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Is the word conversamos the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?
No
The difference between the two variants lies in spelling and pronunciation.
- Spelling: In Continental Portuguese (Portugal), a distinction is made in writing between the present tense and the preterite (past) tense. The preterite is written as conversámos (with an acute accent) to differentiate it from the present tense conversamos. In Brazilian Portuguese, the accent is omitted in both the present and the past tense.
- Pronunciation: In Portugal, unstressed vowels are much more "reduced" or closed (the 'a' might sound closer to a muffled 'e'), and the 's' at the end of syllables often takes a "sh" sound ([ʃ]). In Brazil, vowels are generally more open and clearly articulated, and the 's' is often dental or sibilant.
Brazilian Portuguese Examples
- Nós conversamos muito ontem à noite. (We talked a lot last night.)
- Nós conversamos sobre o trabalho todos os dias. (We talk about work every day.)
- Nós conversamos por horas no telefone. (We talked for hours on the phone.)
- Nós conversamos sobre o plano de amanhã. (We talk about tomorrow's plan.)
- Nós conversamos sobre o jogo de futebol. (We talked about the soccer match.)
Continental Portuguese Examples
- Nós conversámos muito ontem à noite. (We talked a lot last night.)
- Nós conversamos sobre o trabalho todos os dias. (We talk about work every day.)
- Nós conversámos durante horas ao telefone. (We talked for hours on the phone.)
- Nós conversamos sobre o plano de amanhã. (We talk about tomorrow's plan.)
- Nós conversámos sobre o jogo de futebol. (We talked about the soccer match.)
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· BR vs PT Word Differences