The fastest way to learn European Portuguese is to spend most of your study time on Portugal's Portuguese you can mostly understand. Learners have a term for it: comprehensible input. The plan sets out a resource or two for each level and an hour of study split into parts.
What Should You Do at Each Level?
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Read tiny cafe dialogues with Portugal audio and a translation, playing each one twice. Add a free learner episode from Portugal, and copy a line aloud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Hide the translation and check only the word that blocks you. Listen to a European Portuguese podcast for learners on your commute.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Read a Portuguese With Leo lesson on LingQ while you listen, then hear it again without the text. Chat with a tutor from Portugal about it.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Read longer cafe lessons, then watch a short program on RTP Play with Portuguese subtitles where you can.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch RTP news and talk shows on topics you know, and guess new words before you look them up. Retell a story to your tutor.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and listen 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read Portuguese novels and newspapers, listen to radio from Portugal, and argue about them with friends.
Look at these splits as a draft schedule. When a level feels light, try the next one. If the first lines of a dialogue lose you, step back.
How Long Does It Take to Learn European Portuguese?
The University of Lisbon's annual Portuguese course for foreign students runs 200 class hours per semester, four days a week, with a fall semester and a spring semester. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Portuguese in its group closest to English, at about 24 weeks or 552 class hours for its English-speaking students. FSI's figure covers Portuguese in general, not Portugal's variety in particular.
| Study Per Week | One Lisbon Semester (200 Hours) | FSI's 552 Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 13 months | About 3 years |
| 7 hours | About 6½ months | About 1½ years |
| 14 hours | About 3⅓ months | About 9 months |
| 28 hours | About 7 weeks | About 4½ months |
Both numbers count classroom hours, so the table gives a sense of the workload rather than a promise for self-study.
What Slows European Portuguese Learners Down?
- Brazilian Audio OnlyBrazil's Portuguese sounds very different from Portugal's. If you plan to live in Portugal, keep most of your listening from Portugal.
- Reading Without the AudioPortugal drops many vowels when people talk, so a word you can read may be hard to catch. Read with audio every time.
- Long Word ListsA list of the 500 most common words gives meanings, but not the Portugal choice or the sound. Learn each one from a short dialogue, and review that dialogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which European Portuguese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning European Portuguese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our European Portuguese comparison also covers Practice Portuguese, Memrise, Pimsleur, and tutors from Portugal.
Can I Learn European Portuguese in Three Months?
You can get through everyday cafe, shop, and travel talk. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, a little under one 200-hour semester at the University of Lisbon, so measure progress by tasks like ordering lunch in Lisbon.
How Much Should I Study European Portuguese Each Week?
Set aside three to five hours each week for Portugal's Portuguese you can follow, with no session shorter than 15 to 30 minutes. Longer sessions let you hear a whole episode, and spreading them over the week helps more than a run of very short ones.
Is European Portuguese Hard for English Speakers?
FSI puts Portuguese in its easiest group for English speakers. Reading comes fast, and the main work in Portugal's variety is learning to hear its reduced vowels.
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.
Sources
- Universidade de Lisboa, ICLP: Curso Anual de Português Língua Estrangeira (200 hours per semester, four days a week)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories and class hours)
- Practice Portuguese: Learn European Portuguese for free (audio and video episodes are free; most transcripts are for members)
- Portuguese With Leo: Learn European Portuguese
- LingQ: Portuguese With Leo (2021), 55 intermediate European Portuguese lessons
- RTP Play
- italki: Portuguese teachers
