Thursday, January 23rd
2025 Portuguese Lesson Reviews
Mondly
- Can learn Portuguese from Brazil or Portugal
- Price: $9.99 for one month, $47.99 for a year (often on sale)
- App supports 41 different languages
- Compete with other learners and track your progress
- Free account option available with basic features
- Dashboard with a variety of lesson topics
- Premium account unlocks VR feature and AI chat
- Premium account includes over 250 lessons on various topics
- Premium users gain access to daily lessons, quizzes, and challenges
Mondly offers an engaging language learning experience, boasting a gamified approach that aims to make learning Portuguese enjoyable. With features like progress tracking and friendly competition with other learners, the app supports 41 languages and has a user base of 125 million worldwide.
Recent changes raise concerns
And, unlike some of the lessons in our evaluation, Mondly lets you choose between Portugal and Brazil as the "home base” for the way the language is presented. Each of these avenues give you varying accents and regional phrases. However, recent changes, including Pearson's acquisition of Mondly, may raise some concerns about the platform's future.
Basic (free) lessons are limited
Starting off on Mondly's Basic plan, you'll create a free account and indicate your Portuguese proficiency level: beginner, intermediate, or expert. Initial activities like basic greetings, a one-off chat with the AI bot, and daily lessons offer a taste of Mondly's methodology. However, without a premium account, your options remain limited, with only the free daily lesson available, which typically takes about 5 minutes. Completing seven of these unlocks a Weekly Quiz, and mastering all weekly quizzes leads to the Monthly Challenge. Navigating Mondly's dashboard, resembling a map, allows you to select Portuguese lesson topics like weather or travel or you can follow Mondly's suggested daily lessons based on your progress.
You'll need to subscribe to access all the features
For those seeking a more comprehensive experience, Mondly's Premium plan unlocks the platform's most in-depth features. Subscribers gain full access to immersive tools like chat features for conversational practice in Portuguese and augmented reality for interactive learning experiences. With over 250 lessons spanning various topics, vocabulary builders, and grammar assistance, Premium users enjoy a more well-rounded learning environment.
It's not expensive to subscribe
Pricing for Mondly's Premium plan varies, with options including monthly ($9.99) and yearly ($47.99) subscriptions. There's an all-access plan for using 33 of the 41 Mondly languages on the platform, but a) it's regularly-priced at $479.99 and b) there's no explanation why there are 8 languages not included. We recommend that you also keep an eye out for discounts, as Mondly often offers promotions, though this platform is missing the "lifetime subscription” that many of its rivals offer.
Can be frustrating and repetitive
Looking deeper into Mondly's language program reveals its limitations. While suitable for beginners, Mondly lacks in-depth grammar lessons and fails to challenge advanced learners. Portuguese lessons across all levels feel somewhat repetitive, with advanced levels still covering only basic concepts. Although Mondly offers opportunities to review lessons and explore verb conjugations, it relies heavily on intuitive learning rather than explicit grammar instruction. Additionally, some free-response tools may frustrate users, as correct answers not matching the expected Mondly format may not register correctly.
Pearson acquisition is not a positive
Also, with Mondly's recent acquisition by Pearson, concerns about the platform's future maintenance arise. Pearson's reputation for software upkeep, particularly among college students reviewing other online learning tools (like MathLab, frequently referred to as "MethLab” because of its unstable nature and lack of support), makes us worried about whether or not there will be any ongoing development and customer support for Mondly's language courses. The increased emphasis recently on using Mondly for teaching English (with no mention of the platform's use for any other languages) further suggests potential shifts in priorities. And that could leave your Portuguese lessons here in the dust, sadly.
Rival lesson platforms do it better
Ultimately, while Mondly offers an accessible entry point into Portuguese, it may not be the best choice for serious learners. Its basic approach and limited free features pale in comparison to other options offering more comprehensive grammar instruction and user support. While Mondly isn't the worst option out there for studying Portuguese, it just doesn't measure up to the higher-ranking lessons on our list.
More Portuguese Lesson Reviews
The 11 Best Portuguese Lessons
Where Can You Find the Best Portuguese Lessons?
Portuguese is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with over 260 million speakers spread across several continents. And with today's technology, there are a number of online resources and platforms available for learning Portuguese. These range from interactive apps to comprehensive language courses tailored to different proficiency levels, from beginner to advanced.
For those who seek a more immersive learning experience, tutoring sessions with native speakers can be arranged through live video calls. These give you the opportunity to practice speaking and listening skills in real-life situations. Learning Portuguese online gives you the ability to learn the language in all of these ways.
Portuguese Lesson FAQ
Continued from above...
One of the primary reasons for learning Portuguese is its importance in international business and trade. Brazil, with its rapidly growing economy, is a major player in global markets, making Portuguese a valuable asset for professionals seeking opportunities in sectors such as finance, agriculture, technology, and energy. Additionally, Portuguese proficiency can open doors to cultural exchange programs, academic research opportunities, and international collaborations.
Another compelling reason to learn Portuguese is its rich cultural heritage. From the captivating rhythms of Brazilian samba and bossa nova to the haunting melodies of Portuguese fado, the Portuguese-speaking world boasts a diverse tapestry of art, music, literature, and cuisine. Learning the language provides a deeper understanding and appreciation of these cultural treasures, allowing learners to engage more fully with Portuguese-speaking communities around the globe. Why not order feijoada in fluent Portuguese when you visit Rio?
Learning Portuguese can be an enriching experience for various reasons, including its cultural significance, global relevance, and the potential for personal and professional growth. Portuguese is the official language of Portugal and Brazil, of course, but did you know Portuguese is also spoken in Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Sao Tome and Principe, with cultural importance in regions such as Macau, East Timor, and Goa?
Ready to get to it? Muito bom! Let's take a look at some criteria you can use to choose the right Portuguese lessons for your learning style and fluency goals:
- Levels offered. Consider your current fluency level and what you're hoping to accomplish. Do you need to start from zero, or do you have a background in Spanish or another Romance language that will give you a head start into a more intermediate difficulty level?
- Mode of instruction. How do you learn best? Is it with lots of audio files with native speaker accents for you to imitate, direct grammatical instruction in English, total immersion from the get-go, or a combination of all that and more? Are you looking for classroom-style lectures or a fun app to keep you motivated? You'll find all of that and then some in today's most popular online Portuguese lessons.
- Cost. What will you pay to access the Portuguese lessons you need? Many services give you something for free, with the hope that you'll buy or subscribe later. Pay attention to monthly vs. annual billing, automatic recurring subscriptions, and charges that may apply after you sign up for a free trial.
- Effectiveness. How well will you be able to speak, read, write, and understand Portuguese after putting effort into the lessons? What do other students say about their fluency levels after using the program?
- Satisfaction guarantee/refund policy. If you pay for access to the Portuguese lessons and wind up not liking them, can you get your money back? Is there a time limit to requesting a refund?
Whether for business, travel, or sheer curiosity, acquiring proficiency in Portuguese opens doors to a vibrant and dynamic world, enriching the lives of learners and fostering connections across continents. To help you on your language journey, the experts at Top Consumer Reviews have tried and ranked some of the most popular Portuguese lessons available today. Boa sorte!
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