The easiest way to learn Portuguese is to choose Brazilian or European Portuguese, and then read and listen to short, easy Portuguese about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave verb tables and long word lists for later, because easy Portuguese keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Portuguese to start with.
Is Portuguese Easy to Learn?
Portuguese is one of the easier languages for English speakers to learn, though its verb endings and sounds take time. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Portuguese in its first group, the languages that take English speakers the least time to learn, with Spanish, French and Italian. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- An Alphabet You KnowPortuguese uses the same alphabet as English, plus a few marks like the ones in ç and ã.
- Words You Already KnowMany Portuguese words look like English words, such as família (family) and música (music).
- Portuguese You Already HearIf you enjoy Brazilian music or football, you have probably heard words like obrigado (thank you) and amor (love).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to choose your Portuguese, then spend your time on short Portuguese you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Pick Brazil or PortugalChoose the Portuguese you plan to use, since its sounds and some everyday words are different.
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, football, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like a greeting such as Bom dia (good morning).
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Portuguese at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. It has separate journeys for Brazilian and European Portuguese. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Portuguese.
What Makes Portuguese Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Portuguese feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Portuguese.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Verb endings | Easy dialogues use a few common forms again and again, such as gosto (I like) and quero (I want), so they feel familiar first. Open a verb table only when a form confuses you. |
| Nasal sounds like ão | Words like não (no) and pão (bread) come up all the time, so playing the audio as you read teaches the sound before you need a rule. |
| Masculine and feminine words | Every noun is masculine or feminine, as in o café (the coffee) and a casa (the house). Read each noun with its o or a, and the right endings start to sound normal. |
| Swallowed vowels in Portugal | In fast speech, people in Portugal often drop the vowels they don't stress. Listen to slow, clear audio made for learners first, because words you already know are much easier to catch in fast speech. |
What Is Easy Portuguese to Start With?
Easy Portuguese to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons about greetings and cafés in Portugal | Level 1, Bubblegum's easiest level, uses short lines with audio and a translation. | Free on this site |
| Super Easy Portuguese | Easy Portuguese makes these slower videos in Brazilian Portuguese for beginners. | easyportuguese.org |
| Practice Portuguese Shorties | Dialogues of a minute or two in European Portuguese, sorted by level. | practiceportuguese.com |
| Portuguese With Leo's beginner podcast | Episodes in European Portuguese come with transcripts in two languages and a glossary, once you know some words. | portuguesewithleo.com |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Portuguese easier if I already speak Spanish?
Yes. Many words and grammar patterns are close to Spanish, so simple Portuguese is often easy to read. UT Austin's free Tá Falado has 46 podcast lessons that show where Brazilian Portuguese sounds and grammar differ from Spanish.
Can I learn Portuguese just by watching telenovelas?
Not at the start, because most of an episode goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Portuguese subtitles on. Lingopie, a streaming app for learners, has telenovelas with Portuguese and English subtitles, and you can tap a word to see what it means.
Which Portuguese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Portuguese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Portuguese apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Portuguese lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia, Portuguese orthography (the Latin alphabet with five diacritics, such as the cedilla and the tilde)
- Wikipedia, Portuguese phonology (nasal vowels, and unstressed vowels dropped in fast European Portuguese speech)
- COERLL, UT Austin: Tá Falado (24 pronunciation and 20 grammar podcast lessons, plus two review lessons, for Spanish speakers)
