No — saying gracias to a Portuguese person in Portugal is not a mortal offense. No one will yell at you. You won’t be thrown out of a café.
But it does sting. And to see why, you have to understand our history.
Centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, much of the Iberian Peninsula came under Muslim rule. Over centuries, small Christian kingdoms slowly formed in the north and pushed south in what became known as the Reconquista. León, Asturias, Castile, and Portugal were all part of this struggle.
They had once spoken Latin (with the exception of the Basques), but as these kingdoms developed separately, their languages evolved separately too. In the region of Galicia emerged Galego — the language that would become Portuguese as Portugal became an independent kingdom in 1143.
Castile, meanwhile, grew larger and stronger. Through conquest and marriage it absorbed neighboring kingdoms, and by 1492 only two Christian states remained on the peninsula: Portugal and the newly unified crown of Castile and Aragon — what we now call Spain.
Two years later, in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas divided the non-European world between them.
Today, both languages are global. Roughly 635 million people speak Spanish worldwide and about 270 million speak Portuguese. Both spread across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. They sound similar to visitors — but culturally they are not interchangeable.
Here is where the sensitivity lies.
Spain became the larger empire. Its armies conquered vast American civilizations and its influence spread globally. Portugal, cut off from Europe, also built a remarkable maritime empire, but it was the smaller neighbor living beside a powerful one. Many small nations understand this dynamic — Irish next to Britain, Greeks near empires, Canadians beside the United States.
And in 1580, that fear became reality: Portugal stumbled and Spain annexed Portugal. For sixty years Portugal ceased to exist as an independent kingdom.
Portugal restored its independence in 1640 at a huge cost, and that moment remains central to national identity.
So when a Portuguese person hears Spanish spoken to them — even accidentally — it can feel less like a language mistake and more like a cultural assumption: that Portugal is just a variation of Spain.
Ask Spaniards about Portugal today and you’ll often hear friendly responses: charming, traditional, welcoming. There is no sense of rivalry on their side.
In Portugal, however, history is remembered differently. Battles like Aljubarrota, Atoleiros, and Montes Claros are taught as defining national moments. Castles and frontier forts are not just picturesque ruins — they are symbols of survival. The red on the Portuguese flag represents deep sacrifice for independence.
Modern Portugal and Spain get along well. People cross the border constantly, trade, travel, and enjoy each other’s ways. But beneath the friendliness sits a deep pride: Portugal survived as its own country, beat the odds.
A tour guide friend once told me about a Spanish visitor standing on the walls of a frontier fort who suddenly realized and said, “Oh… we were your enemies??”
Exactly.
So when you visit Portugal, just remember one small thing:
The word for thank you is “obrigado” (or “obrigada” if you are female).
It’s not about offense. It’s about respect — for a language and a nation that spent centuries making sure it remained its own.
Jayme H. Simões is a Portugal–U.S. communications consultant who writes about the realities of moving, living, and retiring in Portugal, based on first hand experience.
Let’s Move to Portugal Now is an independent resource for Americans considering life in Portugal. We provide practical, experience-based information on visas, housing, health care, cost of living, and everyday life—focused on clarity, realism, and informed choices. This site is not affiliated with the Portuguese government and does not offer legal or immigration advice.
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