How this course works
Portuguese is spoken by around 260 million people and is the official language of nine countries across four continents — the sixth most spoken language in the world.
What you will be able to do
Greet people, introduce yourself, ask questions, use the present and past tenses, count, tell the time, order food, shop, travel, and ask for help.
How the course is arranged
| MODULE | WHAT IT COVERS |
|---|---|
| Sounds and spelling | Pronunciation, nasal vowels, stress, accents |
| First grammar | Gender, articles, ser and estar, present tense |
| First conversations | Greetings, introductions, questions, politeness |
| Everyday Portuguese | Numbers, family, food, travel |
| Past tense and practice | Talking about yesterday, reading, next steps |
Which Portuguese?
This course teaches Brazilian Portuguese as its default, because Brazil has around 215 million speakers — over 80% of the total — and its pronunciation is more open and easier for a beginner to produce. European Portuguese differences are noted wherever they matter, and the two are entirely mutually intelligible in writing.
If you know Spanish
You already have perhaps 85% of the vocabulary. But do not assume you can speak Portuguese — the pronunciation is genuinely different, and Portuguese has nasal vowels, a different set of s and r sounds, and its own grammar patterns. Spanish speakers read Portuguese easily and are often misunderstood when they speak it.
How to study
Say everything aloud. The nasal vowels only come through practice.
Learn every noun with its article — o livro, a mesa.
Thirty minutes per lesson.