You are correct, we, Portuguese, do understand about 70% to 80% of was spannish say (we deliberately make the effort to) but the reverse is also inversely true... Spannish understand 0% to 25% of Portuguese... they just don't care
Yes, I agree. We're neighbours and we don't know almost anything about you. Even the news barely talk about Portugal...
There's an old joke here, something like this (probably lost some of the funny part with the translatation)
"There was two guys sitting in the outside of small village, and a foreing guy arrive in a motorbike. He stops by the two guys and ask:
- Excuse me, do you speak English?
- Quéeeeeee? (whaaat?)
- Parlez-vous français ?
- Qué dices? (what do you say?)
- Parla italiano?
- No entiendo (I don't understand)
- Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
- Que dices hombre? (what do you say man?)
Then, the guy surrenders and go away.
One of the man say to the other one:
- It's very important to know languages
And the other one replies:
- Don't you see what this man has been good for?