Common mistakes Brazilians make when speaking Spanish

Portuguese and Spanish are similar, which helps a lot. But that similarity also creates traps. Here are some common mistakes and how to fix them.

1. False friends

Some words look the same but mean something else:

• Exquisito means delicious, not "weird" (Portuguese esquisito).
• Embarazada means pregnant, not "embarrassed" (that's avergonzada).
• Polvo means dust; the animal (octopus) is pulpo.
• Oficina means office; a mechanic's shop is taller.
• Rato means a while; the animal (mouse) is ratón.

2. Dropping "lo" and "le"

Spanish uses object pronouns more often: ¿Viste la película? Sí, la vi. In Portuguese it's common to answer just "vi".

3. Mixing up "muy" and "mucho"

Use muy before adjectives and adverbs (muy bueno) and mucho with nouns and verbs (mucho trabajo, trabajo mucho).

4. Pronouncing everything the Portuguese way

In Spanish, v and b sound practically the same, and j has a stronger sound that comes from the throat. Listening to native speakers often is the best way to adjust your pronunciation.

How to avoid these mistakes

The fastest way is to practice conversation with native speakers and get corrected on the spot.