Short Portuguese Lessons

Conversion rules Spanish - Portuguese:

También en Español

The few existing differences between Portuguese and Spanish result from the separate evolution they had from vulgar latin. Many of these differences follow a pattern, and this can be used to convert many words from one language to the other. These rules, which may help in many cases, should not be considered universal. They apply only to a reduced set of words, and exceptions prevail. Keep that in mind!

These rules are intended for people who know Spanish. It should help you convert many Spanish words to their Portuguese counterparts. The reverse operation is not so simple!

The Spanish "ue" becomes Portuguese "o":

nuevo - novo
puerta - porta

The Spanish "ie" becomes Portuguese "e":

fiesta - festa
miedo - medo

Very often, words starting with "h" in Spanish, start with "f" in Portuguese. But there are many exceptions!

horno - forno
hormiga - formiga
hierro - ferro (see also rule 2)

Spanish endings "ión", "on", and "an" become Portuguese "ão":

televisión - televisão
razón - razão
capitán - capitão

Spanish plural endings "ones" and "anes" become Portuguese "ões" and "ães":

televisiones - televisões
razones - razões
capitanes - capitães

Spanish ending "able" becomes Portuguese "ável":

rentable - rentável
considerable - considerável

Spanish ending "dad" becomes Portuguese "dade":

igualdad - igualdade
nacionalidad - nacionalidade

Spanish words starting with "ll" very often convert to "ch" in Portuguese:

llamar - chamar
llave - chave

Last updated: 97/04/04