The Ultimate Guide To Angolan Portuguese

When you decide to learn Portuguese, it might be because it's so widely spoken around the world, with varieties such as Angolan Portuguese to discover.

Angola is a stunning country in Southern Africa with beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and wildlife. Colonised by Portugal in the 1500s, today Angolans are the second-largest population of African migrants in Portugal.

Likewise, there are a growing number of European Portuguese migrating to Angola. A 2014 census reported approximately 150,000 Portuguese living in Angola. 

The two countries have a long history that includes a shared language: Portuguese.

If you’re planning a trip there or know people from Angola and want to be able to communicate better with them, or you’re just curious about Angola and would like to know more about it, then you’ll need to learn some Angolan Portuguese.

Angolan Portuguese and European Portuguese have many similarities and many differences as well. Some say that Angolan is halfway between Brazilian and European Portuguese. I’ll explore these variations in grammar and vocabulary and more in this post. 

Why Is Angolan Portuguese Different?

Angolan Portuguese is actually similar to European Portuguese in grammar and vocabulary. But the Angolan accent is very different. Also, Angolan Portuguese is peppered with native words and phrases from different tribal languages.

Today, there are 46 languages spoken in Angola, the majority of which are Bantu derivatives. Portuguese, however, is Angola’s official language.

Plus there are six “national languages” which are predominantly spoken tribal languages including:

• Chokwe
• Kikongo
• Kimbundu
• Oshiwambo
• Ngangela
• and Umbundu

Words from the tribal languages are often mixed with Portuguese in day-to-day conversations and vary depending on what region you’re in. 

Pronunciation Differences: Angolan Portuguese vs European Portuguese

So let's get started by taking a look at some pronunciation differences.

• Double r (ex: carro) – Words that contain a double “r” are pronounced differently in Angolan Portuguese than in European Portuguese. Angolans tend to roll the double “r” whereas European and Brazilian Portuguese speakers pronounce the double r as though it were an “h” (ex: cah-ho). 

• D (ex: dia)- In Angola, the “d” is pronounced with a more staccato sound with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, whereas in European Portuguese the “d” is pronounced with a more open sound. 

• L (ex: Angola) In Angola, the “l” is pronounced by curving the tongue upwards toward the back part of the roof of the mouth, with an open mouth where in European Portuguese the “l” is more subtle with a more closed mouth. 

• R at the end of the word (ex: comer) When there is an “r” at the end of the word, Angolans sometimes drop it or give it a very soft and subtle pronunciation (come). In European Portuguese, an “r” at the end of the word is emphasized and pronounced similar to how Americans pronounce their “r”s.

• Skipping consonants – In European Portuguese, the cadence of the language tends to be much faster and therefore there’s a tendency to link consonants, like in the word “questão” which would be pronounced “qustão.” In Angolan Portuguese as in Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation, words are spoken more slowly with open vowel sounds and consonants are not usually skipped. 

Differences In Vocabulary

When listening to European versus Brazilian or Angolan Portuguese, sometimes the words they use are so different it’s almost hard to believe they’re speaking the same language.

Just like in the United States where they say “sneakers” whereas in the U.K. they say “trainers” or use the word “eraser” instead of “rubber,” European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese and Angolan Portuguese have some very different ways of expressing the same thing.

Let’s take a look at some classic examples:

	Angolan Portuguese	Brazilian Portuguese	European Portuguese
breakfast	mata-bicho	café da manhã	pequeno-almoço
kid	moleque	moleque	garoto
gossip	curibota	fofoqueira	mexeriqueiro
buttocks	bunda	bunda	nádegas
cool	fixe	legal	giro/fixe
lie	jajão	mentira	mentira
a little	coxito	pouco	pouco
party	boda	festa	festa
flush (the toilet)	autoclismo	descarga	descarga
blazer	fato	blazer	casaco
servant	kaxiku	empregado	criado
business	biznu	negócio	negócio
subject	mambo	assunto	assunto
line	bicha	fila	fila
work	bumbar	trabalhar	trabalhar
car	ruka	carro	carro
highway	machibombo	autopista	auto-estrada
money	kumbu	dinheiro	dinheiro
Drunk	boiado	bêbado	bêbado
Monthly payment	propina	mensalidade	mensalidade
retirement	reforma	aposentadoria	aposentadoria
Bless you	santinho	saúde	santinha
Let’s go	bazar	vazar	bazar
A lot	bué	muito	muito/bué

Grammar Differences

Although, there are a very few differences in grammar between Angolan and European Portuguese, they do exist. 

Tu vs.Você

Portuguese pronouns tu and você are the two forms of the pronoun “you”.

In Angola tu is more formal than você. But in Brazil and Portugal, the opposite is true. In Brazil, it’s much more common to hear people use tu in the South, but in the rest of the country, it’s common for people to use the term você. 

Gerunds

In Angolan and European Portuguese it’s not very common to use the gerund (the “ing” form). However, it’s common for Brazilians to use the gerund form when speaking. 

For example:

• I’m walking 
  • Brazilian Portuguese: Estou caminhando.
    • Angolan and European Portuguese: Estou a caminhar.

Pronoun Placement

In Angolan Portuguese, the pronoun often goes before the verb, whereas in European Portuguese it goes after. 

Here’s an example:

• We forgot them yesterday. 
  • Angolan: Nos lhes esquecemos ontem.
    • European Portuguese: Nos esquecemos eles ontem.

*You see both of these versions used in Brazilian Portuguese.

Word Order

Another common example of when the order of the words is reversed in a phrase is the following:

• Then do it.
  • Angolan Portuguese: Faz então.
    • European Portuguese: Então faz.

Dropped Pronouns

Yet another way that European and Angolan Portuguese differ grammatically is that it’s very common for Angolans to drop the pronoun altogether (this is also common in Brazil).

For English speakers, this may seem strange, but in Portuguese the conjugation of a verb can tell you its pronoun, so it’s possible to drop the pronoun and still be clear about what you mean. 

• I like you.
  • Angolan: Te gosto. 
    • European Portuguese: Gosto de ti.
    • Brazilian Portuguese: Gosto de ti. 

Sounds And Their Meanings 

All cultures use sounds to express something without using words. The following are some common sounds Angolans will use to express different things:

• Mmm-hmmm – Used to express doubt or suspicion.
• Mm-hm – A critical sound to show disapproval.
• Euê – Used to express surprise or exasperation.
• Tisk – Used to express irritation. 

Brazilians also use sounds such as:

• Uê – Used to express surprise.
• Vix – Used to express shock.
• Uaiso – Used to express curiosity or pensiveness (mostly characteristic of those from the state of Minas Gerais)

European Portuguese speakers also have their sounds:

• Opa – Like saying “oh man.”
• Ein – Used to express incredulity or confusion. 

Musical Styles To Help You Learn Angolan Portuguese

Music is a great way to learn a language and to learn new vocabulary and terms and expressions. Each culture has different musical traditions that can help you become more fluent while learning more about the culture.

In Portugal, the traditional fado, or Portuguese jazz, captures a melancholic style of music with lyrics to match. 

In Angola, there are three types of music you will typically hear in bars and parties: 

• Kizomba – music with a slower rhythm that’s danced with a partner.
• Kuduro – music with a strong drum beat and fast rhythm.
• Semba – similar to kizomba but with a faster rhythm and danced with a partner.

And in Brazil there are many styles of music as well:

• Samba – Samba can range from a more relaxed to a faster drum-back rhythm that’s played during Carnaval.
• Bossa nova – harkening back to the golden years of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s, bossa nova, Brazilian jazz is among the most celebrated music in the world. 
• Forro – a country style music where people dance with partners.

Angolan Portuguese: A Rich And Varied Language

As you can see, Angolan Portuguese is a fascinating language for its mix of local tribal languages that make it unique and charming.

Though colonised by Portugal, it shares many similarities with Brazil in terms of having a slower speaking pace and more open vowel sounds. European Portuguese pronunciation in contrast, is faster with more closed vowel sounds.

The Angolan Portuguese language is rich and varied and its music and culture are definitely worth getting to know.

As ever, the best way to pick up any variety of Portuguese, including the Angolan one is through story. So make sure you're reading Portuguese books or short stories in Portuguese to get fluent in any variety of Portuguese the natural way.