italian or portuguese language?

Question

im undecided whether to study portuguese or italian. im fluent already in French and Spanish. Italian is such a pretty romantic language compared to portuguese although less people speak it. I have a feeling also that i might learn italian faster due to the words and pronounciation. while portuguese have some hard accent and hard pronounciation sometimes. the thing about portuguese is that it is spoken internationally just about every continent. but if my girlfriend is learning Italian then I should learn italian right to converse with her?

Answer 1

Learn both, they'll come in great use. Who is to say you won't ever take a trip to Italy, or Brazil? (or Portugal, depending on which Portuguese you learn)

I'd advise you to learn Italian first, since you speak Spanish and it'll be easier to pick up on. But to be honest, Portuguese is also easy to understand. I speak Spanish as well and I can understand quite a lot of Portuguese, especially when seeing it written. The pronunciations are a bit tough sometimes, but once you get the feel for it, it gets so much easier.

Just because your girlfriend is learning Italian doesn't mean you have to, though.

Answer 2

Well since it seems as though you like Italian more why not try learning this language first? Then maybe you could learn Portuguese later on or even try learning Portuguese by yourself. I study Spanish in school and teach myself Portuguese at home, so it is possible. To tell you the truth learning both languages will be very rewarding. Italy is a beautiful country from what I hear and with a wealth of history and famous sites. Plus they have a well off economy (ranked 7th in the word I believe). So knowing their language can really pay off. But at the same time don't knock off Portuguese so quickly either. While at first listen Portuguese may not sound as elegant as Italian or French it honestly has a beauty all its own. Once you get the hang of it I find it really fun to speak. Plus like you said there are many speakers around the world. With the huge population of Brazil, the only Portuguese speaking country in S. America, they account for 51% of the continents population. This makes Portuguese THE most spoken language there, not Spanish like most believe.
Good Luck with your decision!

Answer 3

I also speak Spanish and French. I also speak Italian. Italian will be a lot easier to learn then Portuguese (I have tried to study Portuguese). The grammar structure in French is identical to the grammar structure in Italian. The pronunciation of Italian is more like Spanish. Anyway, I advise you to learn Italian because it is the fifth most studied language in the world (under English, Spanish, French, and Germen).

Answer 4

I only say Italian because I love Italian food and I would like to travel there someday. I usually start with the easy things first and then I am familiar with it. At least you'll be learning with your girlfriend. Maybe you'll learn both languages. In my opinion if you learn Portuguese you'll find it a little difficult and sooner or later you'll want to learn Italian. I'd say go with Italian, then later you can learn Portuguese.
Good Luck!
By the way, I am taking 9th Advanced Spanish and in the 7th grade. Very easy and fun to learn. =)

Answer 5

Portuguese.

Answer 6

For starters who saif ya can't learn both? I would go for Italiano first as it is the other corner of the triage (french, spanish,italian/latin) And there are plenty of people who speak Italian. Like most of NYC for example lol. Here's a starter for ya. Sono stato in italia 7 anni! E diventata casa per me e non penso di andar mai via! Ma forse tornero anche un po nel gli stati uniti. Solo per visitare pero. Ciao!!!

Answer 7

there must be a reason that you are learning different languages. if it is for a future job/career prospect, try learning both. if its for your own fun, learn italian first, since you know spanish already. and it would be nice to talk with your gf, since she is learning italian.

Answer 8

if your girlfriend already knows English i don't think you'll have a problem conversing with her.