Learn Beginner’s Portuguese

Portugal is a country with complex and rich history, which has had many impacts on many countries of the world. Learning its langugage is learning about them all.

The year after going to Amsterdam, we decided on Lisbon for our annual Eurostar trip to Europe with friends. I had briefly looked into Portuguese before because it shares some similarities with Spanish, and I had also developed a bit of a fascination with Brazilian culture, especially its music and films. Since we were heading to Portugal, it seemed like a good opportunity to give the language a proper go.

Portuguese in 10 weeks

As is my go-to, I picked up Portuguese in Three Months and did what I had done before, I copied out the entire book by hand over about ten weeks. This method had worked for me before, and it helped get the basics into my head quickly. Unlike Italian, this book felt well-paced, and the word lists were much more manageable.

Using Portuguese in Portugal

When we got to Lisbon, I actually had the chance to use Portuguese quite a bit. Unlike in Amsterdam, where nearly everyone spoke English, I found that Portuguese people spoke less English day-to-day, so making the effort to speak their language felt useful. The pronunciation was a bit tricky at first, but reading and writing were fairly easy, and I could follow conversations better than I expected.

Cultural Access and Continued Learning

Learning Portuguese unlocked more than just conversations. It opened up Brazilian culture in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I started to really enjoy Brazilian music (there's so many good artists/albums to recommend but at time of writing I'm obsessed with the group Tuyo and their album Paisagem) and films, understanding them in their original language instead of relying on translations. That alone made the effort worthwhile.

After coming back from Portugal, I found an online tutor and took some lessons to keep improving. Having a structured approach helped reinforce what I’d learned and gave me more confidence in using the language.

Unlike Spanish, which had been a long-term goal, Portuguese was something I picked up more spontaneously. Even so, it turned out to be a really rewarding experience. The language felt familiar yet different enough to be a challenge, and the cultural side of it made the effort even more enjoyable. It was a reminder that sometimes the best learning experiences come from following what feels interesting in the moment.