Language Learning
5 Steps, 10 To-Dos and 60+ Resources!
**The Resource List is at the Bottom**
Click Here to Hear the Author (Kimberly Anne) Read this Article
You’re moving to a new country as an expat. Or maybe you’re traveling there to stay for a few months as a digital nomad. And you want to learn the language. You should!
This article is mainly geared toward beginners and people who have not mastered fluency in another language before. While it focuses on Portuguese learning, the advice and some resources can be used for other languages as well.
Language learning is both a personal “journey” and a challenging one. If you are learning a romance language and are fluent in one or two others, it will be easier. I talk a little about the feelings, emotions and struggles in this article under the subtitle of “Relating to People back Home”.
Burn-Out
A quick word on “language burnout and overwhelm”. Not everyone experiences this but it’s huge for me and for several people I know. One fellow student was so overwhelmed with the massive amount of studying required to pass our A2 level class that he’s given up learning altogether. I go through periods of wanting to study and then anxiety and frustration that I don’t know as much as I feel I should know by now.
Please be kind to yourself!
Everyone learns at a different pace and comparing your progress to others can be detrimental to your process.
How We Learn
Everyone learns differently and finding out which way you learn is key. For example, I have one friend who loves to learn by watching long explanatory videos, and another who loves gamified apps and a third who can only learn in-person whether through a tutor or in a classroom setting. Other people I know love going through a book. None of these approaches worked for me and I have tried them all. What works best for me is conversation interspersed with very short app sessions, vocabulary study and drills. Specifically verb drills. You will find free online resources below.
Immersion?
I’ve heard a lot of people talk about and promote full-immersion. I love that this works for some people, but it would never work for me. I’m far too social and I need interaction. If I was to move in with a family in a rural area of Portugal for six months to “learn by immersion” I would end up so depressed and overwhelmed, that I’d give up. Do I know this for sure? Of course not, but I do know myself well enough to be pretty sure. There have been many times while living in Portugal that I’ve felt overwhelmed by the language learning experience. However, if you think you might love it, you can always give it a try! There are even ways to fully immerse yourself without moving to the countryside. Just google “language immersion ideas” and check out articles like this one.
My Personal Experience
I don’t speak another language, only English, but I grew up hearing Spanish and French regularly. I also studied both for two years each and Italian for one year but can only say one sentence in each language. I’ve always thought of myself as “bad at languages” and even “unteachable”. But I was exposed enough to French, Spanish and Italian that I can separate the words and sentences from one another, even if I don’t comprehend what’s being said.
That was not at all the same for Portuguese. I never heard it growing up and had no idea what it even sounded like. I’m going to give you my steps, recommendations, and resources, and tell you what worked for me. But what works for you may be something completely different. Experimentation can be fun!
Portuguese
The most important thing to know before starting your language journey is that there are two very different types of Portuguese. There’s “Brazilian Portuguese” and “European Portuguese”. If you’re moving to Portugal, make sure you study European Portuguese. The reason for this is that they are quite different. People here like to compare it to British English vs. American English but I do not agree with that comparison.
Brazilian and European Portuguese have many different words, different sentence structures and vastly different pronunciation. So much so that I’ve had Brazilians tell me they don’t understand the Portuguese spoken in Portugal. They also speak much faster in Portugal. The cadence is even different. Brazilian Portuguese is called Carioca and it’s more sing-songy. The Brazilians focus on vowel pronunciation. The Portuguese drop the vowels and focus on the consonants. So the word “desculpe” in European would sound like “d/sh/clp” and in Brazilian it would sound more like “deh-scuul-pay”. Remember, this is my interpretation as an American learning Portuguese in Portugal and what my teachers have told me, but I may not be completely correct in the pronunciations.
In that context, when finding language learning tools, you need to make sure you’re learning Portuguese from Portugal. Yes Brazilian is easier (none of it’s easy) to learn but they you’ll have to unlearn and relearn.
Most of the apps and books and youtube videos you will find when searching for Portuguese study will be Brazilian Portuguese. Duo Lingo for example does not teach Portuguese from Portugal; it only teaches Brazilian.
Five Steps
Here are the steps I took in my learning language journey.
I decided to move to Portugal, about a year before I actually did.
1. Listening - I started listening to European Portuguese videos and podcasts. These can be found on youtube and your favorite podcast player. I have listed some recommendations below. My first goal was to learn the cadence of the language. Before even trying to decipher where one word ended and another began, I was just listening for the language’s music. I listened for about thirty minutes a day. I had no idea what was being said. I didn’t bother with subtitles.
2. Pronunciation - When I began to learn I focused on learning proper pronunciation. I would recommend doing this with an online tutor (resources below) if possible. I didn’t understand that words that ended in “om” or “ão” and “em” are often pronounced in a nasal “ow” or a nasal “ein”. So with the word “bom” for example, the M is not pronounced. It’s not BOM dia. It’s more like bohn (nasal) dia. For the word ‘sem’ you do not pronounce the M. It’s nasal and sounds more like “sighn” but with a nasal ending.
The emphasis on a word is on the second to last syllable unless there’s an accent (any accent) and then the emphasis is on the letter with the accent. While it may seem easier to know this rule (the penultimate syllable rule) it’s difficult to distinguish the syllables! In Portuguese often times one letter will be a separate syllable! It’s much easier in French, for example (not that French is easy, it’s NOT) to know the stress is usually on the final syllable. And of course in Portuguese there are more exceptions. Like if the word ends with an L (hotel for example), the emphasis is on the final syllable.
It’s quite a tricky language so make sure you really focus on learning the correct pronunciation! It’s best to learn how to pronounce things correctly at the get go. I learned a few words wrong and now 2 years into my language learning journey, I’m still saying those words incorrectly and struggling to re-learn them correctly.
3. Vocabulary - I started memorizing words using the Memrise app and the Drops app. These are the only two apps I know of, that teach European Portuguese. These will help you with pronunciation but also be aware that different regions pronounce words differently. Drops, for example, has more of an accent from the Algarve.
4. Online or In-Person Tutoring - About six months in, I got an online tutor/teacher but would recommend doing this as soon as possible to learn correct pronunciation. You can find one via Preply + or Tutoroo but make sure they’re native European Portuguese speakers from Portugal!
I bought quite a few books and tried learning from them. Links below.
-It turns out, I’m not a book learner. Many people are but I’m not one of them. I am an auditory learner.
5. Practice - When I arrived in Portugal I could say some rudimentary sentences like: Where’s the bathroom? Do you take credit cards? I would like… (a table for two, an apple, etc.). Do you speak English?
The problem with the first few are that the answer would be in rapid fire Portuguese and I wouldn’t have any idea what was being said. For example, if I was told the bathroom was down the hall and to the right, I didn’t know what that meant in Portuguese yet and would stand there with a deer in the headlights expression. *This still happens to some extent to me today!
I practiced my bad Portuguese more when I first arrived here. Having been told by Spanish, French and Italian teachers in the past that I have a great accent, I leaned into that and assumed I could bring that into Portuguese. I was wrong.
I still haven’t mastered the nasal sound, and it’s very important here. Many words sound the same to my untrained ear but one has a nasal sound and the other doesn’t. And embarrassingly, they are completely different words.
Read how I accidentally asked for a dick in a cafe, instead of bread by not using the nasal sound —> here.
Back to the language learning portion of this article. This is a personal preference and an observation… pronunciation, as I mentioned above, is key. If you don’t have proper pronunciation and you know all the grammar rules, sentence structure and vocabulary, no one will understand you. My pronunciation is far from perfect but it’s really not that bad and often times, people still don’t understand me.
Learn to say sentences like:
Can you please repeat that?
Can you speak slowly.
Or combine them. —Pode repetir mais devagar, por favor.
Ten To Do’s:
Watch an American TV show with Portuguese subtitles and read the subtitles. (Make sure it’s Portugal Portuguese and not Brazilian unless you’re learning Brazilian). **I know I’m really hammering you on this, but it’s very easy to overlook at the beginning.
Watch Portuguese shows in Portuguese. (This can be overwhelming so I suggest just 10 minutes a day).
Listen to an audiobook in Portuguese while reading along on your kindle app (make sure it’s Portugal and not Brazilian). I use this one but it’s quite advanced: O Mistério da Estrada de Sintra.
Read a very simple children’s book or comic in Portuguese.
Make flash cards or find other people’s, whether physical ones or using Anki or Quizlet. (Both are free and have computer and phone versions that sync up).
Write down lists of words in a notebook.
Copy those words over and over, say them aloud as you walk around.
Stick post-in notes with the names of each item in your house to every surface.
Go through your day, in your head, in Portuguese. Example: I wake up and make coffee. Now I’m going to take a shower. Etc. As simple as can be for your level: I’ll take a shower = Eu tomo um banho.
Write down your simple sentences and then check them through an AI app (such as ChatGPT or Claude), with a translator such as Deepl, a fluent friend or a teacher. **Note that sometimes the AI and translators make mistakes!
Free Resources
I’ve also compiled all of these into a google doc for you here!
Podcasts:
*note that most of these also offer YouTube videos, classes or apps but their podcasts are free.
Search for European Portuguese to find more.
Storyglot Podcast|Learn European Portuguese (with short stories)
The Mimic Method:
AI
With AI you can have conversations (written) and ask it to correct you. You can also ask for help understanding things, for example the difference between two or three words that seemingly mean the same thing. (IE: Caminhar/Andar/Passear or Pensar/Achar). You can ask about grammar rules and more. But… sometimes the AI bots do make mistakes!
YouTube:
Online Resources:
Online Exercises (conjugation, listening, flashcards, crosswords, explanations and guides).
Pronunciation Guide, verb conjugation, numbers, cognates, an IPA translator and more.
Learn with Music:
Listen to European Portuguese singers on Spotify or Youtube.
Spotify: if you’re a paid subscriber, on spotify you can follow along with the lyrics!
Spotify: a language learner’s playlist
Spotify: List of Top 50 Portugal
Spotify: Popular Female Singers from Portugal
Spotify: Top Portuguese Music 2024
Spotify: Fado
Popular Portuguese Musicians (I barely know any!) = Iolanda (from Eurovision 2024), Carolina Deslandes, Ivo Lucas, Benjamim, Sara Tavares, Filomena Maricoa, Fernando Daniel, Ana Moura, Bárbara Tinoco, Joana Alegre, Tomas Adrião, O Terno.
Television:
To watch old Portuguese TV shows and the news.
Online Flash Cards:
Personal List Making
If you’re a person who journals, write out your frustrations (long-hand or typed). Keep a journal of your experiences, both good and bad. Or talk about your progression so you can look back and see how far you’ve come!
I have several thin notebooks dedicated to each subject. One for verbs, one for writing practice, one for prepositions and contractions, one for rules, etc.
Figure out what works best for you. A tabbed notebook, something on your computer… experiment!
Once you’re here in Portugal, enroll in a free government class if:
1. You do well with accountability in a classroom situation.
2. You want your permanent residency card here if you’re in Portugal on the D7 visa—you can get your A2 certification this way, which is what you need. But be aware that it’s an intensive class. Six hours a week for nine months. — I did this and while I’m so glad I did, it was not easy for me.
Paid Resources:
Language Learning Apps
*You can do a limited amount of Drops and Memrise for free.
Practice Portuguese (online and smartphone)
Online Classes - I have personally tried all of these!
Monthly Subscription Options:
I actually like this one the best for beginners because it’s interactive and the lessons are very short. But watching longer videos may work better for you. Learn through conversation. Quizlet vocabulary cards included but for beginner only.
Portuguese with Carla - The Journey (Intermediate)
Carla’s class (The Journey) is a little more advanced (intermediate), not beginner. I tried it as a beginner and found it much too difficult but if you already have a foundation this may be a great choice for you. I like it because it follows and builds on a story.
Buy Once - no ongoing payments.
Talk the Streets (with Liz)
I bought this and couldn’t get into it though I have referred back many times for specific explanations on concepts I could not grasp. However, one of my expat friends here loves it. She went through all the videos and progressed very well! Liz (the teacher) provides long videos with explanations. Liz is not Portuguese and I found that helpful.
Learning through explanatory videos with the teacher. Downloadable PDFs and exercises. Quizlet vocabulary cards included.
This is a similar structure to Talk the Streets but Mia is Portuguese. I tried this as well and couldn’t get into it.
Learning through explanatory videos with the teacher.
Online Tutors:
AI - paid version
I recommend Poe over other paid AI because it includes all of them (including Claude and Chat GPT) for a few dollars more than Chat GPT by itself.
Books:
I like this small book a lot because it goes over a lot of the rules.
This book is small and while it was first “learning” book, without proper pronunciation I was lost.
This is a simple, fun way to learn vocabulary however there are Brazilian words too.
This is my favorite book if you’re a person who does well with learning through book teaching and completing problems. I have tried three different books for this and this is my favorite. There is a Book 1 and a Book 2 here. +
They’re both thin books and not completely overwhelming.
This is a very large and interesting book. It focuses on grammar and explains it in an easy to understand way. Have you forgotten what a reflexive verb is for example. Or even what the definite and indefinite articles are. Or how the subjunctive works, etc. I really like this book. It’s not going to give you a specific learning structure and problems to solve though.
This was the book my school in Portugal used, and while I do like it, I found it quite difficult without my teacher’s explanation. You can order the paperback in Portugal from this link, or you can order the ebook here, if you’re not yet in the country. I recommend getting the professor’s version so you have the answers.
Exercise BOOK for: Passaporte para Português (Levels A1 and A2) by Robert Kuzka and José Pascoal
HERE - I MADE YOU A GOOGLE SHEET WITH ALL THE LINKS IN ONE PLACE!
Conclusion:
I know, first-hand, how overwhelming and exciting language learning can be. I understand the ups and downs of it, the frustration and successes. It is my hope that this article will help you on your journey. It’s an article, I wish I had found before I started.
I want you to have a roadmap, a personal account and a long list of resources for you to pick and choose from!
Truly, if I can do this, you can definitely do this!!
Boa sorte!!
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Cost of living: Article here
Healthcare (or lack thereof) here.
Safety—article here.
Polarization—too much hate and anger
If you’re interested in moving abroad, check out my free Expat on a Budget pub or podcast on Substack
The How to Live Abroad Publication is here.
Part 1—Want to move abroad? Start here!
Part 2—Conquer your fears about moving abroad!
Part 3—12 Minimizing Mistakes Part 1
Part 4—12 Minimizing Mistakes Part 2
Part 5—A Personal Case study (re: Minimizing)
Part 6—Your Move Abroad: The Ultimate Checklist
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—Expat on a Budget AKA Living Abroad on a Budget and My Unknown Adventure by Kimberly Anne
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When I was learning German, I found that the best way to pick it up was by just using it in everyday situations. Whether it was chatting with neighbors, ordering food, or just picking up bits of conversation from my daily routine, it really helped me get a feel for the language.
I also started watching German movies with subtitles, which made such a difference. It’s like you’re learning without feeling like you’re “studying,” and it’s way more fun than sitting in a class. Classes just never seemed to click with me the way these simple, real-world methods did. Plus, seeing the language in context while enjoying a movie made me feel way more connected to it.
Thank you for putting this together!
Learning a new language teachs humility.