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The Best Portuguese Lessons

Where Are the Best Portuguese Lessons?

Maybe you're enchanted by the images of carnaval and your dream is to see it in person someday. Or you live in a tourist destination frequently visited by Brazilians and it would help you in your job to be able to speak Portuguese. Whether your interest in the language is for business or pleasure, it's important to know how to go about learning it!

The truth is, not many places offer Portuguese classes (unless you live near a university). It should come as no surprise that the majority of people learning it today are doing so online! From one-on-one tutoring to fun apps you can use on the go, there's no shortage of ways to improve your fluency and get ready to have actual conversations in Portuguese.

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Portuguese Lesson Reviews

Babbel Review Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award 5 Star Rating

Babbel

5 Star Rating Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

From absolute beginners to advanced learners, everyone can benefit from using Babbel to study Portuguese. This platform offers the perfect blend of speaking exercises, grammar explanations, and language you can use right away in your everyday life. You can sample free intro lessons for many levels, and you've got 20 days to request a refund if you subscribe and change your mind. More than 10,000 people who use Babbel give it a perfect 5/5 rating, and we're sure you'll love it too!

italki Review 4.5 Star Rating

italki

4.5 Star Rating

Most Portuguese lessons help you learn to read, write, and understand Portuguese, but italki lets you supercharge your speaking ability too. This unique service pairs you with one-on-one tutors, for everything from informal sessions on Brazilian slang to in-depth grammatical instruction from certified professors. Hourly rates are really affordable, and you'll have plenty of information about each prospective tutor to help you pick the right one for you. italki has earned thousands of five-star ratings from students of all language levels, and it's one of our favorite resources for learning Portuguese like a native speaker!

Rocket Languages Review 4 Star Rating

Rocket Languages

4 Star Rating

Rocket Languages is a good program to consider if you're new to learning the Portuguese language. The lessons help you learn by listening, reading, writing, and speaking, with content that provides understanding of Brazilian culture. You'll only have to pay for Rocket Portuguese once: no lengthy memberships here. You'll need to look elsewhere for lessons that go beyond the basics, but Rocket Languages is worth a look if you're a beginner.

Rosetta Stone Review 4 Star Rating

Rosetta Stone

4 Star Rating

Gone are the days of having to use expensive CD-ROMS to study Portuguese with Rosetta Stone. Their teaching model is now 100% online, and a free three-day trial gives you the chance to try their immersion-based lessons for yourself. This program is a little lacking for more advanced students of Portuguese, but beginners will have plenty to learn from here. Rosetta Stone's Portuguese lessons will have you reading, speaking, and writing from the very start!

Busuu Review 4 Star Rating

Busuu

4 Star Rating

Busuu is a good platform to use if you want extensive free Portuguese lessons to try before you buy. With over 150 lessons ranging from beginner (A1) to upper intermediate (B2), you'll have plenty to keep you busy without a paid membership. But, subscriptions give you access to features like personalized study plans and more feedback from native speakers. Without a paid plan, you won't have much opportunity to practice your spoken Portuguese with Busuu, but it's still a worthwhile use of your time otherwise.

Memrise Review 3.5 Star Rating

Memrise

3.5 Star Rating

Memrise has been around for just over a decade and is one of several primarily app-based language learning platforms for Portuguese and several other languages. If you choose to learn the language as it's spoken in Portugal, your lessons will include video clips from native speakers; unfortunately, you won't get that with the Brazilian Portuguese courses here. You get plenty of words and phrases to learn with a free Memrise account; use that to the fullest before subscribing to a paid plan.

Mondly Review 3.5 Star Rating

Mondly

3.5 Star Rating

Mondly's app-based, gamified platform for teaching Portuguese is a fun way to start learning the language. From chatbots that mimic natural conversations to points and leaderboards to keep you motivated, this service has a lot to offer. You can access it for free, no account required, but the top features are only available with an affordable subscription. You might need to use Mondly with another resource if you like detailed lessons on grammar or culture, but this is an entertaining way to get the repetition you'll need to master key words, phrases and sentences.

Portuguese Pod 101 Review 3.5 Star Rating

Portuguese Pod 101

3.5 Star Rating

Portuguese Pod 101 has an extensive range of free content for learning the language - whether you're a beginner or an intermediate/advanced student. There's a strong audiovisual component to the lessons here, with plenty of opportunities to hear the language from native speakers. Figuring out your learning pathways may take some time: consider one of Portuguese Pod 101's paid membership tiers to get the most out of your study time.

Fluenz Review 3 Star Rating

Fluenz

3 Star Rating

If you hate immersion-based language programs that expect you to learn Portuguese through guesswork, Fluenz is ready to rescue you! This platform uses the English you already speak fluently to help you understand the Portuguese you're studying. There are 5 levels of instruction available as a one-time cost (no subscription required), and your purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. But, Fluenz doesn't offer any sample lessons for you to try: a not-insignificant downside that keeps this company from earning a higher rating here.

Living Language Review 1.5 Star Rating

Living Language

1.5 Star Rating

Living Language used to be a top option for learning many different languages, but this platform can't compete with other programs anymore. The company doesn't offer e-Tutoring options like they used to, and the sample lessons for Portuguese fail to impress. With no refund policy here, it's an unnecessary risk to pay for this service - especially with so many fantastic ways to learn Portuguese out there.

Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

Which Portuguese lessons are right for you? The first consideration is your current level of knowledge. Some providers are best-suited to beginners because they don't offer much beyond the basics of "Oi, tudo bem?" and "Eu gosto de comer frango" . You'll want to select a language service that has the right level and quantity of content for as long as you expect to study Portuguese.

Another important factor is how you prefer to learn. Some students want their lessons to be as game-like as possible, with lots of points, badges, and leaderboards. Others feel more comfortable with a traditional, straightforward approach: detailed grammatical lessons (preferably in English first!), lots of repetition, and no competition with other students. There are Portuguese lessons that suit both of those learning styles - and a few that even combine them!

Once you've identified a few good choices for your language learning, here are some criteria you can use to help make your final selection:

  • Value. What does the platform give you at no obligation, like a free trial or sample lessons? What fee-based options are there? Is it a subscription or a one-time cost? How much content will you get for what you pay? Even a "cheap" Portuguese lesson service can be a poor value if it doesn't give you well-structured teaching and plenty to learn.
  • Ease of Use. If you get frustrated with the Portuguese program, you'll likely find it hard to motivate yourself to practice. Take advantage of any options that let you give it a test run before you pay for a subscription. If you notice that you're excited to do just one more lesson or listen to one more dialogue, that's a good sign.
  • Reputation. What do other students say about the Portuguese lessons? Does the company have a good track record for offering quality content and a platform that works as expected?
  • Refund Policy. Once you've paid for your Portuguese lessons, can you get your money back if you're not satisfied? Many services give you a timeframe of 15-60 days to request a refund, but not all do. Understand the provider's terms and conditions before committing to a paid plan.

TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the best options for taking Portuguese lessons. We're confident that this information will help you choose the right learning platform to get you falando portugues in no time!

The Best Portuguese Lessons Compare Portuguese Lessons Compare Portuguese Lesson Reviews What are the best Portuguese Lessons Best Portuguese Lesson Reviews

Portuguese Lesson FAQ

Portuguese ranks seventh overall among world languages, with approximately 223 million speakers. 150 million speak Brazilian Portuguese, but it's also the official language of Portugal, Angola, and Mozambique.
Yes, but fortunately they're all mutually understood. Depending on the Portuguese lessons you select, you may learn European (as regulated by the Sciences Academy of Lisbon) or Brazilian (which is more commonly used worldwide). The differences between the two are similar to British and American English, with variations of accents and vocabulary but essentially the same grammar and structure.
E facil! For most native speakers of English, especially those that are already familiar with Spanish or Italian, Portuguese is one of the easiest languages to learn. And, with Brazilians being known as some of the most warm, friendly people on the planet, you should have no shortage of "helpers" with whom you can falar portugues.
The good news is that the alphabet is almost exactly the same, with the exception of accented vowels and one letter - so start by learning how the Portuguese letters are pronounced differently from English. You can also pick up some basic vocabulary based on how you'll be using the language: for travel, for business, or just for fun. Finally, it's a good idea to start watching movies and TV shows in Portuguese: it's the quickest way to develop a more native accent and learn new words and phrases naturally.
It's not easy to find Portuguese lessons in person unless you live near a university. Lucky for you, there are a wide variety of online providers that give you fun, informative instruction at your convenience. You don't have to fit a class into your busy schedule when you can study whenever and wherever you like!
Most smartphone keyboards make it easy: you may have to enable Portuguese in your language settings first, but from there you can usually select the base letter (like "o" or "c" ) and the accented options will pop up. On your computer keyboard, most systems have shortcuts you can use; alternately, there are online keyboard websites that let you copy-paste Portuguese characters as needed.
Not at all: you can learn basic Portuguese for less than $100, or under $25 per month with a recurring subscription. It just depends on the lesson platform you choose and how many features you want (e.g. basic words and phrases or a certificate of completion and live help from language instructors). No matter which type of Portuguese lessons you select, you'll pay much less than you would for a college course.
Possibly. If you're using a month-to-month program, you can almost always cancel future payments but you might not get any money back. With one-off purchases of Portuguese lesson packages, it's common to get a 30- or 60-day satisfaction guarantee with a full refund. It's a good idea to see if the Portuguese lessons you're considering have a free sample lesson or trial period before you make your choice: put it to the test and see if you like the way the class is taught and if it feels right for how you learn best.
The Best Reviews of Portuguese Lessons