Pronunciations
Portuguese is a Romance language, while Spanish is a European language. As such, Portuguese and Spanish speakers will have certain variations in their pronunciation. Regarding Portuguese pronunciation, native speakers will pronounce words with an unstressed vowel sound and usually omit definite articles in a formal situation. They will also replace an auxiliary verb with a reflexive pronoun and often use nasal sounds instead of oral vowels.
European Portuguese tends to have more unrounded vowels than its counterpart.
Meanwhile, Spanish speakers pronounce words with a rounded vowel sound and always use a definite article in formal situations. They will use the auxiliary verb, not the reflexive pronoun, and they typically use oral vowels instead of nasal sounds. Additionally, Spanish verbs are conjugated in different ways than Portuguese verbs. Overall, native Portuguese and Spanish speakers can often understand each other due to the similarities between the two languages, but the differences in pronunciation remain. Whether it’s a slight change in a vowel sound or a subtle alteration in verb conjugation, specific differences set Portuguese and Spanish apart.