Free online courseEuropean Portuguese

Course Description

Build real-world communication skills in European Portuguese with a course designed for learners who want to understand and be understood in Portugal. Instead of focusing only on isolated words, you will develop a strong foundation that supports everyday conversations: clear pronunciation, useful grammar patterns and the kind of vocabulary you hear in cafés, shops and public places.

You will start by getting comfortable with the alphabet, numbers and core spelling and sound rules, so reading menus, signs and simple messages becomes less intimidating. From there, the course guides you into high-frequency verbs and essential structures that let you express who you are, what you do, where you are going and what you need. As your confidence grows, you will meet common irregular forms and practice using verbs in contexts that match daily life rather than textbook sentences.

A major focus is speaking for typical situations: ordering and paying at a restaurant or coffee shop, shopping for clothes in a more formal register, asking for and understanding directions, and navigating places like a train station or the beach. You will also expand vocabulary across themes such as weather and the sea, the garden and farm-related topics, making it easier to follow conversations and announcements during travel. Short stories and mini-stories reinforce comprehension and help you internalize patterns, including key verbs like ser, ter, ficar and estar in the present and past.

Throughout the course, exercises help you check understanding, notice important details and build accuracy without losing fluency. By the end, you will be better prepared for your first conversations, more comfortable with European Portuguese pronunciation, and able to handle common interactions with polite, natural language.