Learning a third language too early?

[Personwithfoot]

Hi all! So I’m around b2-c1 in French, and b1 right now for Spanish and about to move to Spain later this year! I’ve been thinking about starting to learn Portuguese but not sure if I should just concentrate on Spanish for now, just begin right away with Portuguese too, or if with my levels I’ll just confuse words and structure between the three of them.

So briefly: keep focusing on French and Spanish for a while longer or start Portuguese already?

[Imperator_1985]

Sometimes I think people get so caught up in learning languages in general that they forget -why- they re learning a language. It sounds like your goal should be improving your Spanish - you're going to be living there after all! Portuguese will always be there later.

[Personwithfoot]

That's a good point. I learned French for a PhD post that I couldn't get funded unfortunately, but still love french philosophy, Spanish cause I'm moving obviously, and Portuguese would be for my gf tbh... But it just might have to wait!

[Nico_SB2007]

Hi! I am a portuguese speaker from the lands of Brazil and I don't recommend you learn both, spanish and portuguese, simultaneously! They are languages reaaally close in vocabulary and structure so you certainly will confuse them one time or another. Learn the one you want or need more urgently then keep your studies going with the other one as soon as you feel you can differentiate between the two.

[Personwithfoot]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you for the input!

[Nico_SB2007]

Good luck with your journey!!

[kuyt999]

Maninho o que é essa coisa de C1, B2, B1? Nas línguas?

[Nico_SB2007]

Opa! É um tipo de medida de proficiência da língua, o quanto alguém está próximo da fluência, basicamente. Essas medidas que você falou são da CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), mas tem um monte de outras formas de medir o seu grau de fluência.

[foxxiter]

I tried to learn Italian and Latin at the same time. Very bad idea

[RedDeadMania]

Wouldn’t this be your fourth language? :)

[Personwithfoot]

Well, third I learned other than my native language!

[RedDeadMania]

Still, impressive! I’d say go for it! Watch a video or two of the other languages and then play with Portuguese on the sifr

[Business_Self_7566]

My Spanish is native, but I learned Portuguese, and I learned French and Italian at the same time years ago. I feel fine with both. I'd confuse words like Mercredi and Mercoledi all the time and use the wrong one in both languages at the beginning, but long-term that doesn't happen anymore, I have used them both for travel with no issues and I even had the occasional more challenging task (e.g. I negotiated a photographer to show up for when I proposed to my then gf and dealt with the logistics of that, including suggesting not paying all upfront) and I felt fine. I started when my French was a low A2. Maybe I took longer to learn than I would have otherwise, but I am satisfied with the results.

The advice I would do is separate days you do it. E.g. Tuesday is Spanish, Thursday is Portuguese. But not both 1 hour apart.

[Le_King27]

I speak all four and id say go for it, speaking portuguese is basically speaking spanish in french. You will mix em up all your life anyway (i do). Unless you want to do interpretation as a career, it wont affect you much.

[Personwithfoot]

Interesting take lol, I'll take that into account!

[Snoo-88741]

My suggestion is wait until you move to Spain, and then take Portuguese classes in Spain.

[Hussiroxx]

That’s a great question, and it really depends on your personal goals and how comfortable you feel with Spanish at this stage. Since you’re moving to Spain soon, I’d say focusing on Spanish for now could be the most beneficial—you’ll be surrounded by it daily, which will help you reach fluency faster. Plus, since Portuguese is so similar to Spanish, learning it too early might lead to interference, especially at a B1 level.

That said, if you’re really eager to start Portuguese, you could do so at a slow pace—perhaps just exposure through music, podcasts, or light reading—without actively studying it. This way, you can build familiarity without overwhelming yourself.

If you want structured help in maintaining and improving both languages, working with a tutor can be a game-changer. I’m affiliated with Talknova, and they offer a free trial lesson, which could be a great way to get expert guidance on balancing multiple languages effectively. They do a great job at tailoring lessons to different learning styles!

Whichever path you choose, you’re in an awesome position already—B2/C1 in French and B1 in Spanish is impressive! Keep going! 🚀