<p>The prospect of the World Cup and all aspects of Brazil along with Portugal have really hyped me up to learn a language like Portuguese. I'm well versed in Spanish, and I've heard that the phonetics/vocab/etc. are very similar between both languages, so that might ease my voyage through the language.</p>
<p>How do you all recommend to get going?</p>
<p>I can spend a good amount and I have lots of time.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to find resources for some of these less commonly taught languages. This is rather surprising considering that there are 250M Portuguese speakers and the economic development of the BRIC counties. Even at university level, most places will not offer a Portuguese program. I’m proficient in Spanish and Italian, but I do not speak Portuguese. I have some Brazilian friends at school, and I can tell you that the grammar and vocabulary are very similar, but the phonetics are not. My friends can understand most of my Spanish, but I understand maybe a third of their Portuguese. However, if I read a Brazilian magazine, I can generally understand it.</p>
<p>European Portuguese is even worse; they seem to cut off or swallow half the syllables.</p>
<p>In researching some colleges, I have come across a few that offer a Portuguese for Spanish Speakers series that teaches 2 year of Portuguese in one. I might consider doing that. Or perhaps studying abroad in Brazil could be an option.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>A point to consider: Portuguese is actually more similar grammatically to French than to Spanish. You should also consider whether you want to learn Portuguese Portuguese or Brazilian Portuguese. There are grammatical differences and substantial pronunciation differences. But I think the best way to learn is to start listening to things in a language, and start reading easy books, even if you have to look up every single word in a Portuguese to English dictionary. If you have disposable income, Concordia Language Villages also has a Portuguese camp site if you want an immersion experience</p>
<p>@skieurope @jazzcatastrophe </p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve researched quite a bit beforehand and found out the same things you know regarding the fairly easy comprehension of Spanish by Portuguese speakers and the difference between Brazilian and original Portuguese. I’ve primarily decided to learn Brazilian Portuguese given BRIC standpoint recently mentioned. </p>
<p>So far, it sounds like a long shot, and I’m not one to look at pictures and try to learn a language as attempted by Rosetta Stone.</p>
<p>I’d still really like to learn Portuguese; I just need a solid method.</p>