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If you’re planning to study or have just started learning Portuguese, you’ll be glad to know there are endless Portuguese courses online to pick from.
Yet that blessing can turn into a curse if you get overwhelmed by the limitless possibilities. Don’t worry too much, though: I’ll let you know which Portuguese classes online you should try, based on how thorough, affordable, and easy to use they are.
Why learn Portuguese with online courses
To begin with, online Portuguese courses aren’t like textbooks, which typically follow a more or less similar formula.
There’s room for both gamified apps like Ling, which you’ll teach Portuguese through fun quizzes, and proven learning paths like Pimsleur’s, which has one of the most effective methods on the market.
In addition to that, you can hire a private teacher on websites like AmazingTalker and Preply, if you thrive in a one-on-one setting where your tutor will work on a custom-made method that caters specifically to your learning needs.
In a few instances, you won’t need to invest a single penny into your studies if you don’t feel like it (or can’t) at the moment. I made sure to include a handful of the best free tools on the web that will always be a single click away.
By the way, being able to study Portuguese whenever and wherever is another advantage of taking Portuguese classes online. But you can also stick to a regular schedule if that works better for you — you’re the boss!
Finally, it’s worth saying Portuguese courses online are a tremendous way of learning the language thanks to how exciting they can be. As a rule of thumb, the content mix is diverse and engaging, so you’ll easily forget you’re actually studying.
Best Portuguese courses online for beginners
1. Rocket Languages
Learn Portuguese on Rocket Languages
With Rocket’s 30-minute audio lessons, anyone can learn Brazilian Portuguese — including on their daily commute to work. It boasts 140 class hours that will lead you to intermediate-level Portuguese through all kinds of interactive materials.
What I like about Rocket Languages:
- The flawless balance of vocabulary and cultural content
- It’s one of the finest alternatives for beginners
- Auditory learners won’t be let down either
Pricing: A one-off $149.95 payment or $27.00 every month for six months. Start your free trial here.
2. Cudoo
Want to gain fundamental skills in Portuguese, learn more about the culture, and receive a language certification? Sign up for a Portuguese course (or the bundle) on Cudoo!
Whether you’re a new or advanced learner, you’ll find courses tailored to your needs, innovative learning tools, and practical instruction for both Brazilian and European Portuguese.
What I like about Cudoo:
- Courses for both Brazilian and European Portuguese
- Covers the basics up to more advanced language concepts
- You can receive a certificate after completing the course
Pricing: $12.99 for the level-specific courses and $24.99 for bundles. Find out more about Cudoo here.
3. Complete Portuguese Course on Udemy
Out of the 200,00 fantastic courses you’ll find on Udemy, a few focus on European Portuguese. The Complete Portuguese Course is truly one of the best, thanks to its 24.5 hours of video content that will make you master basic Portuguese as you learn 250 crucial words.
What I like about Complete Portuguese Course:
- It’ll teach you 250+ keywords
- The 24.5 hours of video material cover grammar, daily-life vocab, and more
- The certificate of completion released by Udemy
Pricing: Discounts often reach as much as 60%, though normally it costs $79.99.
4. Babbel
Besides its issue-oriented learning paths, Babbel has developed one of the oldest and most reliable Portuguese courses online. It is basically the OG of gamified language learning, with its beautiful interface and addictive quizzes.
Don’t miss their digital magazine for superb language-related content.
What I like about Babbel:
- It’s among the best platforms for learning Brazilian Portuguese
- The 15-minute lessons, which even the busiest students will manage to follow
- It offers the option of attending live online classes through Babbel Live
Pricing: Subscriptions start at $13.95 per month, yet pricing is overall flexible. Snatch Babbel promotions here.
5. Mondly
Mondly releases quizzes, lessons, and exercises on a regular basis to supplement its core classes of both European and Brazilian Portuguese, which focus on teaching you basic vocabulary.
What’s more, it offers a precious recap at the end of each lesson.
What I like about Mondly:
- Lessons are jam-packed with crucial words
- You can set the app to your language
- The interface is really user-friendly
Pricing: $9.99 for a monthly subscription or $47.99 for an annual one. Check out Mondly’s coolest deals.
6. Ling
Ling teaches European Portuguese through a beautiful interface that mixes dialogues and interactive quizzes. Apart from five million users worldwide, it’s trusted by the likes of Forbes, BuzzFeed, and Vogue, which speaks to its quality.
What I like about Ling:
- It’ll teach you 10 minutes of Portuguese every day
- The user community is vibrant
- Words and phrases are accompanied by straightforward pronunciation keys
Pricing: Starts at $14.99/month. Check out the latest promo here.
7. LingQ
With LingQ’s 1,000 hours of videos and podcasts, which are always matched to transcripts, you’ll master Portuguese faster than you can say Rio de Janeiro.
Two other benefits of LingQ are its extremely rich library and the possibility of asking questions to native tutors.
What I like about LingQ:
- The wide range of multimedia content
- Discovering the culture of Brazil and Portugal as you study
- Using LingQ’s blogs and forums to interact with the community of fellow learners
Pricing: Depending on the features you choose, plans will range between $12.99 and $39.99 a month.
8. Rosetta Stone
Learn Portuguese on Rosetta Stone
Multimedia content is the name of the game at Rosetta Stone, which means you’ll learn Brazilian Portuguese and not even feel like you’re studying. The app also gives you constant pronunciation feedback through its wonderful speech recognition engine.
What I like about Rosetta Stone:
- Top-notch pronunciation feedback
- The ability to lay out a unique study plan
- It teaches Portuguese in context
Pricing: $35.97 for a three-month subscription. Search for a discount here.
Best Portuguese courses online to hone listening and speaking skills
9. Preply
Find Portuguese tutors on Preply
On Preply, you’ll search for Portuguese tutors according to their expertise (for example Brazilian literature or business Portuguese).
You can also post an ad specifying your criteria and simply assess all the applications. When you find the right teacher for you, you can agree on packages of five to 20 hours of lessons.
What I like about Preply:
- Customer support is excellent
- There are almost 800 Portuguese tutors on the platform
- Teachers will work on either a time-tested method or a uniquely designed learning path
Pricing: Tutors set their rates, usually $15 to $30. You can get trial lessons for less, though.
10. italki
Find Portuguese tutors on italki
italki lets you pick among 500+ Portuguese highly talented teachers through efficient filters and detailed profiles. With the no. 1 platform for finding Portuguese tutors online, you’ll learn the language through a custom-made and fully engaging method.
What I like about italki:
- The fact that learners of all levels will enjoy it
- Finding a teacher that clicks with you is ridiculously easy
- The intuitive and sleek interface
11. Pimsleur
Try Pimsleur Portuguese for FREE
For 60 years, Pimsleur has been committed to helping learners inscribe all the content they are taught into their long-term memory. With that goal, its method uses the repetition of a small set of words, which is coupled with countless flashcards, quizzes, and reading activities.
What I like about Pimsleur:
- It makes practicing speaking and listening easy
- You can easily squeeze lessons into your schedule
- You’ll expand your Brazilian Portuguese vocab as well
Pricing: The audio-only subscription sells for $14.95/per month, while the premium one costs $19.95. Full access will cost you a single buck more. Get a free 7-day trial asap.
Pricing: On average, tutors charge $10 to $20 for an hour-long session. Locate the perfect teacher now!
12. AmazingTalker
Find Portuguese tutors on AmazingTalker
Websites like Preply and italki may be more famous, yet AmazingTalker is a marvelous place to find a Portuguese tutor. If you’re feeling lazy, you can let AI match you to the perfect tutor instead of actively searching for one.
What I like about AmazingTalker:
- You get a clear picture of when tutors are free
- Their profiles are absolutely complete too
- Lesson packages are a great bang for your buck
Pricing: Sessions typically range between $10 and $30. Discounts on packages of 20+ lessons are available.
13. BrazilianPodClass
Learn Portuguese on BrazilianPodClass
With an astonishing 550+ audio classes, complete with matching transcripts, BrazilianPodClass is one of the top Portuguese courses online. Teacher Marina Gomes, who has developed the entire course, will be at your disposal to answer your questions by email.
What I like about BrazilianPodClass:
- It was created by a Brazilian professor who’s been teaching Portuguese for 45 years
- All lessons rely on both written and audio material
- It’s meant specifically for English speakers
Pricing: A monthly $29.00 subscription or a $299 annual plan
14. FluentU
FluentU relies mostly on a range of interesting videos to teach you Portuguese within a real-life context. The video input is always matched to quizzes and written lessons that will ensure grammar is well taken care of too.
What I like about FluentU:
- The language immersion approach
- How it teaches the way natives really talk
- All the interactive content it relies on
Pricing: $30 and $240 for a monthly and annual subscription, respectively. Find out about free trials and other offers here.
15. MosaLingua
Learn Portuguese on MosaLingua
If you’re having a hard time memorizing Portuguese words, MosaLingua has got you covered. The app uses its own method, which features a mix of dialogues, conventional lessons, flashcards, and audio snippets. It’ll also release a certificate of completion when you’re done with the course.
What I like about MosaLingua:
- The multimedia content is captivating
- You get to rely on native teachers to answer questions
- It’s exciting and informative to the same degree
Pricing: After a fifteen-day trial, you’ll pay $59.90/year.
16. Lingopie
Like FluentU, Lingopie uses videos — specifically TV shows, movies, and music videos — to teach languages. It has innovative tools such as dual subtitles, transcripts, flashcards, and a speech recorder that’ll allow you to learn new words and phrases and their accurate pronunciation.
What I like about Lingopie:
- Immersive and entertaining way of learning languages
- Dynamic tools for active learning
- Lots of Portuguese shows and films to choose from
Pricing: Starts at $5.99/month on the annual plan. Try it free for seven days!
17. Skillshare
Learn Portuguese on Skillshare
While there are several vocabulary and grammar-centric Portuguese courses on Skillshare, the platform is primarily known for its video classes that help learners develop their Portuguese listening skills, as well as speaking skills.
Here, you’ll find expert Portuguese teachers who can teach the essentials while giving you a taste of Portuguese culture. You’ll learn Portuguese phrases, sentence construction, pronunciation, and everything you’ll need to comfortably converse with a native speaker.
What I like about Skillshare:
- Portuguese lessons for a range of proficiency levels
- Lessons broken down into short, easy-to-digest clips
- Relevant vocabulary and grammar in context
Pricing: Skillshare Premium membership varies per region. Skillshare for Teams cost $159 per user annually. Sign up here to enjoy a huge discount.
Free Portuguese courses online
18. Carioca Connection
Learn Portuguese on Carioca Connection
Once you’re done with basic Portuguese, join bilingual couple Alexia and Foster as they explore Brazilian life and culture and seamlessly blend vocabulary and grammar lessons into their lively discussions.
What I like about Carioca Connection:
- It teaches you Portuguese through casual, delightful conversations
- You’ll have the chance to dive into Brazilian culture
- It’s available on multiple platforms
19. Learning Portuguese is Fun
Listen to Learning Portuguese is Fun
There are not that many European Portuguese audio courses. Luckily, Learning Portuguese is Fun successfully fills that gap.
Episodes are short and address both mundane aspects of culture like weekend plans and more complex things like the state of Portuguese youth, interspersed with lessons on verb conjugation and other grammar issues.
What I like about Learning Portuguese is Fun:
- Episodes are 4 to 6 minutes long, which is extremely convenient
- It covers the history, general culture, and everyday life in Portugal
- It’s ideal for intermediate to advanced learners
Pricing: You can listen to the podcast for free. Transcripts can be downloaded for about $1.30 each. Private lessons your disposal too.
20. LingoDeer
On LingoDeer, you’ll be able to reach B1-level Brazilian Portuguese for free through fun quizzes and the almost 1,000 words of its travel phrasebook. If you become a fan of the complimentary content, consider upgrading to the premium plan.
What I like about LingoDeer:
- The no-nonsense free content is much better than that of similar platforms
- If you choose to subscribe, the app’s 11 languages will be available to you
- The interface is playful but not distracting
Pricing: The ad-supported version is free. Alternatively, the paid subscription starts at $11.99/month.
21. PortuguesePod101
Though PortuguesePod101.com charges for access to its flashcards, quizzes, and slideshows, its YouTube channel is 100% free. Through its engaging videos, you’ll learn both fundamental grammar concepts and words and insightful information on Brazil’s colorful culture.
What I like about PortuguesePod101:
- It’s a convenient way of learning
- The focus on the culture of the Portuguese-speaking world
- The outstanding accompanying materials, which you can access for a budget-friendly fee
Pricing: Zero — for YouTube lessons. The complete podcast sells for $8.00 to $47.00, charged on a monthly basis. You can get a longer plan too.
22. Speaking Brazilian Language School
Try Speaking Brazilian Language School
Embark on a suggestive trip through Brazil’s history, culture, and geography alongside native teacher Virginia Langhammer. She mixes in lots of useful vocabulary and grammar insights and is often joined by guest hosts.
What I like about Speaking Brazilian:
- It addresses topics as varied as Brazilian art and expressions with fruits
- It’s updated weekly
- Teacher Virginia Langhammer is brilliant
23. Brazilian Portuguese by Nemo
Nemo’s essential phrasebook isn’t exactly a course in the traditional sense, but it’s still a first-rate way to learn Portuguese online for free.
Each word and phrase is matched to its English translation and an audio clip where you hear a native speaker pronouncing it. The app also features tons of exercises for you to practice.
What I like about Nemo:
- It works great as a complementary learning resource
- It sums up all the essential words and phrases
- The matching pronunciation clips are precious
Final thoughts
You can and should use good ol’ books to learn Portuguese and workbooks, yet the absolute best way to achieve fluency in it is to mix different sorts of learning tools like Portuguese learning apps and the courses I’ve just listed.
Given a bunch of the options offer either free trials or are 100% free, you can try out as many as you want before committing to one or a few resources and speeding up all the way to fluency in Portuguese.