Brazilian Portuguese isn’t just a magnificent language, it’s also becoming increasingly useful and sought after at the professional level.  As you may already know, I’m currently learning Portuguese. Why? Because I adore its musicality and have fallen in love with Brazil and its culture (in particular its music).  For those of you who are looking for more practical reasons, I’ve investigated why people choose to learn Portuguese. Here are 11 great reasons.

Updated: 24/08/2016

Brazilian Portugese

1. Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world

Approximately 208 million people are native speakers of Portuguese, which makes it the sixth most common language in the world. This figure jumps to 218 million if we include people who speak Portuguese as a second language.

11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

2. Portuguese is spoken in 11 countries on 4 continents

Portuguese is the official language of not only Portugal and Brazil but also Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Macau (China), Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, and Goa (India). It is also spoken in numerous other countries (check out the map below) and is an official language of the European Union. Learning Portuguese opens the doors to a number of countries and job markets (especially in Brazil).

Brazilian Portuguese
“Map of the Portuguese language in the world” from Wikipedia (License Creative Commons)

3. Brazil is a great place to live

11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalinguaTired of hearing talk of the economic crisis and the unemployment rate in Europe? Brazil seems to have become an El Dorado for Europeans looking for new opportunities, with an average annual growth of 8%, a quickly growing job market, and a record-breaking employment rate. Brazil is looking for professionals in all sectors. This is why every year thousands of people decide to move to Brazil. However, in order for a Brazilian adventure to give you the results you expect, you need to learn Portuguese.

4. The number of Portuguese speakers is on the rise

In the coming years, more and more people will spe11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalinguaak Portuguese as a result of Brazil’s economic and demographic growth, among other things. UNESCO estimates that, in 2050, Portuguese will be spoken by approximately 335 million people.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Trade is increasing between the world and Brazil11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

Since 1995, Brazilian imports and exports have practically doubled. It’s reasonable to expect that trade between US & Europe and Brazil will continue to increase.

Therefore, knowing Portuguese can help you find a job or put you in a good position in companies that are or that will be in contact with this South American powerhouse.

 

6. Portuguese is relatively easy to learn

11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua
Portuguese is a rather easy language to learn, especially if you already know some French, Spanish or Italian because a number of words are nearly identical. As for grammar, English and Portuguese organize sentences in the same order (noun – verb – complement)
. And who doesn’t have a Portuguese neighbour, acquaintance, or friend with whom to practise speaking without having to move to another country?

If we compare Portuguese to languages of other developing countries (Mandarin or Korean, for example), learning Portuguese is walk in the park!

7. Few English speakers also speak Portuguese (less competition)11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

If we compare the number of English speakers who also speak French, German, Spanish, etc. with those whose second language is Brazilian Portuguese, there are significantly less speakers of Portuguese as a second language. This means that you will have less competition for jobs in all sectors if you focus on learning Portuguese.

 

8. Brazilian Portuguese is a desired language in a number of professional sectors (tourism, international trade, research, etc.)11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

Portuguese is spoken in a number of tourist destinations, such as Portugal, Madeira, Brazil, and the Cape Verde archipelago. Economic prosperity is pushing the Brazilian middle class to Europe, so it will become more and more important for tourism professionals (guides, interpreters, group leaders, etc.) to be able to communicate in Brazilian Portuguese. Because of Europe’s increasing trade with Brazil, interpreters and translators are more and more in demand (and as I said before, there isn’t much competition at the moment), as well as engineers, doctors, lawyers, salespeople, and marketing specialists who can speak Portuguese.

9. Portuguese is the fifth most common language on the Web11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

Portuguese is also becoming more popular online due to new technological developments. Around 83 million Internet surfers speak Portuguese, and the number of webpages in Portuguese continues to increase. This makes Portuguese one of the most common languages on the Web.

 

10. Brazil will host the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games

Brazilian Portuguese

Brazil is hosting the coming Football World Cup (2014), and Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games. Not only will the eyes of the world be focused on Brazil for the next four years, but these events will also create lots of employment opportunities in this country, in bordering countries, and in all of Brazil’s partner nations.

11. Brazilian Portuguese culture is wonderful

11-great-reasons-to-learn-brazilian-portuguese-mosalingua

Music, literature, cinema, arts … Portuguese-speaking countries truly have a lot of offer. The culture will definitely move you. Given that passion is one of the key factors in learning a language, this will make learning Portuguese even easier for you!

 So, have I convinced you to learn Portuguese?

If you’re still not convinced, I must say that Brazilians are very good looking, and it’s certainly worth communicating with them to find a Brazilian boyfriend or girlfriend. I’m kidding!! However, this really is a great way to learn a language! 😉

 

You can learn Brazilian Portuguese with MosaLingua Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese

Are you looking for a fast and easy way to learn Portuguese? Then the MosaLingua Portuguese application is for you! Using MosaLingua’s proven method, you can learn Brazilian Portuguese in less than 10 minutes per day!

 

Download the application for your iPhone, iPad,
Android device (smartphone and tablet) or use it on your computer