diversity you might find in London in terms of languages and nationalities, unless you're in a tourist resort in tourist season perhaps. Often you may find when you have gone to the trouble to speak Portuguese, the person at the receiving end is even more helpful and may even start to try to speak English to help you even more if they're able.
Often you may find when you have gone to the trouble to speak Portuguese
the person at the receiving end is even more helpful and
may even start to try to speak English to help you even more if they're able
With 7.9 billion people on the planet, 7139 different languages spoken, it would be difficult for such a small country as Portugal to keep everyone happy all the time. In 2018 research+ showed Portugal had 480,300 foreign nationals (from multiple countries), 81% were permanent with 68.9% (213,065) in Lisbon and 77,489 in Faro, out of a population of 10 million. In fact it might surprise you to know that Portugal came *3rd as the Best Country to Receive Expats (InterNations out of 64 Countries), whereas the UK, Greece and Italy came at the bottom of the table with Brexit and the economic crisis as the reasons for these clarifications. English is only the third^ most spoken language in the World.
The foreigners arriving in Portugal that don't speak Portuguese often turn to communities and services of their own language whether it be Dutch, French or English etc, which is totally understandable and are widely available. In fact we have prepared a list of English speaking services that you may find useful and can keep handy for when you need it, get in touch to request your free copy or if you want your business added.
When in Portugal you will find you will need to know how to listen, speak and read Portuguese, especially in Government settings, it will not automatically be translated into your language and you should not consider it rude that it isn't, as inconvenient as it might be. The opposite might happen you may be considered rude for being unreasonably upset that the Portuguese don't speak your language in Portugal where they operate freely on a daily basis in their own language. In a population of just 10 million you may find Portugal has a lot less non-speaking Portuguese residents than you'd perhaps expected and it may not be as widely cosmopolitan as maybe your own country of origin. It is important when you come to Portugal you know that you are warmly welcome and just because English is not everywhere, don't judge the Portuguese negatively but accept it for what it is, try not to change it but embrace it and become part of the community that you love so much. You may consider that English is one of the most widely spoken languages all over the World but this does not mean that the Portuguese should or can speak English, moreover that as you are a visitor in Portugal you should expect it to be reasonable to speak and understand Portuguese. There are going to be lots of differences in Portugal compared to your own country hopefully most of them for the better, but those that aren't you often won't be able to change, so just go with the flow as frustrating as it might be and don't judge!
If you want to learn the language and integrate into the Portuguese community, the best way is to shop at Portuguese shops and businesses and attend Government run facilities and events such as public gyms, tennis clubs, festivals etc as opposed to private English ones (see our list below).
Likewise if you still want to eat your English food, watch your English TV, read your English newspapers, books and magazines and make friends with English speakers, then that's fine too, your choice and there's plenty of opportunity to do just that. You will find the TV, Newspapers, and Radio are all in Portuguese with no translation into English, with the exception of American/English TV programs and Films which are in their original language with Portuguese subtitles, this includes the Cinema (with the exception of Children's Movies unless otherwise stated (look for VO which means original version in English). The most popular English written Newspapers in the Algarve are The Portugal News and The Portugal Resident and popular English speaking Radio station in the Algarve is Kiss FM. English and Irish foods, drinks and greeting cards are available, along with many other English speaking shops, businesses and services, for which you may sometimes pay more. It is however quite difficult to buy brand new English books though, the best places may be charity and secondhand shops. The British and Irish have been holidaying and buying property in Portugal for years and demand is only on the increase so Portugal is doing something right!
When you google 'what are the easiest languages for English speakers to learn' Portuguese often pops up in the top 10. We think this is for two main reasons:-
1. It has virtually the same alphabet to English except for a few accents here and there for letters like 'c', 'o' and 'a', and the 'i' sounds like an 'e' and the 'e' sounds like an 'i' and 'x' sounds like 'shhh'. You will rarely see 'w' used in Portuguese words. The other main difference is some objects are masculine and feminine which makes a difference whether you use an 'a' (feminine) or 'o' (masculine) at the beginning before the main word and often at the end, which you don't get in the English language. For example, 'a mesa' (the table) is feminine.
2. It is mostly pronounced as you see it for example muito obrigado (which means thank you very much) sounds like 'mute-toe' 'ob-bri-gard' (often the last 'o' is silent, mostly because it is said so quickly). The key to making it sound authentic is to say it fast and with an accent, don't use your own accent.
As well as the language to consider, you may also have heard that the cost of living in Portugal is very cheap so this list may surprise you.
4 Things More Expensive in Portugal
If you want to find out more about the cost of living in Portugal (that's for another Blog) or have any other questions, or you want to Sell or Buy a house or business - get in touch.
When it comes to home ownership, if you use an English speaking licensed Real Estate Agent or Property Manager in the Algarve, such as Diamond Properties Algarve, you will be spoken to, heard and written to in English. You will find much of your official home documentation will be in Portuguese, including your Deeds, tax and utility bills. As your Property Manager we deal with all that for you, opening your post, paying your bills and organising and caring for your home. If you have an English speaking solicitor she/he will help translate for you but in official situations you may prefer to hire an independent translator/interpreter (featured in our list, see below) but repeatedly hiring someone to translate can be costly, so the best advice is learn the language. We have a free resource of online courses, detailed in our free list available to request below.
5 Top Tips to Get By in Portuguese:
The author of this Blog is probably one of the worst for learning languages but marrying a Portuguese speaker helps in most cases, or drinking Rose, though neither are a recommendation to resolve a language barrier!
Thank you very much for reading our Blog. We hope you found it useful, let us know if it helped you in any way we are always interested in feedback. If you found other ways to get by in Portugal or you have a different experience to share, let us know. There are so many ways we can help you, and we're happy to, if there's a subject we haven't covered in our Blogs let us know and we will try to cover it for you in a future Blog.
Get in touch for our free resource list or when you're ready to make the move.
www.DiamondPropertiesAlgarve.com
