Portuguese and Spanish have superficial similarities in vocabulary. But they also have marked differences in grammar, structure, and vocabulary. Knowing a word, or a way of saying something, in Portuguese may not help you necessarily in Spanish, and vice versa. In fact, Portuguese is more closely related to Galician, which is a language of northwestern Spain, than it is to Spanish.
As is the case with Spanish, the Portuguese language lends itself well to spoken and written expressions. For example, it's a rare listener or reader who isn't moved by the beautiful, elegant, expressive poetry of Brazil's Marcus Vinicius da Cruz de Mello Moraes [October 9, 1913-July 9, 1980] and Portugal's Fernando Pessoa [June 13, 1888-November 30, 1935]. And the lyrics are the dramatic, necessary backdrop to the innovative music and the exuberantly African-influenced modern dances of Brazil; and to the timeless fado and the historic, tradition-bound folk dances of Portugal.