The easy way to learn Portuguese: a 4-step method

The secret: small, regular steps

Most beginners study for hours in the first week, get tired in the second and give up. The brain can only turn a limited amount of new information into lasting memory at a time; the rest is gone the next day.

That is why the daily goal on LinguDay is 10 words. Five to ten minutes is not tiring, fits into any day and adds up to about 300 words a month. Easy comes from doing a little every day.

Start with pronunciation

If you don’t know how to say a word, it’s harder to remember it. On LinguDay every Portuguese word has its pronunciation written in letters you know, and you can listen to it in a natural voice.

Portuguese uses the Latin alphabet and its grammar is close to Spanish and Italian. The hard part is the sound: nasal vowels (não, mãe) and, in Portugal, very short unstressed vowels that are almost swallowed. On LinguDay every word’s pronunciation is written in Latin letters with the stressed syllable marked, and you can listen to it.

See words in sentences, not alone

A word memorized alone is quickly forgotten; a word that is part of a sentence is remembered with its meaning. Every word comes with an example sentence, and short conversation lessons show words in real dialogues.

There are currently 7 Portuguese conversation lessons; the introduction and everyday conversation lessons are free.

Keep moving without forgetting: short reviews

Trying to recall what you learned a few days later is the most effective way to make it stick. The daily test asks about words from recent days and shows which ones need review.

So you learn new words without losing the old ones. Your progress page shows your learned words and study days.

Tips for learning Portuguese

• Nasal vowels and swallowed syllables

  ã, õ and a final -m are said through the nose: não "naun", bem "bain". In Portugal an unstressed e is very short, almost silent, and an unstressed o sounds "u": obrigado "ubrigádu". A final s sounds "sh". On LinguDay the stressed syllable is marked in every pronunciation.

• Gender and articles

  Every Portuguese noun is masculine or feminine and usually comes with an article: o pão (bread), a casa (house). Adjectives agree: casa branca, carro branco. Because the verb ending shows the person, pronouns like "eu" (I) are often left out.