Galician and Portuguese: how close they really are

Key rules

• Understanding: Written Galician is largely understandable to you, and speech is usually easier for you to follow than your Portuguese is for Galicians.
• Official spelling: Galicia's official spelling is the Real Academia Galega norm, and Portuguese-style spelling is not official in schools or administration.
• Identity: Whether Galician is a separate language or part of a common Galician-Portuguese language is debated, so be tactful.
• Cities: In Galicia's larger cities Spanish dominates, especially among young people, and Galician is strongest in rural areas.

Can you understand Galician as a Portuguese speaker?

Mostly yes, but not completely. Galician and Portuguese share a medieval origin, and linguists often treat them as a closely related pair, or even as varieties of one language system. Written texts are largely understandable in both directions.

Speech is harder than writing. How much you follow depends on the speaker's accent and how fast they talk. Expect to catch the gist quickly and miss details at first.

Why it is easier for you than for them

Spoken Galician is generally easier for a Portuguese speaker to follow than the reverse. Two reasons:

• Portuguese has a distinct vowel system with many reduced vowels, which makes it hard for Galicians to decode.
• Galician speakers also speak Spanish, so they are used to a wider range of sounds.

So you can usually speak Portuguese slowly and be understood in part, but do not count on a Galician following you fully. Speaking slowly and choosing simple words helps.

Galicia has its own official spelling

Galician is not written the Portuguese way. The official norm is set by the Real Academia Galega, working with the Instituto da Lingua Galega. It dates from 1982 and was revised in 2003 and 2017. It keeps a distinct Galician spelling that is closer to Spanish conventions.

This shows up on signs, forms and in school. You will see "non" where Portuguese has "não", and "ll" and "ñ" where Portuguese has "lh" and "nh". If you write to the administration or at school, use the official spelling. Portuguese-style spelling is not official in schools or administration.

The identity debate

Some Galicians, the "reintegrationists", see Galician and Portuguese as one common Galician-Portuguese language. They want spelling close to Portuguese, with forms such as "nom", "ç", "lh" and "nh". Their positions range from a full-reintegration norm, led by the Associaçom Galega da Língua, to more moderate proposals such as the Academia Galega da Língua Portuguesa. The 2003 and 2017 revisions of the official norm moved slightly towards their side.

Others see Galician as a language in its own right, with its own norm. This is a live and sometimes touchy subject. Avoid telling people that their language "is just Portuguese". It is safer to say that the two are close and you enjoy the similarity.

What you will hear day to day

Do not expect Galician everywhere. Galician is spoken most in rural areas and small towns. In the larger cities, Spanish dominates, especially among young people. If you live in a city, you will use Spanish for much of daily life, and Galician will be more present in the countryside, in local media and in official signs.

If you want practice with your Portuguese-to-Galician ear, villages and small towns are the best places. In the cities, be ready to switch to Spanish.

The questions below cover the most common doubts.

Frequently asked questions

Will I understand spoken Galician as a Portuguese speaker?

Yes, you will usually follow spoken Galician fairly well, but not completely, and it depends on accent and speech speed. It is generally easier for Portuguese speakers to follow Galician than the other way round.

What is the official Galician spelling, and can I write it the Portuguese way?

The official Galician spelling is the norm set by the Real Academia Galega, which keeps a spelling closer to Spanish than to Portuguese. Portuguese-style spelling, such as "nom", "ç", "lh" and "nh", is pushed by reintegrationists, who see Galician and Portuguese as one language. It is not official in schools or administration, so use the official norm on forms and with the administration.

Will people speak Galician to me in Galician cities?

Not always, because Galician is used most in rural areas and small towns and less in the largest cities. Spanish is dominant among young people in cities. In villages you are much more likely to hear Galician, so your Portuguese will help more there.