European Portuguese with Duolingo – is it possible? (2023)

FAQs

European Portuguese with Duolingo – is it possible? ›

There are two main varieties of Portuguese: European/Continental and Brazilian. Duolingo teaches Brazilian Portuguese, but European Portuguese speakers will also be able to understand you.

Duolingo's Portuguese course teaches the Brazilian form of Portuguese. While there are some notable differences between the Brazilian and European varieties — such as pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary — they are best viewed as two sides of the same coin.

The world's most popular way to learn Portuguese online

Whether you're a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking, Duolingo is scientifically proven to work.

With Babbel, learning Portuguese online is easy, intuitive and under your control: learn at your own pace, choose the lessons you want, and review and practice vocabulary on the go. Portuguese and English share Latin roots and thousands of words in common.

Can European Portuguese understand Brazilian Portuguese speakers and vice-versa? The answer is yes — but probably speakers will ask for clarification at times. Let's look at some of the differences between these two variants.

There are many pros to learning both variations of Portuguese as the language continues to grow in both the business and pop culture worlds. However, we recommend you start with Brazilian Portuguese first since many language-learners say its easier to learn than European Portuguese.

At Duolingo, we're developing our courses to get you to a level called B2, at which you can get a job in the language you're studying. Reaching that kind of proficiency requires dedication, varied practice opportunities, and a lot of time.

Many language experts recommend immersion as the fastest way to become fluent in Portuguese; move to Portuguese or Brazil, live with a host family and have every interaction in Portuguese.

Portuguese is not hard to learn for English speakers. Since English and Portuguese both evolved from Latin, they share ~3,000 cognates, as well as some basic grammar and pronunciation rules. English speakers will discover plenty of Portuguese words that sound familiar.

How long does it take to learn European Portuguese? ›

According to their estimations, it would take between 575 and 600 “classroom hours” to learn Portuguese. What is this? ALTE, the Association of Language Testers in Europe, estimates that it would take 500-600 hours to reach B2 level and 700-800 hours to reach a C1 level.

The answer is: Babbel teaches Brazilian Portuguese, much like another popular app, Duolingo. Although Babbel don't specifically refer to it as Brazilian Portuguese, they do use the Brazilian flag rather than the Portuguese flag, which is a bit of a clue.

Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone teaches Brazilian Portuguese as opposed to European Portuguese. This is great news if you're planning on visiting Brazil, but not such good news if you're planning on moving to Portugal.

In general, European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible. While there are subtle variations in grammar, lexical preferences, and spelling between the two standards, it is their pronunciations that differ the most.

differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible, and those who speak one language can understand the other. While there are many similarities, there are also striking differences in grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Brazilian Portuguese is thought to be more phonetically pleasing to the ear thanks to its open vowels, while European Portuguese can sound somewhat garbled. Brazilian accents have a strong cadence and lift to them, making it easier to learn and understand.

If you learn European Portuguese, you will be able to understand Brazilian Portuguese, although you will need to expose yourself to the way it's spoken through podcasts, movies, music, and speaking with Brazilian people. If you learn Brazilian Portuguese, you will also be able to understand European Portuguese.

Florianopolis accent is the closest to the European one.

Is it okay to speak Brazilian Portuguese in Portugal? ›

It doesn't matter! The choice is completely up to you because the language is the same. Even though the accents, vocabulary and expressions, and grammar may be a little different, Portuguese is still the primary language used in Brazil and Portugal.

Basically, if you can get to B2, then you can get by in a language with minimal discomfort. You won't be perfect, but you'll be more than capable of functioning. This pretty much marries up with my definition of fluency. And so, if you subscribe to my definition, it could be said that Duolingo aim to make you fluent.

How quickly you learn Spanish or Portuguese will depend on how many consistent hours you put into practicing the language. If you can dedicate 2-3 hours a day of deep study with the right methodology, you can achieve a CEFR A2 conversational level of fluency in only 3 months.

As for the question about the time it takes to learn Portuguese, the FSI gives an estimate of 24 weeks (roughly 6 months) for an English native speaker student to reach the so-called “Professional Working Proficiency,” which roughly corresponds to the B2/C1 level according to the CEFR scale.

You really can learn to speak Brazilian Portuguese in just two weeks or less. But you must use the right methods and have a sensible game plan.

Many people think that Portuguese has impossible conjugations! There are really a lot of verb tenses to learn and a lot of conjugations to remember, this is the main reason that students consider difficult in the Portuguese language.

However, according to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which trains US diplomats in foreign languages, it takes approximately 600-750 classroom hours, or 24 weeks of full-time study, for a native English speaker to achieve fluency in Portuguese.

For most native English speakers, Spanish is slightly easier to learn than Portuguese. This is primarily a matter of access. Since Spanish is spoken by over 400 million people worldwide (compared to just over 200 million for Portuguese), it's easier to find Spanish resources and media for learning or practising.

Portuguese is guttural with 'd' and 't' distinctly pronounced, which is why the Portuguese find it hard not to over stress the 'ed' endings of many English words. Then there's the pronunciation problems of some Portuguese words beginning with 'es' where the 'es' is pronounced as sch, such as in Estoril (schtoril).

What is the hardest language to learn for Europeans? ›

Hungarian is widely considered as the most difficult language to learn in Europe. Hungarians are well aware of that. It has two consequences: They often repeat that Hungarian is an awfully difficult language.

What is this? According to the CEFR guide, a B2 language speaker will be able to: Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation.

The 5000 most used Portuguese words will make you fluent for almost every day situations. Your vocabulary will be comparable to that of a native speaker who has completed high school.

Although recommended, you are not required to learn Portuguese to live in Portugal. Especially among immigrant communities, it is common for foreigners not to speak the local language and yet continue living their lives.

You can and will learn Portuguese faster than you expect. There are even cases (as the internet will surely tell you) of people who learn it in less than a year.

The dialect that Rosetta Stone teaches is Brazilian Portuguese. It is a neutral, educated accent common to metropolitan areas. The Portuguese language has two main dialects: Brazilian and European. The dialects spoken in African and Asian countries are most similar to the European dialect.

Babbel vs Rosetta Stone: Key Differences

Here are the key differences between Babbel and Rosett Stone. In their teaching method, Babbel uses dialogues, whereas Rosetta Stone uses sentences. The audio quality on Rosetta Stone is much better than on Babbel.

While there are some differences between the two languages, most native Spanish and Portuguese speakers can understand each other if each party speaks clearly.

Duolingo's Portuguese course teaches the Brazilian form of Portuguese. While there are some notable differences between the Brazilian and European varieties — such as pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary — they are best viewed as two sides of the same coin.

1. Chinese Translation. Chinese is one of the most translated languages. The population of China is over 1 billion, and there are also 1.3 billion native Chinese speakers.

What language is Portuguese closer too? ›

Portuguese and Spanish are closely related, as they are both Latin-based languages and share many grammatical structures and patterns.

Duolingo is a popular language-learning app because it offers all of its courses for free. Learn basic Portuguese vocabulary and grammar with fun and interactive lessons.

As a result, Portuguese is now the official language of several independent countries and regions: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, & São Tomé and Príncipe.

Brazilian Portuguese is considered by many to be the easier strand to learn, with its open vowels and strong cadence (it's also considered to be easier on the ears, for this reason).

However, we recommend you start with Brazilian Portuguese first since many language-learners say its easier to learn than European Portuguese. Then, after you have mastered Brazilian Portuguese, you will only have to make slight vocabulary and grammar changes to speak European Portuguese. A WIN-WIN!

Grammar: There are differences in tenses, prepositions, cardinal numbers, and more in Spanish vs. Portuguese. Pronunciation and spelling: Portuguese contains more accents and silent letters than Spanish, making spelling and pronunciation more difficult than Spanish.

because it teaches brazilian portuguese. similarly, english courses use the US flag. I hope some day duolingo adds portuguese from portugal variants as well, though that's likely not high on the agenda.

The answer is: Babbel teaches Brazilian Portuguese, much like another popular app, Duolingo. Although Babbel don't specifically refer to it as Brazilian Portuguese, they do use the Brazilian flag rather than the Portuguese flag, which is a bit of a clue.

The same happens in Brazilian Portuguese: “estou comendo”. In Portugal, however, people would use the infinitive verb form and say: “estou a comer”. These are examples of the differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese that make Brazilian Portuguese closer to Spanish than European Portuguese.

What is the difference between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese? ›

One of the most significant differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese is the placement and use of object pronouns. In European Portuguese, pronouns come after the verb, while in Brazilian Portuguese the pronoun comes before. In Portuguese (like Spanish), pronouns are different depending on formality.

Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone teaches Brazilian Portuguese as opposed to European Portuguese. This is great news if you're planning on visiting Brazil, but not such good news if you're planning on moving to Portugal.

Rosetta Stone specifically focuses on teaching Brazilian Portuguese, also known as Português do Brasil. It's spoken by virtually all of the 200 million inhabitants of Brazil and spoken throughout the Brazilian diaspora, which consists of about two million Brazilians who have emigrated to other countries.

English is the top language of choice for Indians to learn on Duolingo. According to the India report card 2022 of Duolingo—the most downloaded education app worldwide—the top five languages Indians are learning on the platform are English, Hindi, French, Korean and Spanish.

We see this question a lot and the answer is: yes. Duolingo is a free language-learning platform, and every language and lesson is totally free!

Duolingo English test is accepted in Canada, the USA, China, Japan, Germany and many more countries. Duolingo English test is easier than and is equivalent to IELTS or TOEFL.