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Portuguese Lessons in Melbourne

Melbourne is a major cosmopolitan city that is often ranked amongst the world's most liveable. As such, it’s hardly surprising that so many of its residents are either foreign-born or have relatives that come from other countries. In fact, according to the 2016 census, 46% of Melburnians have immigrant parents, so it’s pretty common to find people that have deep connections with other cultures. Among the diverse communities you can find in the city, the are many that come from Lusophone countries like Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola and East Timor. These groups not only brought their traditions, foods and art to the city but also the beautiful Portuguese language, which can be heard in many local neighbourhoods. If you choose to learn this fascinating language, the way you experience Melbourne would improve dramatically, as you’ll be able to get closer to a bigger part of the local community, as well as take advantage of the many job opportunities that are exclusive to bilingual speakers in the city.

Why Study Portuguese in Melbourne?

Learn Portuguese for Work and Travel

On top of getting access to unique job positions in the city like Customer Service Representative for EasyGo, being able to speak Portuguese will help you make a big impression in any job interview in Melbourne. Some of the city’s top employers like BHP Group, CSL Limited and Telstra Corporation Limited are always on the hunt for multilingual employees that can help them expand abroad and build long-lasting commercial relationships with foreign companies. If you can communicate in Portuguese, you’ll be an asset to these companies, as you’ll be able to help them get access to the Brazilian market, one of the fastest-growing in the world.

Additionally, learning a widespread language like Portuguese will make your travels much more enjoyable, as you’ll be able to connect with native speakers in Latin America, Africa and Europe and feel at home in countries like Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau. What’s more, learning Portuguese will help you understand other Romance languages like Spanish, Italian and French, which makes it one of the most useful languages you can learn to make yourself understood in most countries.

Learn Portuguese for Social

One of the most interesting things about learning Portuguese is exploring the culture of the various Lusophone communities around the globe. If you’re a foodie, you’ll be pleased to hear that Melbourne has many restaurants where you can indulge in the wonderful traditional foods from Portugal and Brazil. If you’re interested in the former, you should visit Bar Lourinhã, located at 37 Little Collins. The owners of this bar are passionate about sharing their love of Mediterranean and Iberian flavours with the local community and have been doing it for fifteen years. Here you can try dishes like Portuguese rabbit rice and enjoy traditional Portuguese liquors like Ginjinha de Obidos.

For those wanting to explore Brazilian cuisine, B’Churrasco is the place to go. This excellent Brazilian restaurant, located at 61 Beckett Street, offers mouth-watering Brazilian barbecue cooked over an open fire in front of customers. You’ll be able to try a great selection of meats that include lamb, pork, chicken and beef that you can have with salads, chips and other seasonal sides. One of the best things about this restaurant is that most of its staff come from Brazil, so in addition to tasting amazing food, you’ll be able to speak to natives who are eager to share their culture with local residents. 

Learn Portuguese for Culture

In Melbourne, there are great social groups where you can meet native speakers from different parts of the world. If you’re interested in meeting Brazilian people in the city, you should attend some of the meetings organized by Lambada in Melbourne, a group dedicated to teaching this lively dance that originated in Brazil in the 1980s. Beginners should attend introductory events that take place at Argyle Square on Lygon Street where they can learn the basic steps, meet the other members and have fun.

For those wanting to meet European Portuguese speakers, the Aussie-European Social Circle holds regular events where you can find a lot of people from Portugal and other European countries. These events take place at The Terrace Cafe, located at the Royal Botanical Gardens on Anderson Street, and offer the perfect chance to expand your social circle while you have coffee, pastries or sandwiches in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Where to learn Portuguese in and around Melbourne?

If you’re trying to boost your Portuguese skills in the city, a great place you should visit is the State Library Victoria, located at 328 Swanston Street. Here, you’ll find resources that can help you expand your vocabulary and get to know the different cultures where Portuguese is spoken, such as films, novels and grammar books. You’ll also find interesting books like 28 Portuguese Poets by Richard Zenith, which explores the works of famous poets like Fernando Pessoa, Alberto Caeiro and Álvaro de Campos in both English and Portuguese. Another great book you can’t miss is Brazilian Literature as World Literature by Eduardo F. Coutinho, a great introduction to Brazilian literature that analyzes the connection between Brazil's literary production and that of the rest of the world.

Reading these books will make you appreciate the literary works from Lusophone countries more deeply and fall in love with their captivating language. However, If you truly want to take your skills to the next level, there’s nothing quite as efficient as taking a language course. Here at Listen & Learn, you’ll find the best qualified native teachers to help you become fluent in no time. All you have to do is send us a quick enquiry and one of our team members will pair you up with a tutor who will tailor lessons that fit every requirement you might have. No matter what your language level or learning style is, we’ll create the perfect course just for you! 

The type of courses we offer:

Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) General Portuguese

This set of Portuguese tutorials are less specific and more targeted for those who want to get a range of different things from learning Portuguese. Even though all novice students will cover survival Portuguese: as well as Portuguese to visit somewhere abroad to make solid contacts with the locals, what do you do from there? It depends on your needs. Those who have benefited from these lessons have been those moving or investing overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people who love to travel all over the world, those interested in Portuguese culture and those who just want to pass a specific examination in Portuguese. Enquire now about our Portuguese Courses or Take A Free Portuguese Level Test

Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) Business Portuguese

These Portuguese Lessons are intended for people who really need to learn Portuguese to help make that difference in their work. For beginners, it will be useful to learn greetings and basic business etiquette; at higher levels, reading and then writing become more important. Typical students include those involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, jobseekers in multinational companies where an additional language is required, and those working with international colleagues, academia and government. Even in our most basic lesson for Beginners, students should expect to end the lesson with basic telephone Portuguese and Portuguese e-mail skills for communication as well as survival Portuguese required for short visits to a country. Enquire now about our Portuguese Courses or Take A Free Portuguese Level Test

Face-to-Face Closed (Private) Group General or Business Portuguese

The Portuguese lessons are also available for 2 or more people studying together (Two-to-One Portuguese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Portuguese Lessons). All participants must have the same level, the same business or general language needs and be able to study at the same time in the same location. The booking must be made for all participants at the same time. Listen & Learn does not recommend group classes of more than 6-8 people though In-Company Taster Portuguese Lessons can be run with up to 12 people. Enquire now about our Portuguese Courses or Take A Free Portuguese Level Test

Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online 1-to-1 (Individual) General or Business Portuguese

You and your group can be trained by our native speaker qualified Portuguese teachers and can meet at your place of work or home at a time that works best for you. Tutorials can take place any day of the week, including weekends, and can be scheduled for the morning, afternoon or evening. If your home or office is not fitting for you, you can attend the lesson at the teacher's offices. You will be provided with all relevant lesson materials. Enquire now about our Portuguese Courses or Take A Free Portuguese Level Test

Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online Group (Closed or Open) General or Business Portuguese

The Portuguese lessons are also available for two or more people studying together (Two-to-One Portuguese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Portuguese Lessons). All participants must have the same level, the same business or general language needs and be able to study at the same time in the same location. The booking must be made for all participants at the same time. Listen & Learn does not recommend group classes of more than 6-8 people though In-Company Taster Portuguese Lessons can be run with up to 12 people. Enquire now about our Portuguese Courses or Take A Free Portuguese Level Test

Top Tips For…

portuguese Songs

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Sozinho- Caetano Veloso

Caetano Veloso is a prolific Brazilian artist that produced jewels like Sozinho. This is a great song for beginner and intermediate-level students of Portuguese looking to increase their vocabulary and improve their listening comprehension while listening to beautiful, catchy songs. Sozinho (in English, Alone) talks about being alone but not lonely and urges listeners to take advantage of the time you have available to get to know yourself better, so it has a great message. Plus, you’ll pick up some words related to moments of the day like noite (the night), de manha (in the morning) or meio dia (noon). Listen to the song here!

portuguese Songs

Mas que Nada- Jorge Ben Jor

Jorge Ben Jor’s top hit is Mas que nada, a great song that is useful to practise your Portuguese skills and learn new vocabulary in context. Beginners will certainly benefit from this song because it’s sung using the present simple tense and doesn’t use complicated structures. Also, you can pick up some very common expressions, like tudo legal (everything is OK) or bom dia (good day). This song will also help you improve your pronunciation, as the singer has a clear accent and sings relatively slowly, allowing you to mimic the sounds easily as you sing along! Sing along to this romantic song!

Aquarela- Toquinho

Toquinho is a bossa nova and pop composer from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who produced great music, like Aquarela, a song to put your Portuguese into practice. The song speaks about the poetic persona’s childhood, who remembers beautiful moments he spent with this family. So, it’s a great track to learn the colours, like yellow (amarelo), red (vermelho), blue (azul) and green (verde). The pace is slow and it has a catchy rhythm, so you will not only learn the language, but also you’ll brighten your day! Listen to the song here!

portuguese Youtube Channels

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Virgínia Fonseca

Are you looking to improve your European Portuguese skills and take your pronunciation to the next level? Then, Virgínia Fonseca’s channel might be a good option for you. She records vlogs about lifestyle and travel, so you will get to see a lot of beautiful places in Portugal while you learn more about their culture and traditions. For example, her most popular video is called “My first airplane trip” (primera viagem de aviao), where you can learn how to name different parts of the plane, luggage (malas) and the trip itself (a viagem), as well as other expressions that are useful for travelling! Subscribe to the channel here!

portuguese Youtube Channels

Rezende Evil

If you are looking to have a good laugh and improve your Portuguese at the same time, then Rezende Evil is the channel for you. The content is related to TV shows, movies, and celebrities popular in Portugal today, so in addition to studying the language, you will learn more about the culture. For example, you will find commentaries about La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), a Spanish series that became famous in Portugal. Most of the videos are captioned and include little to no slang, so you can subscribe to this channel whatever your level, even if you are a beginner. Subscribe to the channel here!

Hello Rusty

If you are a beginner or intermediate-level student of Brazilian Portuguese looking for real-life, motivating materials to improve your language skills, you should subscribe to Hello Rusty’s YouTube channel. The owner is a Brazilian teacher with years of experience teaching Portuguese to English speakers and she provides invaluable tips about how to improve in a painless way. Browse through the playlists and you will find videos related to grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and other crucial aspects of Portuguese. You will also learn some other skills while acquiring the language, such as how to make a delicious feijoada or brigadeiro. Subscribe to the channel here!

portuguese News

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Jornal do Brasil

If you would like to know what is going on in Brazil while improving your language ability, Jornal do Brasil is a great resource for Portuguese students. This website is updated every 5 minutes and features news about Brazil and South America, categorising the articles into different topics (politics, economy, international affairs, art, sports, etc) for easy navigation. If you are an advanced-level student of Portuguese, you will surely enjoy the opinion (opiniao) section, where you can find long-form articles by journalists and professionals analysing any and all events. These articles are usually accompanied by videos, so you can put your listening skills into practice, too. Click here to learn more.

portuguese News

RTP Notícias

Take advantage of online resources and keep up with the news in Portugal while you improve your reading and listening skills and learn new vocabulary. For example, you can tune into RTP Notícias, a free website that streams the Portuguese news all day long. The presenters speak in a clear, articulated manner, so intermediate and advanced learners who are already used to the Portuguese pronunciation and cadence will not have any problem understanding what they are saying. And if you decide to watch previously broadcasted news, you can turn on captions, which is great for beginner students who need some support. Click here to learn more.

Folha de Sao Paulo

If you are looking to hear the news in Brazilian Portuguese and put your listening skills into practice, Folha de Sao Paulo is a great website. It has hundreds of news articles about politics, economy, and other aspects of Brazilian society, although it is more suitable for advanced students. The articles are long (typically, more than 600 words) and feature an in-depth analysis of what is going on in this giant South American country. The only downside is that there is a paywall, meaning you can only access 2-3 articles per day for free. Click here to learn more.

Testimonials

From our clients all over the world

"My teacher Valeria is very helpful and enthusiastic."
David Mortimer

Portuguese course in Exeter.

"My lessons are well-prepared and also fun. My teacher uses a varied range of media including video, audio and books, making it a pleasure to learn."
Dominic Cole-Morgan

Portuguese course in Edinburgh.

"The Portuguese lessons are going really well. Elisabete is a really nice and good teacher."
Enrico Massala

Portuguese course in Online.

"Lessons with my teacher are going well. As always, she is well prepared, patient and adapts each lesson to suit my understanding and knowledge."
Ian McCabe

Portuguese course in Newcastle.

"The lessons are going well and are very enjoyably (even the difficult one’s!)."
Gavin Coleman

Portuguese course in Newcastle.

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