I see lots of you are keen to learn Portuguese and speak it fluently but could use some guidance on how to master it. If you feel that’s your case, I’m sure you’ll love my list of tips on how to speak Portuguese as fast as possible.
You’ll notice that with proper motivation, the right tools, and a holistic approach to the language, learning how to speak Portuguese will be a piece of cake, and a delicious one at that!
So let’s get going?
1. Hire a native tutor
Hiring a Portuguese teacher is by far the best bang for your buck when it comes to investing in your Portuguese studies.
That’s because they’ll show exactly how Portuguese is actually spoken rather than the formal register typically taught in textbooks.
On top of that, a native teacher will give you an insider’s view of their own culture and develop a learning path that fits your specific needs.
Check out websites like Preply and italki to find reliable teachers offering affordable Portuguese courses.
2. Speak a little bit every day
One of the keys to mastering a language is creating a routine. In order to speak Portuguese fluently, you’ll want to bring it into your daily life.
You don’t have to sit through an entire lesson if you can’t afford the time. Yet do try to set aside 10 minutes every day to create an imaginary dialogue, read a poem aloud, sing along to a song, or exchange a voice message with a fellow learner.
That way, you’ll be thinking in Portuguese faster than you can say Cristiano Ronaldo!
3. Study Portuguese grammar
While I love grammar (please don’t judge me), I reckon most people don’t find it exactly fascinating. That said, it’s not something you can do without either. So if you can’t get yourself to enjoy studying Portuguese grammar, at least try to get used to it.
Portuguese, like all Romance languages, features complex verb conjugations, challenging pronoun cases, and genders of nouns. You’ll need to get through those topics before you can earn the “fluent in Portuguese” badge.
Once you’re past all that, though, the reward is just wonderful!
You can start with these highly-recommended Portuguese grammar books.
4. Download an app that focuses on speaking
Once you’ve covered the Portuguese language basics and want to aim for more natural communication, you’ll need apps like Rocket Languages and Pimsleur (for content-packed audio lessons) or Babbel and Mondly (which feature a more holistic approach).
You can also use Lingopie to watch Portuguese TV shows and movies with clickable subtitles! Then, try your hand at recording your voice and the app will test your accuracy. This is a solid way to learn vocab and improve your listening and speaking skills.
As we covered on no. 2, mastering grammar is key to fluency in Portuguese. There are countless amazing apps to learn Portuguese on the web, but not many stress listening and speaking enough.
5. Make it about the journey
I can’t stress this enough: to me, the process of learning a language is one of the most compelling experiences you can have.
It’s like gaining access to a secret garden and discovering all the magical things inside it at your own pace. That’s because language are usually tied to cultures that you dive straight into as you learn that language.
To make a long story short, take your time to learn to speak Portuguese. Eventually, you’ll look back and wish it could happen all over again.
6. Take it seriously
This may sound odd given I just said you should enjoy the ride. That doesn’t mean, though, you shouldn’t have goals or milestones to keep you going.
In fact, it’s crucial to want to get somewhere with your studies — even if it’s simply introducing yourself — you just shouldn’t be too hard on yourself in the process.
Being serious about learning Portuguese will help you create a routine around it and stay focused. Learning how to speak Portuguese (or any foreign language) is something to be proud of, and with the right mindset you can achieve it achieve much faster!
Also read: Is Portuguese Hard to Learn? Here’s the Real Answer
7. Read to expand your vocab
Although reading has tons of benefits, one in specific is super useful when you’re studying a foreign language: learning new words. Unlike regular lessons, reading introduces you to unexpected words and expressions.
It’ll teach you to tell the important words from those you don’t have to look up, as they’re not too consequential within the context. That will also be great to accept that you’ll always have something to learn — which is a major part of the fun.
8. Work on your pronunciation
Now there are multiple ways of doing this, as I’ll detail ahead. But the takeaway is that improved pronunciation will allow for smoother exchanges with native speakers, even if your vocabulary isn’t quite there yet.
Note that I’m not talking about getting rid of your accent, which, unless you’ve lived in a Portuguese-speaking country for decades, is nearly impossible. Plus, your accent is an essential part of your identity anyway.
9. Mind the details
Learning a language involves several skills and addressing reading, writing, listening, and speaking in equal measure.
On top of that, many of the words and phrases you’ll come across will fly right over your head the first time, which is perfectly normal.
So it takes some effort to absorb as much as you can. One thing that can help is treating each new expression and structure as a sort of treasure that you’ll have to cherish or you might lose it
That equals trying to mind every piece of information that comes your way — which is easier said than done, I agree.
You’ll remember when you’ve missed something and get to reviewing it asap!
10. Practice online with fellow learners
One of my favorite things about the internet is the possibility of connecting with folks from across the planet. That’s even more of an advantage when you’re learning a language, given you might have a hard time finding fellow students where you live.
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of platforms that make it easier for language learners to interact and help one another on their way to fluency. Joining a language exchange community like Tandem will allow you to learn from practice and meet new friends as you go.
Since you’ll all be in the same boat, you won’t hesitate to correct your fellow learners or feel embarrassed when they do the same to you.
10. Talk to yourself in Portuguese
When all the friends you’ve met in the language exchange community are offline, try this!
Talking to yourself in Portuguese may pass off as a mere pronunciation tip, but it serves another awesome purpose: improving your ability to respond quickly. Since you’ll feel more confident as well, interacting with native speakers will become far easier.
You can make up dialogues in Portuguese which could actually happen in, say, a restaurant, the supermarket, or the kitchen.
12. Pay attention to regional differences
Think British vs. American English with far greater differences between them and you’ll have European vs. Brazilian Portuguese. Just as an example, Brazilians are often subtitled on the Portuguese media, and vice-versa.
That means you should definitely pick your favorite variant when studying Portuguese. You’ll learn words, pronunciation, and even sentence structures that make little sense on the other side of the Atlantic.
You may have a hard time being understood in either Portugal or Brazil depending on your choice, but that’s still preferable to struggling to make yourself clear anywhere.
13. Read out loud
If you’re a visual learner, you may find it difficult to pay attention to what you’re reading when you do it out loud. Other folks, in turn, learn more easily through hearing. If that’s your case, then this is the best of all worlds.
Either way, reading aloud will at the very least help you hone your pronunciation skills, which is crucial to speaking more naturally in the long run. And if you feel like you’re not taking in the content as you should, read it to yourself from the beginning.
14. Avoid translating
While translating can be useful for double-checking definitions and as a last resort, it often hinders learning because it prevents your brain from establishing connections in the language you’re studying.
Translations aren’t a cop-out, but they’re definitely the easy way out if you will. You’ll need to challenge yourself if you want to start thinking in Portuguese, which is key to achieving fluency.
15. Learn tongue twisters in Portuguese
This is another fantastic way of training Portuguese pronunciation. I know sounds like the rolled R can be particularly tricky.
Through repetition, tongue twisters train the muscles in your mouth to emit sounds you’re not familiar with. Take your time to learn a few of the ones meant for beginners, then speed up slowly. When you’re done with those, move on to phrases that will twist the tongue of native speakers too.
16. Listen to songs in Portuguese (and sing along!)
The Portuguese-speaking world gave us unique genres like fado and samba. And even within foreign genres, you’ll find a vast range of music in Portuguese, from dance tunes to love ballads and folk songs.
Listening to music in Portuguese will train your ears to catch the nuances of native pronunciation and idiomatic sentence structure, as well as give you a deeper understanding of the culture.
And by emulating native speakers when you sing along, you’ll get closer and closer to how they pronounce words.
Alternatively, you can listen to a Portuguese podcast on your favorite topic.
17. Record yourself speaking
It’s really amazing how our ears can play tricks on us. You may feel like you’ve aced that nasal vowel sound Portuguese is infamous for, only to realize there’s still room for improvement when you listen to yourself speak.
Recording yourself can be especially useful if you’re repeating what a native speaker just said. That way, you’ll be able to compare your speech to it and spot exactly which sounds you haven’t nailed yet.
18. Learn some filler words
While this almost feels like cheating, I promise it’ll make you sound more like a native and consequently boost your confidence (which is always a great thing).
It often takes people longer than they’d wish to turn ideas into meaningful sentences, so filler words are all over the place in any language.
As you’re learning Portuguese, it’ll of course take you even longer to organize your thoughts than a native speaker.
But if you’re talking to one and use a common filler to buy some time, they’ll be less likely to switch to English because they’ll probably feel you can already think in Portuguese.
Listening to music in Portuguese will train your ears to catch the nuances of native pronunciation and idiomatic sentence structure, as well as give you a deeper understanding of the culture.
19. Watch movies and shows
Cinema in Portuguese hardly makes it to the Anglosphere mainstream, though it includes award-winning masterpieces and entertaining blockbusters alike.
Lately, streaming platforms like Netflix have been catching up and offering lots of both classics and original content.
Watching TV shows and flicks in Portuguese is the perfect way of learning in a laid-back way. You’ll be taking in new words, training your listening skills, and refining your pronunciation while having fun.
20. Use your body to communicate
Granted, Portuguese isn’t as “visual” as Italian (which might have as many as 250 hand gestures). Yet all Romance languages, among which Portuguese, rely heavily on the body to help express an idea.
Whenever you’re practicing Portuguese, try and relax your body first and let your shoulders, hips, and hands dance to the rhythm of your speech. That may feel awkward at the beginning, but it’ll definitely help you speak more naturally with time.
And when you’re watching videos or interacting with native speakers, pay attention to how they move their bodies so you can slowly start copying them.
Final thoughts
While I feel a bit lucky that Portuguese is my first language — it’s such a beautiful language after all — I must admit I envy all of you who have the chance of discovering and diving into it head first.
What I mean by that is “enjoy the ride” is probably the coolest tip I could give you. Even if you’re a goal-oriented person, don’t worry too much about mistakes and take your time to learn Portuguese.
Faster than you think, fluency will become a reality, and you’ll be so proud of yourself!