Is the word quanto the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?
No
While the word "quanto" maintains the same meaning, spelling, and grammatical category (interrogative pronoun/adjective or relative pronoun) in both dialects, there are differences in typical usage and pronunciation.
In Brazilian Portuguese, it is common to use the construction "quanto de" + [noun] (e.g., quanto de açúcar), whereas in Continental Portuguese, the preposition "de" is typically omitted (e.g., quanto açúcar). Additionally, the pronunciation differs significantly: Brazilian Portuguese features more open vowels and a more melodic, syllable-timed rhythm, while Continental Portuguese is much more "stress-timed," featuring heavy vowel reduction where unstressed vowels often become nearly silent.
Brazilian Portuguese Examples
- Quanto custa isso? (How much does this cost?)
- Quanto de açúcar você quer? (How much sugar do you want?)
- Eu não sei quanto tempo vai demorar. (I don't know how much time it will take.)
- Quanto de dinheiro você tem guardado? (How much money do you have saved?)
- Você não imagina quanto eu gosto de você. (You can't imagine how much I like you.)
Continental Portuguese Examples
- Quanto custa isto? (How much does this cost?)
- Quanto açúcar queres? (How much sugar do you want?)
- Não sei quanto tempo vai demorar. (I don't know how much time it will take.)
- Quanto dinheiro tens guardado? (How much money do you have saved?)
- Não imaginas quanto gosto de ti. (You can't imagine how much I like you.)
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· BR vs PT Word Differences