Portuguese is Brazil's official language and the main language spoken across the country.
Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world by population and territory. Portuguese arrived during the period of Portuguese colonization after Pedro Álvares Cabral's expedition reached the Brazilian coast in 1500. It gradually became dominant in administration, education and public life.
Brazilian Portuguese is a major national variety of Portuguese. It differs from European Portuguese in pronunciation, vocabulary and some grammatical usage, while remaining mutually intelligible in written formal contexts. Brazil's regional speech also reflects Indigenous, African and immigrant influences.
Spanish is the official or dominant language in most neighbouring South American countries, which can cause confusion about Brazil. Brazil is the important exception on the continent: its national language is Portuguese rather than Spanish. Indigenous languages continue to be spoken by communities throughout the country, and Brazil recognizes some Indigenous languages locally.