Where do you come from?

[pocaracas]

More than once I thought I heard people speaking Russian when they were really speaking European Portuguese.

See what I mean?! karkhov!

Now after listening to some TV in EU-PT I can understand it naturally. Even though sometimes the manner in which they speak still makes me cringe. Some of it just sounds so formal and antiquated.  But I'm sure they think we butcher their language with our peasant accents  

Formal and antiquated?!
Well, the antiquated part is.. err.. supposed to be, huh. It is the mother tongue and must have changed little in the past 500 years...
Brazilian, however, had other influences which corrupted the original purity of the language!

As for formal... well, you're the people who treat everyone, including your own kids, with the formal second person "você", which then requires the third person of the verb that follows. That's messed up. The informal second person is "tu" which always uses the second person of the verbs... And spanish always use "tu", even in formal venues, like the english use "you". This usage of "você" must be some leftover from colonial times (or should I say slaving times), where everyone wanted to be treated as a noble.
Of course, brazilian usage of mainly first and third person of verbs, makes it easier to memorize the verbal forms to use.... for plural, just add an -s and you're safe most of the time.

Then, some of us can still properly use the second person plural - that's antiquated as hell, but it sounds good when properly applied (it's awesome for sarcastic formality )