Learning Portuguese

Reviews: Practice Portuguese – An Engaging Podcast & Interactive Language Learning Platform

A language site for moving to Portugal displays a Portuguese dialogue transcript, plus options for downloads, vocabulary, and a quiz.

Ever dreamed of effortlessly chatting with locals in a Lisbon café, or confidently navigating life as an expat in the Algarve? If you’re nodding your head, then learning European Portuguese is probably high on your to-do list. But let’s face it – tackling a new language can feel like climbing a linguistic Everest, especially when it’s not as widely taught as its Brazilian counterpart. Enter Practice Portuguese, the online learning platform that’s revolutionizing the way people learn Portuguese as it’s …

A picturesque coastal town in Faial with white and red-roofed buildings nestled along a curved shoreline. Clear turquoise water gently laps against the beach, and lush greenery covers the surrounding hills. The sky is partially cloudy, casting soft light over the scene.

Thinking about moving to the Azores or exploring your family roots there? You’re in for a linguistic treat! While there’s no official “Azorean Portuguese,” the islands have their own unique flavour when it comes to the language. Let’s dive into what makes it special and how you can start learning Portuguese as it’s spoken in the Azores islands. The Azorean Accent: A World of Its Own The main difference between continental Portuguese and Azorean Portuguese is the accent. However, the …

If you’ve spent any time looking for Portuguese-learning resources, you’ve probably already discovered one of the big frustrations: most of what’s out there is for Brazilian Portuguese, not European Portuguese. That’s exactly the gap that Mia Esmeriz has been filling since 2017. Through her website, YouTube channel, and a complete set of courses from A1 to B2, she’s helped thousands of students learn real, everyday European Portuguese—from pronunciation and listening skills to grammar and natural conversation. In this interview, Mia …

Review: “The Journey” from Portuguese With Carla

You may have come across Portuguese With Carla before. Carla runs a popular podcast, YouTube channel, and website where she teaches European Portuguese alongside her husband Marlon. Their latest innovation, The Journey, is an incredibly creative way of teaching European Portuguese – from beginner to advanced. The Journey follows a story, which the trailer below gives a preview of. In it, the main character, Carla, receives a letter informing her of an inheritance left behind by her estranged father. What …

A man in a blue checkered shirt is sitting at a desk, writing in a notebook with a pen. In front of him is an open laptop, and there's a blurred background with a window, some indoor plants, and office items.

There are more free resources for learning European Portuguese than ever — apps, YouTube channels, podcasts, dictionaries, phonetics tools, and language-exchange communities. Used well, they can take you a genuinely long way, and this guide rounds up the ones I’d actually reach for. But I want to start with the honest version, because it’ll save you months: you can’t learn a language entirely on free apps. Not really — not to the point of holding a conversation or passing the A2 exam. …

A man with a beard is looking down while holding a large white sign that reads "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?" in bold, black letters. He is wearing a black vest over a gray shirt and standing against a plain, gray background.

One of the most frequently asked questions on Portugalist is: how widely is English spoken in Portugal? Can I get by with English or do I really need to learn Portuguese? You may have travelled or lived in other European countries like France or Spain where English isn’t always spoken. Portugal’s not like that. When it comes to speaking English as a second language, Portugal is the 9th most proficient country in the world, according to the EF English Proficiency …

A person with long hair, wearing headphones and a light blue shirt, sits at a desk and uses a laptop. The desk is cluttered with notebooks, highlighters, and pens. A bookshelf with various books and folders is in the background.

Forget stuffy classrooms, outdated textbooks, and mind-numbing printouts. These modern courses are a far cry from traditional language classes. They’re flexible, engaging, and designed to fit around real life (work, kids, moving paperwork, and the occasional existential spiral about Portuguese pronunciation). Whether you’re planning to retire in the Algarve, study in Coimbra, or just want to pass that all-important A2 exam for citizenship, there’s a course out there for you. The trick is picking the right one—because “best” depends on …

A woman wearing headphones sits at a wooden table in front of a laptop. She is writing in a notebook with a pen. The background features large green plants and window blinds that let in natural light. Glasses and other items are placed on the table.

The Portuguese passport keeps climbing in popularity. Once you have it, you can live, work, and travel anywhere in the EU — Portugal included. But before you get there, most people hit one gate: proving you have at least an A2 level of Portuguese. This is usually done through an exam called the CIPLE (often just called “the A2”). This guide covers who needs it, what the exam is actually like on the day, and exactly how to prepare — …

Podcasts are one of my favorite tools for learning Portuguese, especially if you have regular pockets of dead time to fill — a commute, a dog walk, the gym. They pair well with an actual Portuguese course, feeding you new vocabulary and, just as importantly, repeating the stuff you’ve already half-learned until it finally sticks. But let me be honest about something first, because most “best podcasts” lists won’t tell you this. The dream is that you’ll sit down and …

Almost every week, someone emails me to say they’ve been grinding away on Duolingo and just found out it teaches Brazilian Portuguese, not European Portuguese. I’ve genuinely lost count of how many times this has happened. I don’t think most people realize the two can differ enough to matter. And, they do matter. It’s not quite the gap between American and British English, where you’ll be understood everywhere and nobody blinks. It’s not even the difference between learning Spanish in …

Reviews: Practice Portuguese – An Engaging Podcast & Interactive Language Learning Platform

How to Learn “Portuguese From the Azores”

Mia Esmeriz On Learning Portuguese in 6 Months

Review: “The Journey” from Portuguese With Carla

Here’s How I Would Learn European For Free (Or Very Cheap)

Do They Speak English in Portugal? An Honest Region-by-Region Answer

15+ European Portuguese Courses (With Reviews)

The A2 Portuguese Test (CIPLE): What It’s Really Like, and Resources to Help you Pass

10+ Great Podcasts For Learning Portuguese

Learning European Portuguese? Skip Duolingo