The national language of Brazil is Portuguese. Due to the influence of the many other languages already existing or brought over by immigrant groups, Brazilian Portuguese differs from that spoken in Portugal in the same way that Australian and American English differ from that of England. Until the mid 18th century a version of Tupi-Guarani (the main Indian language of the time), which had been simplified and written down by the Jesuits, was widely spoken. Today, however, this language is only remembered in words that have become part of the Brazilian vocabulary. These words are generally names of places (Guanabara, Ipanema, Niteroi), plants (abacaxi, guaraná) or animals (piranha, capivara, urubu). African languages, especially from Nigeria and Angola, have survived in religious rituals, cooking and some general words, the most well-known example being samba. Accents and slang vary widely within Brazil but are, in general, mutually comprehensible. English is often spoken in la!.
rge cities and tourist centres. Spanish is generally understood but a knowledge of Spanish does not always enable you to understand spoken Portuguese, except perhaps in the South. If thinking of buying a dictionary or phrasebook, it's important to make sure it is for Brazilian Portuguese.
Your Spanish will not get you far in this corner of South America. There are so many differences between the Iberian languages, that a pocket dictionary will be your best investment. Even the days of the week have nothing in common.
The main Brazilian cities today are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Bralia, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Recife, Goinia, Belém and Manaus.
Brazil has a reputation for being a violent country. To a certain extent this is true, but this situation is due to the massive social divisions and is only in the big cities (Sao Paulo, Rio and perhaps Salvador). Below a few hints of things you can do to reduce the risks:.