I’ve been learning Portuguese for a while now. In this post I’ve collected some resources I’ve found particularly useful. Any suggestions? I would love to hear them and include them in this post!
Duolingo
Duolingo was the first online application I used for learning Portuguese. Duolingo is an easy to use website and app for Apple and Android, and on top of that it’s completely free.
I can imagine that beginners without any background in language learning would probably feel a little lost if they only used Duolingo to learn a new language, but to learn basic sentence structure and as a vocabulary building tool, Duolingo is great. You learn vocabulary by topic, and the method is very much based on repetition.
As an aside, if you’re interested in seeing gamification in practice, Duolingo is a good example.
Rocket Languages
When I started to take learning Portuguese more seriously, I researched the various online course options carefully and eventually decided on Rocket.
Rocket is web-based product, and apps are also available. The course is affordable, and it’s pretty well structured, mainly around common social situations. Each conversation is explained phrase by phrase, and there is plenty of opportunity for learning through repetition throughout the course. The two actors presenting the dialogues are native speakers. There are also special modules to build your vocabulary and gamification features are built into the product as well. Each module offers knowledge checks and other activities to consolidate what you’ve learnt. Correct pronunciation is incredibly important, and with Rocket you can record and listen to yourself and check your pronunciation.
PONS
When you’re learning a language you need a good dictionary, right? I remembered PONS from my high school days (pre-internet days), and sure enough, they now have a great website translator and apps. You can even translate entire phrases, and the tool seems to do a pretty good job.
Check out the tool right here for a quick taste:
Conjuga-me.net
Conjuga-me.net is a verb conjugation website. It has its limitations but is the only tool of its kind for Portuguese as far as I’m aware.
Anki
Anki is a simple but very effective and flexible tool to create your own electronic flashcards. The flashcards can even contain images and sound. It works really well, and I’ve only used the standard recommended settings.
I suggest you read the manual carefully before installing, creating and account and setting up the app, especially the bits about syncing.
Radio CBN
Listening to radio and watching TV and movies are some of the best methods to develop an ear for the language you are learning and to improve your pronunciation.
CBN (Central Brasileira de Notícias) is a Brazilian news and current affairs radio station. No music – all talk, around the clock. Each time you launch the app you choose one of four channels based in these cities: Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, São Paolo, or Belo Horizonte.
The website also has a lot of articles for your reading pleasure.
Street Smart Brazil
Street Smart Brazil offers many useful free resources – videos and blog articles on pronunciation, the proper use of specific words, practical phrases in context, and how to avoid common mistakes, all this via a visually attractive website and various social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Street Smart Brazil also offer lessons via Skype. I haven’t tried that yet, but it sure sounds like a great idea.
Speaking Brazilian
Speaking Brazilian, led by teacher Virginia, offers a range of excellent resources, many of which are freely available, including her excellent and engaging videos which are subtitled in Portuguese and English, and available on the blog on her website as well as her YouTube channel.
Music
Listening to music is a fun way to internalise language and train your ear. Here is a link to my playlist of Brazilian music on Spotify. Enjoy!
Recommended YouTube content
- Peppa Pig em Português Brasil – Canal Oficial. Peppa Pig is a great children’s program, but also a fantastic way to learn and reinforce basic vocabulary and getting a feel for the language.
- 5minutos is definitely for learners who are a little more advanced, for those who love a challenge, and for those who don’t mind a bit of swearing and slang. Kefara is a young YouTube personality with close to 9 million followers! Basically, she talks about her life, her experiences, what makes her tick, and it’s all quite light-hearted and funny.
- JoutJout Prazer is another YouTube channel along the lines of 5minutos, though less colourful and less fast-paced, with a lot of talk about everyday things, or nothing in particular.
- PortuguesePod101 provides short videos on what to say in specific social situations and on cultural topics. There channel also contains short videos designed to help you practice your listening skills.
- Jô Soares is a TV personality who interviews famous people – a great way to hear real conversations.
- Me poupe! is Nathalia Arcuri’s channel about managing (and making) money. She speaks fast but very clearly. You can also watch her TEDx talk here.
- Roda de volei is a television program about volleyball, of which a few episodes can be found on YouTube. Besides football volleyball ist probably the most popular team sport in Brazil.
- Cabral dos vinhos is a channel on wine which has a useful episode (12) on table manners.
SBS television
If you are located in Australia you can currently access for free a number of movies and the following on-demand Brazilian television series on the SBS channel (with English subtitles):
- Magnifica 70: “This mesmerising, humorous and stylish series is all about desire and denial, focusing on a film censor who falls in love with a porn star, set against the fascinating political backdrop of São Paolo in the 70s.”
Babbel
Babbel is a theme-based online course (12 month subscription cost $90). It is visually attractive, easy to navigate on desktop computer and tablet, with a plethora of modules available. I only completed the first (free) module. Even from a beginner’s perspective I found some of the activities not enough of a challenge. There is the option to practice your pronunciation, which seems to work quite well.
