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Portuguese

Free Portuguese course

Portuguese is spoken by more than 250 million people in Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique and beyond. The course teaches the Portuguese of Brazil and points out where Portugal differs.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no Portuguese at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
Sugarloaf Mountain and Botafogo Bay in Rio de Janeiro
Oi! Tudo bem?Hi! How are you?

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course.

Where should I start? If you're new to Portuguese, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the Portuguese course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
33 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How the letters are pronounced, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbyeOi e tchauSay hello and goodbye in Brazilian Portuguese, give your name and where you're from, and learn the words for I, you, we and they and the verb ser.
  2. Numbers and pricesNúmeros e preçosCount from 0 to 100 in Portuguese, ask how much something costs, understand prices in reais and give a phone number.
  3. At the caféNo caféOrder breakfast in a Brazilian bakery café, ask for the bill, and learn when to say você and when to say o senhor or a senhora.
  4. Getting aroundPela cidadeAsk where places are in a Brazilian city, ask if there's a pharmacy nearby and understand simple directions: straight on, left and right.
  5. Family and friendsFamília e amigosTalk about your family in Portuguese, say how old people are with ter, and use my, your, his and her.
  6. My homeMinha casaName the rooms and furniture in a home, say where things are with estar and words like em cima de, and describe things by colour.
  7. My dayMeu diaTell the time in Portuguese, talk about your daily routine and use the present tense of regular verbs and me levanto.
  8. Food and shoppingComida e comprasBuy fruit and vegetables at a Brazilian street market: ask for quantities, ask prices with custa and custam, and make nouns plural.
  9. Time and datesDias e datasLearn the days and months in Portuguese, say dates, make plans with vou + a verb, and ask and answer why.
  10. Likes and dislikesDo que você gosta?Say what you like, love and hate in Portuguese with gostar de, adorar and odiar, give opinions with achar, and agree or disagree.
  11. Hobbies and free timeLazer e tempo livreTalk about sports and free time in Portuguese, say how often you do things, say what you can do, and invite, accept and decline.
  12. Your first conversationSua primeira conversaPut all of A1 together in a real conversation: introduce yourself, talk about work and free time, accept an invitation and swap numbers.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the pastFalando do passadoSay what you did yesterday or last weekend with the Brazilian preterite, use a gente for “we” and say when something happened.
  2. Travel and hotelsViagens e hotéisCheck in at a Brazilian guesthouse, ask about breakfast and your room, make polite requests and sort out a problem with the room.
  3. At the doctor'sNo médicoTell a Brazilian doctor what's wrong and since when, say what hurts with dói and doem, and understand simple advice.
  4. Home and housingCasa e moradiaCompare two flats to rent in Rio: bigger, cheaper, quieter. Learn comparatives, the numbers up to 10,000 and how rent works in Brazil.
  5. Work and studiesTrabalho e estudosTalk about what you studied and where you've worked in a Brazilian job interview, using the imperfect for habits and descriptions.
  6. Weather and seasonsO tempo e as estaçõesTalk about the weather and temperatures in Portuguese, learn Brazil's seasons, and understand forecasts with vai chover and the simple future.
  7. Clothes and shoppingRoupas e comprasExchange clothes and buy a shirt in a Brazilian shop: sizes and trying on, este, esse and aquele, and how to say “it” and “them”.
  8. Plans and invitationsPlanos e convitesMake, accept, decline and change plans in Portuguese: estar + gerund for what's happening now, que tal…?, é que… and fica para a próxima.
  9. Directions and transportTransporte e direçõesBuy a bus ticket at a Brazilian bus station, choose your seat, find the platform and give and follow instructions with the imperative.
  10. Describing peopleDescrevendo pessoasDescribe what people look like and what they are like, say what someone was like in the past, and join sentences with que.
  11. Phone calls and messagesTelefonemas e mensagensMake a phone call in Portuguese: ask for someone, leave a message, spell your name and book an appointment. With me, te, lhe and pra ela.
  12. Review: a weekend awayUm fim de semana foraReview A2: tell the story of a weekend trip with the preterite and the imperfect, recommend places and make plans for your own trip.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memoriesHistórias e lembrançasTell a story about the past in Portuguese: the pluperfect tinha feito for what had already happened, and primeiro, depois, de repente and no final.
  2. Opinions and reasonsOpiniões e razõesGive and defend your opinion in Portuguese: acho que and não acho que with the subjunctive, reasons with porque, como and já que, and polite disagreement.
  3. News and current eventsNotícias e atualidadesUnderstand simple local news in Portuguese: the passive with ser, impersonal vão reformar and vende-se, and reporting what someone said.
  4. Feelings and relationshipsSentimentos e relacionamentosTalk about feelings in Portuguese: the subjunctive after fico feliz que and tenho medo que, reciprocal se, ficar + adjective, and advice to a friend.
  5. Hopes and wishesEsperanças e desejosTalk about dreams and plans in Portuguese: the conditional (eu faria, eu ia adorar), wishes with tomara que and quero que, and se eu pudesse.
  6. Solving problemsResolvendo problemasTake something broken back to a shop in Portuguese: describe the fault, understand the solutions and use the future subjunctive after se and quando.
  7. Culture and traditionsCultura e tradiçõesTalk about festivals and customs in Portuguese: the June festivals, impersonal a gente, dizem que and se come, and relative pronouns que, quem, o que and onde.
  8. Work and careersTrabalho e carreiraHandle a job interview in Portuguese: describe your experience with venho trabalhando, use the personal infinitive (para todos saberem) and formal phrases.
  9. Health and lifestyleSaúde e estilo de vidaTalk about habits and health in Portuguese: é importante que + subjunctive, tenho dormido mal for recent habits, and advice like não coma tanto sal.
  10. Money and everyday servicesDinheiro e serviçosOpen a bank account in Portuguese: documents, fees and Pix, polite formal requests, big numbers and amounts, and when to use por and para.
  11. Travel storiesHistórias de viagemTell the story of a trip that went wrong in Portuguese: the imperfect subjunctive after se, disse que tinha sido cancelado, ao chegar, and reactions like Nossa!
  12. Review: telling your storyContando a sua históriaReview B1 Portuguese with a life story: all the past tenses, the three subjunctives, the personal infinitive and time expressions like aos dez anos.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debatingDiscutir e debaterArgue a point in Portuguese: embora and mesmo que with the subjunctive, apesar de, connectors like no entanto, and polite interruptions.
  2. Work in depthO trabalho em detalheNegotiate at work in Portuguese: the imperfect subjunctive after queria que and pediu que, proposals with e se…, and softening with the conditional.
  3. Film, books and mediaCinema, livros e mídiaTalk about films and books in Portuguese: summarising a plot, o melhor é que, the perfect subjunctive, and literary past forms like dissera.
  4. Science and technologyCiência e tecnologiaExplain how things work in Portuguese: the passive in all tenses, passive se, impersonal você and a gente, and cause and effect with graças a and portanto.
  5. Society and the environmentSociedade e meio ambienteDiscuss problems and solutions in Portuguese: se eu tivesse sabido, teria feito, all types of se sentences, and ways to express concern.
  6. Public lifeVida públicaReport what public figures said in Portuguese: all the tense changes in reported speech, reporting verbs like garantir and negar, and time words.
  7. Education and learningEducação e aprendizagemTalk about school and regrets in Portuguese: devia ter feito, quem dera, como se with the subjunctive, and the Brazilian school system.
  8. Idioms and everyday speechExpressões do dia a diaSound natural in Brazilian Portuguese: idioms like dar branco and pagar mico, verb phrases like ficar + gerund, and spoken tá, tô, pra and né.
  9. Humour and informal languageHumor e linguagem informalUnderstand informal Brazilian Portuguese: slang like trampo, massa and rolê, diminutives and irony, and tu vai and bah from the South.
  10. Formal writingEscrita formalWrite formal letters and emails in Portuguese: set phrases, procuram alguém que fale…, caso, desde que and a menos que, and formal pronoun placement.
  11. Giving a presentationFazendo uma apresentaçãoGive a talk in Portuguese: signposting with em primeiro lugar and por fim, emphasis with foi aí que and o que a gente quer é, and handling questions.
  12. Final reviewRevisão finalReview B2 Portuguese in a long, natural conversation: the whole subjunctive system, se sentences, reported speech, informal speech, and Brazil vs Portugal.