Brazilian or European Portuguese?

When starting learning Portuguese, some may wonder whether they need to opt for European (Portuguese as spoken in Portugal) or Brazilian Portuguese. The differences lie mainly in pronunciation, although there are quite a few lexical and grammar differences as well. Brazilians often say they need subtitles to understand European Portuguese, while Portuguese people seem to be more familiar with Brazilian Portuguese mainly because of the popularity of Brazilian TV programmes in Portugal (especially soap operas). While Portugal is a small country in Europe, Brazilian Portuguese is spoken by one of the largest countries in the world. For most people, the decision to learn one or the other ultimately comes down to a simple matter of preference. That can be based on practical reasons -such as an exchange programme in Portugal or Brazil, cultural and musical preferences, or just a fascination with the way one or the other sounds like, to mention but a few. Whichever one you choose to learn, however, it is quite manageable to come to grips with the linguistic differences between the two.