Difficulty, honestly
Is Portuguese hard to learn?
For English speakers, Portuguese is one of the more approachable languages. It is not effortless. The hard part is usually the speaking — and that is also the part that makes it feel easier later.
Easier to recognize than to say
Portuguese shares a lot of vocabulary with English through Latin and French: informação, importante, possível. You will recognize words before you can say them. That head start is real. It does not mean a conversation will feel comfortable on day three.
Is Portuguese easy to learn? Reading often is. Listening takes longer, especially at full speed. How hard is Portuguese to learn depends on which of those you practice.
How long it takes
The U.S. Foreign Service Institute groups Portuguese with the languages that take English speakers less time to reach a professional working level: on the order of 600 classroom hours, in a full-time course. That figure is for a high professional standard. It is not a promise about fluency, and it is not how long a simple conversation takes.
A greeting can happen this week. Ordering coffee can happen this month. Comfort in a wandering chat takes longer, and it arrives sooner if you talk a little every day instead of waiting until you know enough.
Oi, tudo bem?
Hey, how are you?
Eu queria um café, por favor.
I’d like a coffee, please.
What actually feels hard
Hearing similar vowels. Remembering agreement while you are also trying to be polite. Understanding someone who is not slowing down. European Portuguese pronunciation, if you learned Brazilian Portuguese — or the reverse.
How hard is it to learn Portuguese is partly a choice of method. Worksheets make it feel academic. A daily conversation makes it feel like a skill. Stay with one variety, repeat phrases you will say again, and ask for a slower turn when you need it.
Pode repetir, por favor?
Can you repeat that, please?