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The Foreign Language Center
Portuguese
Why should I learn Portuguese?
If you are taking a vacation to Portugal, Brazil or a country in Africa, you will be able
to communicate with the locals.
Communicate with a family member.
Widen your career options. The Brazilian economy has been growing drastically
the past few years and being able to communicate in Portuguese has been a major
plus to many American businesses.
Portuguese is an excellent gateway language to other languages, especially the Romance Languages:
French
Italian
Arabic
How long will it take for me to learn the language?
The timeline to learn languages is different for
each person. It depends on:
If you know other languages.
How much do you really want to learn the language?
How much effort you put into it.
However, on average someone can reach a level of proficiency (the level of feeling comfortable having a conversation with a native speaker, without having a loss for words) between 2 to 3 years.
Who speaks Portuguese?
Portuguese is an official language of the United Nations.
Portuguese is the official language of the following countries:
Angola
Brazil
Cabo Verde
Timor Leste
Guiné-Bissau
Portugal
São Tomé & Príncipe
Macau, China (along with Mandarin, both official languages - The city was a Portuguese colony until 1999)
It is also spoken in many other countries, due to the large influx of immigration, including the United States.
How many people speak Portuguese?
Approximately 210-215 million people.
Approximately 365,000 people in the United States speak Portuguese
Portuguese is the 6th most spoken language in the world.
Portuguese is the 3rd most spoken European language in the world.
You already know more Portuguese words than you expected. Portuguese contributed a multitude of words to the English language, for example, some are: banana, caravel, coconut, mango, samba, etc.
*** The above figures come from Wikipedia
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Cabo Verde
 LisboaA street in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. This also shows one of the famous black and white cobblestone designs that Portugal is known for. |
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 LisbonEstadio da Luz - One of Lisbon's Soccer Stadiums. This one is known for - Clubo do Benfica. |
 SintraA view of the Pena National Palace, built as a summer residence in the 18th century for Portuguese Royalty. |
 SintraA view of the Pena National Palace, built as a summer residence in the 18th century for Portuguese Royalty. |
 SintraA view of the Pena National Palace, built as a summer residence in the 18th century for Portuguese Royalty. |
 SintraA view of the Pena National Palace, built as a summer residence in the 18th century for Portuguese Royalty. |
 SintraA view of the Pena National Palace, built as a summer residence in the 18th century for Portuguese Royalty. |
 SintraA carving above the main entrance. The creature from the sea is protecting the palace. |
 SintraA doorway to the palace. The architecture of the doorway shows the Moorish influence on the town of Sintra. |
 PortoView from the River Douro of the Port Wine Factory Buildings, including current expansion construction. Also, Funicular Ride across the Douro River. |
 PortoView of the Douro River. |
 PortoThe old fashioned ships that used to transport the Port Wine down the Douro River for export. |
 PortoThe old fashioned ships that used to transport the Port Wine down the Douro River for export. |
 PortoA park near Downtown Porto. |
 BeiraView of Beira and a café, which Portugal has in multitude. |
 FatimaA cultural and religious site, that many people worldwide have pilgrimages to. |
 EvoraThe ruins of the Roman Temple Diana in Evora, Portugal. |
Our Course Offerings for Adults & Children
Although teens and adults
are grouped together in the following description, there are separate classes for the groups. The difference between the classes is the pacing of the class, and some of the class activities are altered for the specific age group and interests.
Portuguese Conversation I
The students will build basic conversational vocabulary with the goal of carrying a basic conversation in portuguese, in an informal setting as well as a work setting. This was designed for students with no previous knowledge of portuguese. This class will include conversations with music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
Portuguese for Children I
This class was developed for students with no previous background or minimum background in reading, writing and speaking. The class will begin with the alphabet for pronunciation and will progress to include the following:
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Greetings
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Numbers(0-30)
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Colors
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Adjectives
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Time
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Family
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Verbs
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Culture about the Portuguese Language
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Some culture about Portugal
By the end of the course each student should be able to introduce themselves and others in Portuguese as well as create a basic sentence describing a person or an object.
The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.
Portuguese for Teens & Adults II
The students should have a general background in Portuguese. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I and then continue from that point to include topics such as:
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Classroom vocabulary
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Numbers(above 30 to 100)
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More adjectives
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Days of the week
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Months
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Weather
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Verbs
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Shapes
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Colors
By the end of the course each student should be able to discuss their daily schedule in detail in Portuguese. And should be able to label and describe the physical look of an object in Portuguese.
This class will include conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
Portuguese for Children II
The course is for students with a general background of the language. The students should possess previous knowledge of basic introductions, greetings, and the alphabet. The class begins with a general review of Level I topics listed above. The class will then continue with the following topics:
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Classroom vocabulary
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Numbers(above 30 to 100)
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Creating schedules
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Some irregular verbs
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Adjectives
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Sentences become more complex
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Some culture about Brazil
By the end of the course each student should be able to discuss their daily schedule. Also, their sentences structure will have become more complex than "I am American" for instance.
The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.
Portuguese for Children III
The students should have a solid background in Portuguese, and be able to create basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Levels I & II and then continue from that point to include topics such as:
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Body parts
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Numbers(above 100)
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Clothing
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Irregular verbs
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Directions
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Commands
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Some culture of Cape Verde
By the end of the course each student should be able
to describe their clothing, and be able to name the body parts and explain any ailments that they might have in complete Portuguese sentences. The students will also be able to ask and give directions to a location.
The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.
Portuguese for Children IV
The students must be able to create sentences at an intermediate level. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I to Level III and then continue from that point to include topics such as:
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Food
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Animals
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Irregular Verbs
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Some culture of class picked Portuguese speaking country
Since this is considered the intermediate level, the students will focus more on reading small passages and writing more complex sentences.
By the end of the course each student should be able to order food at a restaurant. They will also be able to formulate complex sentences at the intermediate level. Lastly, they should be able to read small basic excerpts.
The class activities are puzzles, short
videos, music clips, index card games,
etc., as a form of learning grammar and
vocabulary.
Portuguese for Children V
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The class is tailored to address the students' specific weaknesses and the topics the students would like to learn.
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Another option for the student is to join the Portuguese for Adults III to continue their studies, dependent of maturity level and the completion of an entrance exam to continue their studies.
Portuguese Conversation II
This class is designed for students that are able to hold a basic conversation in portuguese, and want to brush-up on their conversational skills while continuing to expand their vocabulary. This class will include conversations with music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
Portuguese for Teens and Adults I
This course was created for students with no previous knowledge of Portuguese.
Reading, writing, and speaking will be practiced as a class, with partners and individually. The class will begin with the pronunciation and will progress from that to multiple topics, some of which can be chosen by the student, including:
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Greetings
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Basic expressions
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Verbs
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Numbers 0-30
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Time
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Creating basic sentences
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Some culture of the language, and the countries that speak the language
By the end of the course each student should be able to introduce themselves and others, as well as create a basic sentence describing a person or an object.
This class includes conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
Portuguese for Teens & Adults III
This course is designed or students with a solid background in Portuguese, including creating basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Levels I & II and then continue from that point to include topics such as:
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Numbers(above 100)
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Directions
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Commands
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Introduce Past Tense (Preterite Tense)
By the end of the course each student should be able to ask and give directions to a location. The student should be able to begin to express themselves in the Preterite Tense (Past Completed).
This class will include conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
Portuguese for Teens & Adults IV
This course is designed for students with a solid background in the language, including creating basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I through Level III and then continue from that point to include topics such as:
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Food and Restaurants
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Continue Past Tense (Preterite Tense)
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Introduce Past Tense (Imperfect Tense)
Since this is considered the intermediate level, the students will focus more on reading small passages and writing more complex sentences.
By the end of the course each student should be able to order food at a restaurant. They will also be able to formulate complex sentences at the intermediate level, in the present and past tense. Lastly, they should be able to read small basic exerpts in the language.
This class includes conversations and longer written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.
BUILD YOUR OWN CLASS !
We are always looking for ideas for new classes. Contact us with any ideas you might have.
If you do not see the class you want, then build your own class. Tell us what your specific needs are and we will create a class around them. You will have one-on- one tutoring from our staff !!!
Contact us for further details !
Portuguese for Teens & Adults V
The class will be tailored to the students' specific weaknesses and topics that the student would like to learn in Portuguese.
This class will include conversations and long written assignments, regarding TV episodes in portuguese, Portuguese films, and Portuguese books.