How to practice Portuguese by talking with Brazilians
· Callumbra
For Spanish speakers, Portuguese looks easy to read and hard to speak. The best way to loosen up is to talk with real Brazilians. These ideas help you get started even if it's still a struggle.
Start with simple phrases
- «Oi, tudo bem?» (Hi, how's it going?) and «Tudo, e você?».
- «De onde você é?» (Where are you from?).
- «Estou aprendendo português, pode falar devagar?» (I'm learning Portuguese, can you speak slowly?).
- «Como se diz … em português?» (How do you say … in Portuguese?).
Typical mistakes for Spanish speakers
- «Esquisito» in Portuguese means strange, not exquisite (Spanish «exquisito»).
- To say something is delicious in Portuguese, use «gostoso» or «delicioso».
- «Polvo» is octopus; «pronto» usually means ready.
- The «r» at the start of a word sounds similar to a soft Spanish «j» in much of Brazil.
How to keep the conversation going
Brazilians tend to be very open when someone tries to speak their language. Ask about their city, their favorite food or the music they listen to; and offer to help with your language in return: the exchange makes you both want to keep going.
Practice a little every day
Ten minutes of conversation a day is worth more than two hours once a week. Listening to Brazilian music and watching series with Portuguese subtitles also trains your ear faster.
Where to practice
On Callumbra you can choose the language practice mode and the country filter to talk with people from Brazil on video, from your browser and with nothing to install. It's 18+ only.