The Portuguese speak English very well.
As a matter of fact, statistically (professor José António Pinheiro will hopefully forgive this statistic blasphemy), the Portuguese, are the best in the region. You may think it is not difficult to be the best next to eSpain and Frrrance, but trust me, they are really good. They know all those tricky idiomatic expressions and use tenses correctly, because they saw all Friends episodes five times so far.
As you may suppose, there must be a tiny little problem - and that's why I am writing about this today - for some reason, they will not talk to you in English. Yes, you heard me. They are very much able to speak in English but they simply prefer Portuguese.
You wonder why, I guess. I also wondered. Some ideas follow.
You see, the Portuguese do everything in groups. (2 people is not a group. They have to be at least 5.) They eat, study, go out, sleep, go to the doctor's - in groups. It is a fascinating phenomenon - the groups have high entry barriers and are a sort of bubbles.
Let me give you an example.
Imagine you're a poor foreigner who has just arrived in Lisbon. You ask for directions in the street, you talk to random people in the bar, go to the supermarket and YOU ARE PERFECTLY FINE. People smile at you and reply in a almost-perfect English and you believe you're in the friendliest country in the world.
Well...not really.
See, you were making fun of the Portuguese language and thinking you were way too cool to learn the language, meanwhile people slowly restarted talking in Portuguese. If you are in Portugal for, let's say, one month and have dinner with certain people on a regular basis, you now probably end end up texting your mother during the dinner. (On Facebook, since she has just discovered it. Potentially will confuse private messaging and Facebook Wall. Disaster, let me tell you.) Your friends do not seem to care about your language inabilities anymore.
What happened?
Well, I reached several conclusions:
1- The Portuguese are lazy. Why would they bother to think in English when they can think in Portuguese? Silly thing, right? They always decide in favor of the group and you end up listening inarticulate sounds. You're considered a statistical error, one more or less.
2- The Portuguese are too proud. If their English is not perfect, they'll pretend they don't speak English. And then they'll be bitchy about it just to make you feel bad.
3- The Portuguese are shy. If you bump into a person who is actually willing to talk to you in English, he or she won't. They will never make the first step. (Unless they are horrifically drunk.) Also, even if you make the first step, it won't change a thing. You'll have the impression you need to do it over and over again and eventually get the feeling you're a stalker.
4- The Portuguese are conservative. A person who is friends with a foreigner is almost a Judas. One literally risks the "group membership" if deviates. Most of the time, the group is always right. One must agree or is out.
Once a South African woman living here told me: Do not waste your energy trying to change them. They never will.
But don't desperate.
It is actually a good start to learn Portuguese. I now have a pretty solid level and it is more agreeable to spend time with Portuguese people. I will always be "the English speaker" yes, but that's alright. That's what makes me special.
(To be a foreigner in Portugal is not easy. You often feel lonely and left aside. There is always a feeling of not belonging. People are very nice to you but they never get close to you. With time, you get used to it, but the desire of being part of something grows inside you. I know. For all of you there, I feel you.)
V.
As a matter of fact, statistically (professor José António Pinheiro will hopefully forgive this statistic blasphemy), the Portuguese, are the best in the region. You may think it is not difficult to be the best next to eSpain and Frrrance, but trust me, they are really good. They know all those tricky idiomatic expressions and use tenses correctly, because they saw all Friends episodes five times so far.
As you may suppose, there must be a tiny little problem - and that's why I am writing about this today - for some reason, they will not talk to you in English. Yes, you heard me. They are very much able to speak in English but they simply prefer Portuguese.
You wonder why, I guess. I also wondered. Some ideas follow.
You see, the Portuguese do everything in groups. (2 people is not a group. They have to be at least 5.) They eat, study, go out, sleep, go to the doctor's - in groups. It is a fascinating phenomenon - the groups have high entry barriers and are a sort of bubbles.
Let me give you an example.
Imagine you're a poor foreigner who has just arrived in Lisbon. You ask for directions in the street, you talk to random people in the bar, go to the supermarket and YOU ARE PERFECTLY FINE. People smile at you and reply in a almost-perfect English and you believe you're in the friendliest country in the world.
Well...not really.
See, you were making fun of the Portuguese language and thinking you were way too cool to learn the language, meanwhile people slowly restarted talking in Portuguese. If you are in Portugal for, let's say, one month and have dinner with certain people on a regular basis, you now probably end end up texting your mother during the dinner. (On Facebook, since she has just discovered it. Potentially will confuse private messaging and Facebook Wall. Disaster, let me tell you.) Your friends do not seem to care about your language inabilities anymore.
What happened?
Well, I reached several conclusions:
1- The Portuguese are lazy. Why would they bother to think in English when they can think in Portuguese? Silly thing, right? They always decide in favor of the group and you end up listening inarticulate sounds. You're considered a statistical error, one more or less.
2- The Portuguese are too proud. If their English is not perfect, they'll pretend they don't speak English. And then they'll be bitchy about it just to make you feel bad.
3- The Portuguese are shy. If you bump into a person who is actually willing to talk to you in English, he or she won't. They will never make the first step. (Unless they are horrifically drunk.) Also, even if you make the first step, it won't change a thing. You'll have the impression you need to do it over and over again and eventually get the feeling you're a stalker.
4- The Portuguese are conservative. A person who is friends with a foreigner is almost a Judas. One literally risks the "group membership" if deviates. Most of the time, the group is always right. One must agree or is out.
Once a South African woman living here told me: Do not waste your energy trying to change them. They never will.
But don't desperate.
It is actually a good start to learn Portuguese. I now have a pretty solid level and it is more agreeable to spend time with Portuguese people. I will always be "the English speaker" yes, but that's alright. That's what makes me special.
(To be a foreigner in Portugal is not easy. You often feel lonely and left aside. There is always a feeling of not belonging. People are very nice to you but they never get close to you. With time, you get used to it, but the desire of being part of something grows inside you. I know. For all of you there, I feel you.)
V.
