Which language sounds closer to Spanish phonetically?

**Sikeliot** · 03-13-2012, 05:55 PM

Between these two choices only. Romanian and European Portuguese.

Romanian;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMHLiCmZBro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7aa-8sFqVc

European Portuguese;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJ9QiF909w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3SLr...eature=related

**Europa** · 03-13-2012, 06:01 PM

From these two,Portuguese of course.Spanish,Italian and Portuguese are based on Latin,therefore It is absolutelly normal to be very close.Kind of like the Slavic languages.

**Malva** · 03-13-2012, 06:02 PM

Greek and Finnish.

**Sikeliot** · 03-13-2012, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Europa

From these two,Portuguese of course.Spanish,Italian and Portuguese are based on Latin,therefore It is absolutelly normal to be very close.Kind of like the Slavic languages.

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

**~~Raskolnikov~~** · 03-13-2012, 06:05 PM

Greek and Finnish.

They are strangely similar, at least Greek.

**jerney** · 03-13-2012, 06:05 PM

Of the two, Portuguese. I agree with Fresa about Greek though. The first time I heard Greek (in a video that Absinthe posted

) I thought it sounded a lot like Spanish but with more fricatives (the theta and delta sounds) and occasionally a pseudo-Slavic thing going on. As for Finnish, I don't really find it similar to Spanish, but it's definitely more melodic than most Germanic languages

**Midori** · 03-13-2012, 06:08 PM

Portuguese. Romanian has Slavic influence which makes it a bit different than the rest of the Romance languages

**jerney** · 03-13-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Clementina

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

Romanian sounds like a Slavic language with Latin influence. Portuguese sounds like a Romance language with some pseudo-Slavic sounds occasionally (kind of like Greek, but I think Greek sounds more similar to Spanish than Portuguese does)

**Sikeliot** · 03-13-2012, 06:09 PM

If I had said which sounds closer to Italian, would you guys have still picked Portuguese? Or is it only because I said Spanish and people assume everything about Spanish and Portuguese to be identical?

**~~Raskolnikov~~** · 03-13-2012, 06:11 PM

If I had said which sounds closer to Italian, would you guys have still picked Portuguese? Or is it only because I said Spanish and people assume everything about Spanish and Portuguese to be identical?

I picked Portuguese because it reminds me of the core Castilian accent and vice-versa. It's complicated anyway, because of regional differences, with Italian regions also.