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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 

 

Cabo Verde

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:

 

  • Greetings

  • Numbers(0-30)

  • Colors

  • Adjectives

  • Time

  • Family

  • Verbs

  • Culture about the Portuguese Language

  • 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:

 

  • Classroom vocabulary

  • Numbers(above 30 to 100)

  • More adjectives

  • Days of the week

  • Months

  • Weather

  • Verbs

  • Shapes

  • 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:

 

  • Classroom vocabulary

  • Numbers(above 30 to 100)

  • Creating schedules

  • Some irregular verbs

  • Adjectives

  • Sentences become more complex

  • 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:
 

  • Body parts

  • Numbers(above 100)

  • Clothing

  • Irregular verbs

  • Directions

  • Commands

  • 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:

 

  • Food

  • Animals

  • Irregular Verbs

  • 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

 

  • The class is tailored to address the students' specific weaknesses and the topics the students would like to learn.

​

  • 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:

 

  • Greetings

  • Basic expressions

  • Verbs

  • Numbers 0-30

  • Time

  • Creating basic sentences

  • 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:

 

  • Numbers(above 100)

  • Directions

  • Commands

  • 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:

 

  • Food and Restaurants

  • Continue Past Tense (Preterite Tense)

  • 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.

The ESL & TOEFL Associates ALSO OFFERS CULTURE & TRAVEL COURSES IN PORTUGUESE ! CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION! 

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.

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