Will the language barrier be a problem in Portugal?

Expert Info

Posted by

on 13 Aug 2014

Hi there

Moving to the Algarve with my husband and 2 kids. We are moving from the UK. I am concerned about us settling in and getting on well with the locals.

While I speak a bit of Spanish,I don't know much Portuguese. Will our lack of language skills ruin our experience?

Please let me know your thoughts.

Sally

Anonymous (not verified) on 14 Aug 2014 - 08:48

Hi Sally,

While learning Portuguese will certainly help you settle in, it is not always essential in places like the Algarve, which have a booming tourist industry and large expat population. You should consider taking a basic language course before or soon after moving to the Algarve, it will certainly help you.

You can read more about adjusting to the Portuguese way of life on the Culture Shock in Portugal page.

One other thing, lots of people think they can get away with speaking Spanish because its similar to Portuguese, but in fact it isn't and it will most likely be quite offensive to locals.

Good luck

Shantalie

Anonymous (not verified) on 25 Feb 2015 - 09:12

Hi Sally I have only just joined the forum so assume you are already established in the Algarve and have found out for yourself that in most instances you can speak English. As Shantalie says the Algarve is heavily populated with Ex-pats,predominantly from the UK,so language isn't a barrier.However strongly suggest you learn the language, Be aware of the dialect differences between Algarve Portuguese and Lisbon Portuguese,plus the 'trap' of online Portuguese which is actually Brazillian (USA sites) and not spoken here.Otherwise welcome to the most beautiful country on earth imo.with the best climate and lovely friendly people

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