Learning to Listen and Speak in Portuguese

[mjd]

Considering the great interest in Latin-American travel these days, those who are interested in being able to converse in Spanish or Portuguese should consider the Pimsleur learning system. This is the Rolls-Royce of foreign language recordings and actually teaches you to think in the language. Their series are available in cassette or CD at USD$299/349 per course and sold from their website--they have two courses for Brazillian Portuguese and three for Spanish.

 

The process is lots of fun. They're intended for effective use in your car. You spend 30 minutes a day for a month for each course or go at your own pace. The system is intended for conversing, not writing, so there the supplied "textbook" need not be used; or if you do, they're only 12 pages!

 

The Pimsleur system is based upon scientific research into how we learn our native languages and begins virtually at normal speaking speed. When you're done you may have limited vocabulary, but what you have learned you will be able to use immediately.

 

The Brazilians may understand your Spanish but if you want to understand them, you'll need to study Portuguese.

 

And wouldn't you love to know what those are guys are really saying?

[jackhammer91406]

Thanks for the tip. I hope to travel to Rio and Sao Paolo in the fall and wondered how I was ever going to get the local language down. Yes, I would love to know when someone local is saying how ugly I look, but how big lil jack is.

[trilingual]

Other posters have recommended the Pimsleur tapes, too. However, for anyone living in a major metro area like Boston, NY, Miami, LA, SF, London, Paris, etc., there are large communities of expatriate Brazilians, some of whom can give Portuguese lessons. You might ask some local Brazilian escort if he has a friend who can teach Portuguese. If not, most of these communities have local weekly or monthly newspapers, where language teachers sometime advertise. You also may see ads for language teachers posted at local Brazilian restaurants. If there's a Brazilian consulate in your city, ask there if they know of any private Portuguese tutors. Another resource is the Spanish-Portuguese department at any local university.

 

Just be sure, though, to use a teacher/tutor who is Brazilian, and not European Portuguese. The pronunciation difference is dramatic, about as much as the difference between a heavy Yorkshire accent and Nebraska pronunciation in English. If you're going to be spending the effort to learn the language, you might as well learn the version you're going to be hearing and speaking in Brazil. Also, Brazilians consider European Portuguese to be quaint, at best, and backwards and comic, at worst. Brazilians tell Portuguese jokes the way Americans tell Polish or Aggie jokes, just so you have an idea of the high regard Brazilians have for their transatlantic cousins. In other words, you won't get extra points in Brazil for speaking the continental version of Portuguese.

[sf traveler]

I would just like to second Tri's recommendation of getting a live teacher. I speak French, German and Italian, and I've never been able to learn anything from a tape alone. While they're great in conjunction with a class or a private tutor, they're just not enough for me. I got a tutor for Portuguese and just had a few lessons before my first trip and it was really amazing how marked the difference between knowing something and knowing nothing was. I think it made my trip much more enjoyable. A teacher is ultimately much more expensive than any tape, but in my view worth it if you really want to learn the language. On the other hand, I will say that some special people can learn well from tapes alone and for them it's probably fine--I just don't think such people are really very common.

[mjd]

The Pimsleur program is based on Brazillian, not European, Portuguese.

[mjd]

Don't underestimate the Pimsleur approach. I can see why most who have tried tapes would be discouraged. Although English is my native language I studied Spanish, French, and German in college and hated the language lab portions of those courses. Over the years, I've tried the various commerical tape courses--such as Berlitz--and in every single case (except the Pimsleur), they were truly awful. The Pimsleur cost about 4 times as much as the other brands but they are effective.

 

Pimsleur also has a terrific ESOL program for Spanish speakers to learn English. If you bring back your handsome young dreamguy and he doesn't speak English, he'll really appreciate the opportunity.

[Driver]

There are not many brasilians in my poart of england but i was lucky enough to find on the internet Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil the complete guide for beginners

 

reading it makes me cringe at some of the things i have said in my earlier two visits. Its hard going but with just under 7 months to my next visit i have high hopes. what is nice is seeing bits and thinking - i know what that means already.

[Guest Gringo]

what's the address of that site Driver?

[Driver]

https://ecommerce.tandf.co.uk/catalogue/DetailedDisplay.asp?ISBN=0415277779&ResourceCentre=ROUTLEDGE&RedirectPage=PerformSearch%2Easp&curpage=1

 

if that doesn't work start from here, go to porduct search and put in portuguese

 

http://www.routledge.com/default.html

 

N.B I don't have any connection with this company

[Driver]

Oops my mistake - that URL should read

 

https://ecommerce.tandf.co.uk/catalogue/DetailedDisplay.asp?ISBN=0415276802&ResourceCentre=ROUTLEDGE&RedirectPage=PerformSearch%2Easp&curpage=1

 

I bought the tape version and it came with cds as well.

[jivau3930]

I agree the Pimsleur tapes/CDs are great. If you want to get a taste of the Pimsleur method, there is a set of 4 CDs available for about $20. I ordered the complete set of Brazilian Portuguese I (one - they have other courses after the first) through Barnes & Noble website for $299. and had it in 3 days. I'm spending about a week on each tape - however, Pimsleur strives for only 80% retention. I plan a trip to Rio in Sept. (again) so I have time. I agree with Tri - it would be nice to have someone to "pratice" with. (Tri-you know of any Brazilian escorts in Houston - lol). Pimsleur gets an A++!!