Learn Portuguese in Brazil
I won’t deny that learning Portuguese is fun —I studied for a month splitting my time between Rio and Salvador before travelling to the stunning Natal where I hit the beach for some well deserved surfing and people watching.
I started Portuguese lessons as a beginner, not a complete beginner as I’d listened to Portuguese CD’s and had a few Portuguese lessons back in the UK (6 weeks at night school) but it was only when I got to Brazil that my Portuguese really started to accelerate at a pace that surprised me as I didn’t realise just how much you pick up when studying in a country where Portuguese is spoken as you really do practice each day outside of the classroom.
Even if my confidence wasn’t that high to start with, by the end of week 1 I felt I’d almost reached lower elementary level of Portuguese as I’d been immersed in the language, I’d read road signs, ordered in cafes and heard nothing but Portuguese for the whole week and something was starting to click – the feeling was fantastic and a great confidence booster. I no longer cared about looking silly when I got things wrong, I just had a go at speaking Portuguese and you know what – most of the time I was understood even if I did get a few funny looks to start with!
If you learn Portuguese you have a chance to get a more intimate look at Brazil. Taking a Portuguese course in Brazil opens up a world of opportunities and promises to get you off the tourist trail where you can immerse yourself in the culture in a way that’s just not possible if you don’t speak Portuguese.
I lived with a Portuguese host family which was great, I didn’t feel ‘mothered’ at all and was free to come & go as I pleased and my Portuguese vocabulary improved no end as you are forced to speak daily and ask for even just the basics like towels and ‘pass the salt’ – practical Portuguese all the way not to mention the amazing insight you have into life and culture living as a local.
Accents change as does dialect from country to country but all Portuguese language schools in Brazil teach Portuguese to a level that you’d call the ‘Queen’s English’ in the UK so you don’t have to worry about where you learn Portuguese in Brazil although it can be fun to split your Portuguese courses across different locations to experience life and different accents which will really help improve your Portuguese.
Rest assured, Portuguese courses are suitable for beginners to advanced Portuguese learners. Everyone is tested (don’t worry, there’s no gold stars or dunce hats here) on the first day before Portuguese lessons start so they can be placed in the right group for their level and will then progress rapidly but safe in the knowledge that their fellow classmates are at a similar Portuguese level to them.
Levels are generally as follows:
• Complete beginner Portuguese courses
• Beginner Portuguese courses
• Elementary Portuguese lessons (split into lower & upper)
• Intermediate Portuguese lessons (split into lower & upper)
• Advanced Portuguese courses (suitable for advanced levels of Portuguese up to fluency level)
In a month, I felt like I’d progressed my Portuguese from a beginner to upper elementary and was raring to go on my travels, confident I would be able to get by in day to day situations as well as being able to read and write Portuguese at a reasonable level if I ever needed to.
My confidence soared, I fell in love with learning the Portuguese language and soaked up new words and phrases every day without trying as my brain was now switched into ‘learn Portuguese’ mode. Learning Portuguese is liberating, I felt like I was invited into the culture and countries I visited and no longer did I feel like ‘just a tourist’ and that can’t be bad.
To book your Portuguese course in Brazil, visit GoLearnTo.com now