Portuguese, Spaniards and Italians: which language do you use when visiting each others' nations?

[Sebastianus Rex]

What do you mean by 'intuitively'? You just pick it up as you go along?

I speak basic italian (never formally learn it) and I understand almost everything (written or spoken), by practicing a bit it goes pretty fast.

[Tooting Carmen]

I speak basic italian (never formally learnt it) and I understand almost everything (written or spoken), by practicing a bit it goes pretty fast.

Actually, all the above is true for me too.

[Sebastianus Rex]

Actually, all the above is true for me too.

Even if my level of castillian and italian was insuficient, for me it doesn't make much sense to talk in english to peoples that have languages with so many similar words. Talk slowly + a bit of goodwill and everything goes well...besides, except in hotels and some touristic areas the level of english in those countries is usually bad or even nonexistant among the population above 50.

[Cristiano viejo]

Not English, that is for sure. I mean only English.
When I have been in Portugal we speak in Spanish all the time, and Portuguese speak to us in Portuguese all the time. No problem at all understanding each other.
When I was in Romania in 2011 we spoke in English and Spanish since A LOT of Romanians spoke Spanish or at least understood it. Some spoke Italian and, dont ask me how, they understood us perfectly and answered in Italian

[Ruderico]

English in Italy and France, Spanish in Spain, except Galicia in which Portuguese or Portugalego works well enough

[Viriatus91]

Native Portuguese speaker, I studied both Spanish and French as well and would say that I am fluent in all three and I make an effort to read news or books in all three. So in Portuguese speaking countries, I speak Portuguese, though in Brazil I will tend to speak a bit slower and tend to use terms that are more well known there such as cardapio rather than ementa. Lately I started practicing Italian online and I've visited the country several times, I would say that I can understand 95% and can speak decent Italian. If that fails I tend to fall back on English because it is largely universal now, if the person with whom I am speaking does not speak English I ask if they speak French, and failing that Spanish, in that order.

[Tannhauser]

How well do the Brazilians understand you?

I suppose they can tell you better. The language are similar and fonetically pronunciation of brasilian portuguese and rioplatense are open than their peninsular counterparts.

If they are lucky they learn some at school. Here in Buenos Aires are plenty of medicine (economics is growing) students from Brazil taking all the degree lessons in rioplatense.

Meeting them in random situations, besides they are students or tourist, the language would be spanish from my side and potuguese/spanish from them.

I bring an example, note that the argentine journalist asks in spanish and brasilian player replies in portuguese. There is no translate by the journalist or the tv.

The video starts with the post-match interview before that is the full match Flamengo 4 - 0 San Lorenzo.



Here an Ad promoting studying in Argentina Unis.

I guess spanish is taught at schools.

[Sebastianus Rex]

Native Portuguese speaker, I studied both Spanish and French as well and would say that I am fluent in all three and I make an effort to read news or books in all three. So in Portuguese speaking countries, I speak Portuguese, though in Brazil I will tend to speak a bit slower and tend to use terms that are more well known there such as cardapio rather than ementa. Lately I started practicing Italian online and I've visited the country several times, I would say that I can understand 95% and can speak decent Italian. If that fails I tend to fall back on English because it is largely universal now, if the person with whom I am speaking does not speak English I ask if they speak French, and failing that Spanish, in that order.

You've been to Naples/south ?

I still can't watch the serie Gomorrah without subtitles, even tough Napolitan has some words that are pronouced like in Portuguese I find it much harder than Italian, there seems to be alot of slang in Napolitan.

[Viriatus91]

You've been to Naples/south ?

I still can't watch the serie Gomorrah without subtitles, even tough Napolitan has some words that are pronouced like in Portuguese I find it much harder than Italian, there seems to be alot of slang in Napolitan.

Only once on a cruise stop, unfortunately it was one of the worst cities I've seen due to the filth and just decaying buildings and sketchy people. For work I go to Rome, Milan and Venice usually, and there I have not had issues with Italian. Growing up there were quite a few Sicilians and Calabrese where I lived, but I never had a chance to really pay attention to the way they spoke.

[Tooting Carmen]

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