Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
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- Glenn E.
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
The problem with this is that it's Brazilian Portuguese.
Duolingo, which I've been using, has the same problem but at least on Duolingo there's a lot of discussion about the lessons that you can access and in those discussions there are always people explaining the differences in usage between Brazilian and European Portuguese.
Not that I'll necessarily remember them when trying to dredge up some word out of my memory, but others might.
Duolingo, which I've been using, has the same problem but at least on Duolingo there's a lot of discussion about the lessons that you can access and in those discussions there are always people explaining the differences in usage between Brazilian and European Portuguese.
Not that I'll necessarily remember them when trying to dredge up some word out of my memory, but others might.
Glenn Elliott
- David Spriggs
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
Have you looked at https://www.practiceportuguese.com/ ?
I haven't played with it much and it seems a bit advanced, but it is continental Portuguese.
I haven't played with it much and it seems a bit advanced, but it is continental Portuguese.
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
Another option is www.portuguesewithcarla.com
There are quite a few free situational lessons on there.
There are quite a few free situational lessons on there.
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
That is the problem with just about any source, certainly Rosetta Stone and Babel, and Pimsler after level 1. I'm going to look into some of the sources mentioned earlier. There is also the Portuguse Lab channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0zJh ... fzcZdU0Xkw
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
I've done the Pimsleur level 1, on my third pass through it now. I find the method pretty effective, and would probably have pretty good retention if I didn't take 3-4 month breaks every time I listen to a few lessons. I figure if I keep going through it, hopefully a bit more will stick each time. Sure do wish they had more than level 1 though.
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
I too have done the Pimsleur European Portuguese three times, but then what? I bought Rosetta Stone Brazilian Portuguese, but I've been pretty disappointed in it, even besides the fact it is Brazilian. Oh, and Google Translate is Brazilian as well.
- Glenn E.
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
I have also done Pimsleur European Portuguese 3 times, and yes it does stick better each time.
What's great about Duolingo is that it encourages you to do just a tiny little bit every day. And it's that constant practice - even if it's just 10-15 minutes - that really helps with retention. I'm at (IIRC) a 157-day streak now and allegedly know 440 or so words. I've already noticed a few differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese, but everything I've been told is that the Portuguese can understand either, it just make take a double-take or two for them to realize that it isn't just your American accent that's weird, it's that you're also speaking Brazilian.
And this phrase helps:
Por favor fala devagar, só estou aprendendo português.
(Please speak slowly, I'm just learning Portuguese.)
What's great about Duolingo is that it encourages you to do just a tiny little bit every day. And it's that constant practice - even if it's just 10-15 minutes - that really helps with retention. I'm at (IIRC) a 157-day streak now and allegedly know 440 or so words. I've already noticed a few differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese, but everything I've been told is that the Portuguese can understand either, it just make take a double-take or two for them to realize that it isn't just your American accent that's weird, it's that you're also speaking Brazilian.
And this phrase helps:
Por favor fala devagar, só estou aprendendo português.
(Please speak slowly, I'm just learning Portuguese.)
Glenn Elliott
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Re: Old, but free way to learn Portuguese
I think Brazilians and Portuguese can understand each other, but I found this line interesting:
In my limited learning, Brazilian seems more Spanish-like, pronunciation in particular, whereas European has some more English-isms, pronunciation and grammar. At least one thing I read suggested that Brazilian is more like old Portuguese, and the European has actually drifted more.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lear ... index.htmlThe choice is even more striking with Portuguese; long ago I opted for Brazilian and to this day I still can't properly understand speakers from Portugal.
In my limited learning, Brazilian seems more Spanish-like, pronunciation in particular, whereas European has some more English-isms, pronunciation and grammar. At least one thing I read suggested that Brazilian is more like old Portuguese, and the European has actually drifted more.