Bem vindo a Brasil! Learn to speak Brazilian Portuguese!
Have you ever wanted to learn a language before? Maybe you already speak Spanish, or French (both of which are very similar). Maybe you’ve always dreamed of a getaway to Brazil. If Portugal doesn’t seem far enough away, and you’ve got a taste for samba, spice and sand, then consider taking a course in Brazilian Portuguese. As well as learning the dialect of one of the biggest countries in the word, you’ll get access to a language that is spoken in 21 countries, and across 260 million people.
What’s different about Brazilian Portuguese compared to Portuguese Portuguese?
Think of it like British English and American English. While some of it is the same – most of it in fact, there are important differences. There is also the accent, which can confuse people who are just starting out with learning the language. The Brazilian variant of Portuguese is also spoken across the rest of the old South American colonies, including beautiful Caribbean islands like São Tome and Principe.
The European Language Framework
The European Language Frameworks sets out how easy it is to learn to speak a language. If we look at the statistics for Portuguese, it will provide a good idea of how difficult it will be to learn Brazilian Portuguese:
If you’ve never studied a language before, you begin at level A1. This is the level that will provide you the ability to have (very) basic conversation – you will be able to order food, for example, but not much else. This takes around 75 hours of study. To graduate to level A2, where you will be able to discuss activities and routines at a basic level, it will take around 150 hours – twice as long as A1 to achieve. Most courses on offer are rated at A1 or A2 level.
Is it easy to learn?
Romance languages are much easier to learn than many other world languages. It is also closely related to Spanish, as well as French and Italian, so if you learn one, then you will be able to pick the rest up very quickly.
Language is an active skill, a lot like playing a sport. If you work hard at it, you will progress quickly, and become more capable. If you do not put in any work at all, you will find that you struggle. Equally, because it is an active skill, if you do not use It for a reasonable length of time, you will find that you have forgotten a lot of what you learned before.
But if learning to speak Brazilian Portuguese sounds hard, remember that if you put in 10 hours a day for 48 days, you will have roughly the same level of fluency as someone who has spent 1 hour a day over 480 days. Learning a language is as easy as wanting to! No matter how effectively you can study on your own, you will find that progress is always much easier if you choose to learn in a group environment, with the help of expert tutors.
I’ve learned Portuguese before, can I skip the beginner courses and go back to where I left off?
Yes, if you have already studied before and have a decent level of Portuguese to fall back on, you can skip ahead to a course that is better suited to your needs. Just look for the course that is the best fit for your requirements. Whether you’ve learned the language before, or are beginning an exciting journey, a course in Portuguese is a fantastic experience that will help you do something that could change your life.
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