I grew up speaking Spanish in my home and learning Spanish throughout school. I lived in Miami for a bit and we frequently traveled back and forth from Buenos Aires to visit family and friends. I have been able to utilize my Spanish so much while growing up in the US and I have witnessed the first hand value of having two languages, which pushed me to learn a third. Portuguese is quite similar to Spanish. With sharing so much vocabulary and having similar grammar rules, going from Spanish to Portuguese I felt like I already had a foot in the door. However, due to the close proximity in the languages I have begun speaking the hybrid of Portuñol. 

I have only been studying Portuguese for less than a year right now, so my skills are mainly in listening and writing with basic speaking skills. Due to my current level, I usually fill in unknown Portuguese words with Spanish words and hope for the best (which oftentimes works haha). The downside of this is I have begun saying things like “yo falou mucho” or “eu tengo hambre.” It is normal when learning a new language to slow your progression on another, but I found ways that have been helping me separate the two in my head.

The best way to teach your brain to separate the languages is to study both languages simultaneously. At Umass I take both Spanish and Portuguese classes, but in my free time I found some hacks to immerse myself in the languages and help tell them apart. 

Hack number one is to listen to a lot of international music. I utilize the lyrics section of my spotify to read alongside the music to understand and teach myself new vocabulary. My second hack is to change the language settings of your social media to the target language. Currently, my tik tok is in Portuguese and although the creators speak very quickly, I have been able to work on my listening comprehension and cultural knowledge while enjoying social media. And my third and final hack is to watch international shows. Even just 10 minutes a day watching a show in a target language will improve language skills. Some Portuguese netflix recommendations: 3% or Too Hot to Handle Brazil. There is nothing more rewarding than going from 0 comprehension to realizing you understand a majority of the new language.

Although transitioning from just Spanish to adding Portuguese can cause some language issues, the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Even today as I was subbing in my local middle school, I was able to utilize Portuguese at work and establish a connection with some the kids in a special way.