Portuñol Examples: 9 Tips to Stop Mixing Spanish and Portuguese

Portuñol (or portunhol, as we write it in Brazil) is the mix of Spanish and Portuguese that pops up when a Spanish speaker tries to speak Portuguese and fills the gaps with Spanish words, pronunciation, or verb endings. So, what is portuñol exactly? It isn't an official language, and it isn't correct Portuguese either. It's a normal stage of learning, but if you don't fix it early, it turns into a habit.

Below you'll find real portuñol examples, the kind we Brazilians hear all the time: saying "Eu sento que não falo bem" instead of "Eu sinto", talking about "o viaje" when in Portuguese it's "a viagem", or writing "estaba" with a B when the correct spelling is "estava". These portuñol words look harmless, but they instantly show that you're translating from Spanish.

Whether you learned Spanish in school, grew up speaking it at home, or live near the Uruguay-Brazil border (where border portuñol is actually considered a local dialect), I'm sharing 9 practical tips, side-by-side tables of words and phrases, and a free PDF so you can stop mixing Spanish and Portuguese and start sounding like a Brazilian.

Download the PDF: How to Avoid Speaking Portuñol

Save the PDF on your computer or phone so you can come back to it anytime.

What Is Portuñol?

Portuñol (or "portunhol", as we write it in Brazil) isn't an official language. It's an improvised mix of Spanish and Portuguese that happens when Spanish speakers and Brazilians try to understand each other with whatever words they have on hand. The exception is the Uruguay-Brazil border, where border portuñol is considered a local dialect. If you want to hear how it sounds in a real conversation, check out when you speak portuñol without realizing it.

Portuñol is when you mix Portuguese with Spanish, make spelling and pronunciation mistakes and, of course, end up embarrassed by "false friends". In this video I explain everything you need to improve your Portuguese without speaking "portuñol".

Videos focused on teaching you Portuguese words that look a lot like Spanish but have different meanings.

In the next video I give you 9 tips to avoid speaking "portuñol".

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Tip 1: Prefer the Words We Actually Use in Brazil

One of the subtlest portuñol examples is using words that do exist in Portuguese but that we Brazilians hardly ever say, because they sound formal, old-fashioned, or too close to Spanish. The left column has those "correct but weird" words, and the right column has the ones you'll actually hear in Brazil.

(Full word list in the How to Avoid Speaking Portuñol PDF)

4 Examples in Sentences

• Oxalá / Tomara
  Tomara que você consiga recuperar o dinheiro perdido
• Mareado / Enjoado
  Já estou ficando enjoado com tantas curvas nessa estrada. (tonto / tontura)
• Adornar / Decorar
  O arquiteto que contratamos não soube decorar bem a casa
• Alcançar / Atingir
  Você vai conseguir atingir seu objetivo.

Tip 2: Keep Your Portuguese and Spanish Pronunciation Apart

Your accent is the first thing that gives portuñol away, even when the words themselves are right. In Brazil, a final "E" sounds like the "ee" in "see", a final "O" sounds like the "oo" in "too", a final "R" almost disappears, and "T" and "D" before an "ee" sound turn into "ch" (as in "cheese") and "j" (as in "jeep"). These examples help you keep the two sound systems apart.

Different pronunciation

• Inglês / Inglêis / Inglêish
• Paz / Paiz / Paish
• Três / Treis / Treish
• Faz / Faiz / Faish
• Mas / Mais / Maish
• Mês / Meis / Meish
• Atrás / Atrais / Atraish

Final "E" sounds like "ee"

• Equipe - Equipi
• Canivete - Caniveti
• Filme - Filmi

Final "O" sounds like "oo"

• Abraço - Abraçu
• Amigo - Amigu
• Carro - Carru
• Obrigado - Obrigadu (different ways to say thank you in Portuguese)
• São Paulo - São Paulu

Final R is almost silent

• Calor - Calô
• Amor - Amô (mô)
• Prazer - Prazê
• Comer - Comê
• Fazer - Fazê

Letter R - Detail ("gringo" R, Spanish R, French R)

• Porta
• Amor
• Cor
• Prazer
• Por Favor

Letters "T" and "D"

• Tio / Tchio
• Noite / Noiti / Noitchi
• Dia / Djia
• Saudade / Saudadi / Saudadji

Initial "E" sounds like "ee"

• Escola / Iscola / Ishcola
• Esquenta / Isquenta / Ishquenta
• Estúpido / Istúpido / Ishtúpido

Recommended Sites to Find Word Examples

Whenever you're unsure how a word is used, these two sites show real examples in context: Dicio for Portuguese and Palabrasque for Spanish. They're perfect for comparing both languages before you slip into a mix.

Dicio: https://www.dicio.com.br/exemplos-de-palavras/
Palabrasque: https://www.palabrasque.com/

What Is the Neutral Brazilian Accent?

There's no official neutral accent in Brazil. What people call "neutral" is usually the pronunciation you hear on national TV news, without strong regional features. In the video I explain why using it as a reference helps keep your accent from blending with Spanish.

[Full post here]

Tip 3: Avoid the Most Common Portuñol Pronunciation Mistakes

These are the sounds where portuñol stands out the most: "zão" versus "ção", the "V" that many Spanish speakers pronounce like a "B" (in Portuguese it's a clear V, like in "very"), the "CH" that sounds like the "sh" in "shoe", and the open or closed vowel in "avô" (grandfather) and "avó" (grandmother). And if you feel like nobody tells you when you get it wrong, there's a reason: why we Brazilians don't correct you.

• Razão / Ração
• Vinho
• Estava
• Churrasco
• Chuva
• Colchão
• Avô / Avó (video here)

Full playlist: TIPS to avoid pronunciation mistakes

Homographs in Portuguese

Words that are spelled the same but don't sound the same and have different meanings.

Molho o chão com água (to wet) / Molho bolonhesa (Bolognese sauce)

Colher as frutas (to pick) / Colher para tomar sopa (spoon)

Jogo (I play) / Jogo (game, match)

Full post about homographs (sentences and reading with audio)

Perfect Homonyms

These are words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings.

Some examples of perfect homonyms:

Heterotonic Words: Same Spelling in Spanish and Portuguese (Examples)

Heterotonic words are spelled the same or almost the same, but the stressed syllable changes. Here are some examples:

Heterotonic Words: Different Spelling in Spanish and Portuguese (Examples)

Here, besides the stressed syllable, the spelling changes too: an accent mark appears or disappears ("límite" / "limite", "cerebro" / "cérebro"), or the ending is different, like "oxígeno" / "oxigênio". Pronouncing them with Spanish stress is one of the most common portuñol mistakes.

Tip 4: Learn How Irregular Verbs Are Conjugated

Irregular verbs produce tons of portuñol examples because their conjugation looks just like Spanish, but it isn't: in Brazil we say "eu dei", not "eu di"; "eu peço", not "eu pido"; and "eu sinto", not "eu sento". Here are the ones people mix up the most.

Conjugations that are correct in Spanish but serious mistakes in Portuguese

Verb Dar - Dei / Di

- ¿Dónde está mi billetera?
- Te la di ¿no?

- ¿Cadê minha carteira? (How to use Cadê and Onde está)
- Eu te dei, não?

Verb Pedir - Peço / Pido

- Sempre que peço comida no aplicativo chega bem rápido, mas agora meu celular tá descarregado.
- Deixa que eu peço no meu.

- Siempre que pido comida en la aplicación me llega muy rápido, pero ahora mi teléfono está descargado
- Deja yo pido en el mío.

Verb Sentir - Sinto / Siento

Yo siento que no hablo bien.
Eu sinto que não falo bem (the common mistake is saying "Eu sento que...")

Video: 20 Irregular Verbs in Portuguese You Need to Learn

(Full post on irregular verbs in Portuguese here)

Full List of the 20 Irregular Verbs

There are tons of ways to conjugate these verbs in Portuguese, and many of the forms are the same as or similar to Spanish. So I picked out the conjugations that are the most different, so you can focus on them. If you want to see every conjugation, click the verb in the list.

Conjugations That Are Correct in Portuguese but Serious Mistakes in Spanish

This is portuñol in reverse: past participles that are totally correct in Portuguese, like "morrido", "resolvido", or "devolvido", would be serious mistakes in Spanish. In compound tenses, we Brazilians use these regular forms, so don't try to copy the Spanish "muerto" or "resuelto".

(Full post here)

Verb Resolver: Resolvido / Resuelto

• Todos os problemas foram resolvidos.
• Todos los problemas fueron resueltos.

Verb Desenvolver: Desenvolvido - Desarrollado

• Esse projeto já está muito desenvolvido.
• Este proyecto ya está muy desarrollado.

Verb Devolver: Devolvido - Devuelto

• O carro foi devolvido sem nenhum problema.
• El auto fue devuelto sin ningún problema.

Verb Envolver: Envolvido - Involucrado

• Eu não tinha nem ideia que ele tava envolvido nesse escândalo.
• Yo no tenía idea que él estaba involucrado en este escándalo.

Verb Voltar: Voltado - Vuelto

• Se eu fosse você eu teria voltado pra lá.
• Si yo fuera usted hubiera vuelto para allá

Verb Morrer: Morrido - Muerto

• Quando eu cheguei lá ele já tinha morrido.
• Cuando yo llegué él ya había muerto.

Ways to say DIE in Portuguese

Verb Traduzir: Traduziu - Tradujo

• Ela traduziu o documento completo sem nenhum erro.
• Ella tradujo el documento completo sin ningún error.

Verb Progredir: Progredido - Progresado

• Fico feliz de que você tenha progredido.
• Me alegro que hayas progresado.

Verb Entregar: Entregue - Entregado

• As provas foram entregues ao diretor do colégio.
• Los exámenes fueron entregados al director del colegio.

Verb Produzir: Produziu - Produjo

• Ele produziu muitos vídeos ensinando Português
• Él produjo muchos videos enseñando portugués

17 English Words Pronounced the Brazilian Way

Some English words that we Brazilians pronounce in a more "Portuguese-ified" way, with a Brazilian accent.

(Full post here)

Tip 5: Don't Fall for False Friends

False cognates, or "false friends", are Portuguese words spelled the same as in Spanish that mean something completely different. Here's a list.

• Propina = Bribe (Spanish: soborno)
• Apelido = Nickname (Spanish: apodo)
• Tarado = Pervert (Spanish: pervertido)
• Pagar em espécie = Pay in cash (Spanish: pagar en efectivo)

(Full post here)

Never say PICADURA in Brazil

Tip 6: Learn the Correct Spelling of Look-Alike Words

Sooner or later you'll want to write a Portuguese word and, because it looks so much like Spanish, you'll forget which spelling is which.

Serious Mistakes Made by Foreigners (and Sometimes by Us Brazilians)

With these words, portuñol shows up in the spelling: "harmonia" does take an H in Portuguese, "ombros" doesn't, "próprio" has two Rs, and "suborno" swaps the O for a U. Even plenty of us Brazilians get them wrong, so they're worth memorizing.

• Armonía - Harmonia
• Propio - Próprio
• Soborno - Suborno
• Hombros - Ombros

Mistakes Made by Foreigners

Here the mistake comes from copying Spanish spelling: in Portuguese, the H in "prohibido" disappears, the Z in "zapato" becomes an S, "estava" is spelled with a V, and expressions like "através" and "talvez" are written as one word.

• Prohibido - Proibido
• Veces - Vezes
• Estaba - Estava (mixing up "B" and "V")
• Zapato - Sapato
• Exhibe - Exibe
• A través - Através
• Tal vez - Talvez

Tip 7: Don't Mix Up Word Genders

Many words switch gender between the two languages, and using the Spanish article is a classic portuñol example: we say "a viagem", "a ponte", and "o leite", even though in Spanish they're "el viaje", "el puente", and "la leche". Here are both full lists.

Words That Are Masculine in Spanish but Feminine in Portuguese

A handy tip: almost every Spanish word ending in "-aje" is masculine, but in Portuguese it ends in "-agem" and is feminine, like "a viagem", "a garagem", or "a paisagem".

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Words That Are Feminine in Spanish but Masculine in Portuguese

There are patterns here too: several appliances that end in "-dora" in Spanish, like "la computadora" or "la licuadora", are masculine in Portuguese and end in "-dor" ("o computador", "o liquidificador"). The rest, like "o leite" or "o sangue", you'll just have to memorize.

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A post shared by Portugués con Philipe Brazuca (@philipebrazuca)

Tip 8: Learn the Portuguese Words That Cover Two Spanish Words, Depending on Context

Spanish has lots of words with very similar spellings that you choose depending on context. In Portuguese, many of them have a single version that works in any context.

• In Spanish: Tus papás supieron criarte muy bien, ahora piensas en crear tu propio negocio?
• In Portuguese it would be: Teus pais te criaram muito bem, agora você pensa em criar seu próprio negócio?

Here's the full list of words to keep in mind. Honestly, I think Portuguese is simpler in this respect.

Video: Differences Between Spanish and Portuguese

Beyond individual words, portuñol comes from differences in grammar, pronunciation, and usage that aren't always obvious at first glance. In this video I sum up the differences between Spanish and Portuguese that confuse Spanish speakers the most.

(Full post here)

Tip 9: Watch Brazilian Movies

Movies are a really fun way to learn Portuguese: you'll pick up lots of expressions and accents from different parts of Brazil. I recorded a video about the best way to improve your Portuguese with Brazilian movies.

(Full post here: How to learn Portuguese with movies)

• 8 Brazilian Movies That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud
• Movies to Improve Your Portuguese
• The Best Brazilian Series on Netflix/HBO
• The Best Brazilian Series on Netflix