Yes, you can learn Portuguese! Here’s how to actually do it

If you’re planning a move to Portugal, there’s a good chance you have two ambitions: to live among Portuguese people and to learn their language.

We know because you told us. In the Your Overseas Home reader survey, 61% of Portugal buyers said they wanted to live among Portuguese people, while 80% said they were determined to learn Portuguese.

The question is: will you actually do it?

It’s remarkably easy to arrive in Portugal with the best intentions, discover that your estate agent speaks English, your new international friends speak English and the waiter has switched to English before you’ve finished saying bom dia. Before long, those Portuguese lessons are something you’ll definitely get around to next month.

So let’s make this achievable. You don’t need to become fluent, you don’t need a special talent for languages and you certainly aren’t too old. What you need is the right target, the right version of Portuguese and a routine you can stick to.

Here’s how to make sure that this time, you really do learn Portuguese.

First, forget about becoming fluent

“I want to be fluent in Portuguese” sounds admirable. It’s also a pretty daunting target.

Try something smaller. Could you order coffee without switching to English? Introduce yourself to a neighbour? Ask for something in a shop? Make a restaurant booking over the phone? Explain a simple problem to a plumber?

Those are useful achievements and each one makes the next a little easier.

Think of learning Portuguese as acquiring hundreds of small abilities rather than achieving one enormous goal called “fluency”.

Your first target could simply be getting through a normal morning in Portuguese.

But am I too old to learn Portuguese?

No. But you may need to learn differently from the way you were taught French at school.

You have one enormous advantage that you probably didn’t have then: motivation.

You aren’t memorising vocabulary because there might be a test on Friday. You’re learning the words for keys because you need another set cut. You’re learning how to ask for a table because you want lunch. You want to understand your neighbour because you actually like them.

Make your Portuguese relevant to the life you’re going to lead.

If you love gardening, learn the names of plants and tools. If you’re buying an old house, learn the vocabulary of builders, roofs and plumbing. If you spend Saturday morning at the market, learn how to ask for quantities, prices and recommendations.

Learn your Portuguese.

Start before you move to Portugal

Don’t make arriving in Portugal the starting gun.

Your first weeks after moving could involve everything from furniture deliveries to bank accounts, utilities and paperwork. Adding “begin learning an entirely new language” to the list isn’t going to make life easier.

You don’t need to arrive speaking Portuguese. Aim instead to arrive with a useful survival kit.

Learn greetings, numbers, days of the week and basic questions. Learn how to ask how much something costs, where something is and whether somebody speaks English.

Most importantly, practise listening. European Portuguese can sound very different when spoken naturally from the individual words you’ve carefully learnt. Getting your ear accustomed to the sound of the language before you arrive can be enormously helpful.

Make sure you’re learning Portuguese Portuguese

Portuguese is spoken by more than 260 million people around the world, with by far the largest number in Brazil. As a result, many Portuguese-language resources are designed primarily for Brazilian Portuguese.

European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible, but there are significant differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and everyday usage.

If you’re moving to Portugal, look specifically for courses, podcasts, videos and teachers offering European Portuguese.

That is particularly important for listening practice. One of the biggest hurdles for new learners is understanding Portuguese as it is actually spoken in Portugal.

Find a method you’ll actually stick to

There is no single best way to learn Portuguese. The best method is the one you are still using six months from now.

You might prefer a structured course with homework and grammar. Someone else may learn more from a weekly online conversation with a Portuguese tutor. Apps can be useful for building a daily habit, while podcasts and videos give you much-needed listening practice. Try combining them.

For example:

• 10 minutes of vocabulary or an app each day
• 10 minutes listening to European Portuguese
• one proper lesson or conversation session each week
• one new real-life situation to practise whenever you can

Twenty minutes a day is more than two hours a week. More importantly, you’re keeping Portuguese in your head every day rather than trying to rediscover it during a two-hour lesson every fortnight.

Everyone speaks English anyway, don’t they?

In some parts of Portugal, you may be surprised by how easily you can operate entirely in English. That’s useful when you really need it. But it can also become a trap.

With the majority of our Portugal buyers wanting to live among Portuguese people rather than an expat enclave, learning the language is one of the most practical things you can do to make it happen.

There is a difference between being able to conduct your affairs in Portugal and being part of the community around you. English may get the boiler fixed but Portuguese might get you into the conversation with the neighbour who recommended the plumber in the first place.

And the further you travel from international communities and tourist centres, the less you should assume that everyone will speak English.

Get comfortable with not understanding

Here’s something every language learner needs to accept: people will say things to you that you don’t understand. Quite a lot of things, initially.

You don’t need to understand every word. Listen for what you recognise and use the situation to fill in the gaps. If you’re standing at a bakery counter and you’ve just ordered six rolls, there are only so many things the person serving you is likely to ask next.

Real conversations also teach you something an app struggles to replicate: how Portuguese actually sounds at normal speed.

Portugal has regional accents too. Someone from Porto won’t necessarily sound like someone from the Algarve, while Madeira and the Azores have their own distinctive accents.

Don’t regard that as another syllabus you have to master. Your ear will gradually become accustomed to the Portuguese spoken where you live.

Start every conversation in Portuguese

Give yourself a rule: start in Portuguese.

Say bom dia. Order in Portuguese. Ask the question you’ve rehearsed.

You might manage two sentences before the other person answers in English. Tomorrow, try for three.

And if somebody switches to English, don’t take it as a verdict on your Portuguese. They may simply be trying to help – or they might be delighted to have an opportunity to practise their English on you.

If appropriate, tell them you’re learning Portuguese and would like to practise.

The more everyday interactions you attempt, the less intimidating they become.

Turn your new home into your classroom

Once you are in Portugal, you have something a learner sitting in Britain doesn’t: Portuguese is happening around you all day.

Read the signs in shops. Look at supermarket labels. Listen to announcements at the railway station. Try Portuguese television and radio. Read local news online. Work out what the notice from the council is saying before reaching for the translation app.

Then talk to people. Your café, market, hairdresser, neighbours and local shops can give you dozens of tiny conversations every week.

This is also where learning the language becomes much more enjoyable. You’re no longer completing exercises. You’re using Portuguese to do things you wanted to do anyway.

Use technology – but don’t hide behind it

Translation apps have transformed the experience of moving somewhere when you don’t speak the language.

Use them. If you’re dealing with something important and don’t understand, getting an accurate translation is more important than proving your linguistic prowess.

But don’t automatically reach for your phone every time you’re unsure of a word.

Similarly, language apps, podcasts, online tutors and AI conversation tools can all help you learn Portuguese. Use technology to give yourself more opportunities to speak and listen rather than fewer reasons to interact with people.

Give yourself a 30-day Portuguese challenge

Here is a simple and workable plan for once you’re in Portugal:

Week one: greet people and order food and drink in Portuguese.

Week two: add simple questions – prices, directions, opening times and recommendations.

Week three: try short conversations with people you encounter regularly.

Week four: attempt something you’ve previously avoided because of the language – perhaps making an appointment or going into a shop where you’re less confident English will be spoken.

Keep a note of new words you actually needed rather than collecting endless vocabulary you may never use. At the end of the month, think back to what you could manage on day one.

Don’t aim for fluency. Aim for Tuesday morning

Learning Portuguese isn’t an entrance examination you have to pass before you can become part of Portuguese life.

Can you say good morning to your neighbour? Order your coffee? Ask the butcher for what you want? Understand roughly what the cashier is asking you? Have a brief chat about the weather?

Get through Tuesday morning in Portuguese and Wednesday gets a little easier.

Four in five of our Portugal buyers tell us they are determined to learn the language.

If you’re one of them, don’t wait until you’ve moved, don’t worry about being too old and don’t make fluency your first target. Learn ten useful words. Then another ten.

And next time somebody says bom dia, answer them.

Want more help navigating life in Portugal? Speak with our local experts to start planning your overseas future.

FAQs about learning Portuguese in Portugal