[sc_msls]

Does Babbel Offer European or Brazilian Portuguese?

The small print: Portugalist may generate a commission from mentioned products or services. This is at no additional cost to you and it does not affect our editorial standards in any way. All content, including comments, should be treated as informational and not advice of any kind, including legal or financial advice. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors or omissions or damages arising from its display or use. Links to external websites do not constitute an endorsement. [Disclaimer Policy]
The image features the Babbel logo with an orange plus symbol followed by the word "Babbel" in bold, orange lettering on a white background. Babbel is a language learning application.
Written by:
Last updated on June 5, 2024 | Est. Reading Time: 2 minutes

Babbel is one of the biggest language learning companies in the world, offering courses for multiple languages such as Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Portuguese.

But after starting to learn Portuguese with Babbel many people find themselves asking a question they didn’t know was important: does Babbel teach Brazilian or European Portuguese?

The answer is: Babbel teaches Brazilian Portuguese, much like another popular app, Duolingo. Although Babbel don’t specifically refer to it as Brazilian Portuguese, they do use the Brazilian flag rather than the Portuguese flag, which is a bit of a clue. However, this flag is often used as the defacto flag when talking about the Portuguese language.

Is there a difference? Yes, and if you’re planning on living in Portugal (or spending a lot of time there) you should focus on European Portuguese instead. S

peak Brazilian Portuguese in Portugal and you’ll spend a lot of time being corrected by Portuguese people – definitely not what you want when you’re trying to get by in Portuguese. And if you decide to switch to European Portuguese, you’ll then have to relearn a lot of what you’ve already learnt. Basically, it’s better to focus on Portuguese from Portugal if that’s where you plan to spend the majority of your time.

So, with that in mind, what are some alternatives to Babbel that focus on European Portuguese?

Firstly, there are a number of courses that cover beginner and intermediate level European Portuguese.

Secondly, there are lots of resources which don’t have a course-like structure but are essential for learning Portuguese such as podcasts and flashcard apps.

This isn’t to say that you should completely avoid Brazilian Portuguese, although you may want to avoid Brazilian Portuguese teaching materials. You’ll still have a lot of contact with Brazilians most likely, and when you watching films in Portuguese or listen to music, there’s a good chance they’ll be from Brazil. So you’ll want to be able to understand Brazilian Portuguese but speak European Portuguese.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, Duolingo focuses on Brazilian Portuguese and not European Portuguese as well.

Comments are closed.