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Different words in Spanish and Portuguese
First release 14 October 2006, plus many later additions
Introduction:
Disregarding pronunciation differences, Spanish and Portuguese are very similar languages. A large proportion of the vocabulary, including conjugated verbs, of each language can be derived from the other one by simple transformation rules.
However, quite a few often-used words are different. I am compiling a list of them here.
Lexical differences
The idea is to include only words with a different etymological background here. Some words seem very different at the surface, but the difference can easily be explained by transformations in the course of each language's history.
Next is a list of words that are not included, and the reason why not.
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | Reason for non-inclusion |
|---|---|---|
| mujer | mulher | Spanish j corresponds regularly to Portuguese lh |
| hijo, hilo, hablar, hacer | filho, fio, falar, fazer | Spanish h corresponds regularly to Portuguese (and Latin!) f |
| solo, hilo | só, fio | Portuguese loss of l between vowels |
| cena, tener | ceia, ter | Portuguese loss of n between vowels |
| solano | soão | Portuguese loss of l between vowels; n between a and o is lost but nasalises the diphthong |
| playa | praia | Latin pl regularly developed into pr in Portuguese |
| llorar | chorar | Latin pl regularly developed into ll in Spanish, and into ch in Portuguese |
So here are the words that are included:
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| todavía, aún | ainda | still, yet |
| pueblo, aldea | aldeia | village |
| pueblo | povo | people |
| romero | alecrim | rosemary |
| cifra, guarismo, dígito | algarismo | digit |
| redondeo | arredondamento | rounding (of numbers) |
| aduana | alfândega | customs (at port of entry) |
| desayuno | pequeno almoço | breakfast |
| balsa | jangada, balsa | raft |
| columpio, mecedor | baloiço, balouço | swing (Italian: altalena) |
| mariposa | borboleta, mariposa | butterfly |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| coche | carro | car |
| roble | carvalho (roble, alvarinho) | oak |
| temprano, pronto | cedo | early |
| té | chá 8 | tea |
| olor | cheiro, odor | smell |
| tren | comboio | train |
| bailar | dançar | to dance |
| baile | dança | dance |
| enfermo, malo | doente | sick, ill |
| enfermedad | doença | illness |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| donde | onde | where |
| dedonde | donde | from where |
| menú | ementa | menu |
| mientras | enquanto | while |
| olvidar | esquecer | to forget |
| cuchillo | faca | knife |
| cerrar | fechar, cerrar | close |
| quedar | ficar | to stay, to remain |
| caer | cair | to fall |
| caída | queda | fall (the act of falling) |
| película | filme | film |
| pollo | frango | chicken |
| botella | garrafa, botelha | bottle |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| amar | amar | to love |
| querer | querer | to want |
| querer | gostar de | to love |
| gustar | gostar de | to love, to like; different usage 1 5 |
| guitarra | viola2, violão3 4 | Spanish guitar |
| guitarra portuguesa | guitarra | Portuguese guitar |
| cenar | jantar | have a late dinner |
| ventana | janela | windows |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| ancho | largo | wide |
| anchura | largura | width |
| largo | comprido | long |
| largura | comprimento | length |
| complemento | complemento | complement |
| subjuntivo (conjuntivo) | conjuntivo (subjuntivo) | subjunctive mode |
| subasta | hasta, leilão | auction |
| recordar | lembrar, recordar | remind, remember |
| despertar | acordar | wake up |
| aleación | liga | alloy |
| basura | lixo | waste, garbage |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| tienda | loja | shop |
| tienda | tenda | tent |
| lejos | longe | far away |
| cerca | perto | close by |
| morir (single r; ‑ir verb) | morrer (double r; ‑er verb) | die |
| morar | morar | live, dwell |
| vivir (-ir verb) | viver (-er verb) | live |
| taller | oficina | (car) workshop, garage |
| oficina, escritorio | escritório | office |
| cubierto | talher | cutlery, flatware, silverware, dining utensils |
| carnicería | talho | butcher, butcher’s |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| anteayer | anteontem | the day before yesterday |
| ayer por la mañana | ontem de manhã | yesterday morning |
| anoche, ayer por la noche | ontem à noite | yesterday evening |
| ayer | ontem | yesterday |
| por la noche | à noite6 | in the evening |
| por la noche | de noite (à noite)6 | at night |
| por la mañana | de manhã | in the morning |
| mañana | manhã | morning |
| mañana | amanhã | tomorrow |
| mañana por la mañana | amanhã de manhã | tomorrow morning |
| pasado mañana | depois de amanhã | the day after tomorrow |
| albahaca | manjericão | basil |
| más | mais | more |
| pero | mas | but |
| perro | cão | dog |
| pasta | massa | pasta |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| cambiar | mudar 5 | to change |
| nada | nada | nothing |
| nadie | ninguém | nobody |
| alguién | alguém | somebody |
| nido | ninho | nest |
| niño | menino | child, boy |
| niño, niña | criança | child |
| gracias | obrigado | thank you |
| gafas, anteojos | óculos | glasses |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| escenario, tablado | palco | stage (in a theater) |
| quizá, quizás | pode ser | maybe, perhaps |
| talvez | tal vez | maybe, perhaps |
| vale | pois | right, OK |
| aunque | porém, contudo, no entanto, etc. | however |
| sim embargo | porém, contudo, no entanto, etc. | however |
| ahorrar | poupar | save |
| regalo | prenda | gift, present |
| jamón | presunto | ham |
| Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |
| buscar | procurar, encontrar | (try to) find |
| ir por, buscar, sacar | buscar | go get |
| encontrar, hallar | encontrar | find |
| pensar | achar | have the opinion |
| habitación, dormitorio | quarto | (hotel)room |
| vivienda, casa, morada | habitação | house |
| calle | rua | street |
| teléfono | telefone | telephone; same origin, almost the same word, but different stress |
| falda | saia | skirt |
| sopa, potaje | sopa7 | soup |
| haber + participio | ter + particípio | (see grammars and my article) |
| rojo | vermelho | red |
| morado | roxo | purple |
| volver | voltar | return |
| tener ganas | ter vontade | to feel like (doing) | Spanish word | Portuguese word | English meaning |