Portuguese for beginners: build your first skills with First contact
First contact is Loecsen's Portuguese course for beginning to communicate in everyday situations. You listen to expressions, understand what they mean, and practice recalling them without a model. Its 17 chapters introduce greetings, conversations, transportation, meals, hotels, and asking for help.
The course teaches European Portuguese, as used in Portugal. Its essential vocabulary and many beginner phrases also provide a useful foundation for Brazil. You do not need to start over: learn a few local alternatives and practice listening to Brazilian speakers to adapt what you know to your destination.
Start with something you will actually say: Queria um café, por favor means “I'd like a coffee, please.” You can use that phrase before learning an entire conjugation table. This guide then helps you understand its structure and make small changes. The Portuguese courses page presents the other learning paths.
What can you learn to say from the beginning?
Start a conversation and keep it going
Olá, Bom dia, and Chamo-me… let you say hello and introduce yourself. Add Não percebo — “I don't understand” — and Pode repetir, por favor? — “Could you repeat that, please?” These give you a way to continue when you miss an answer.
Learn a question together with likely responses. With Onde fica a estação? — “Where is the station?” — practice à direita, à esquerda, and em frente: to the right, to the left, and straight ahead or in front, depending on context. A memorized question becomes more useful when you recognize something in the reply.
Prepare for Portugal or Brazil
Choose situations you will meet on arrival: a ride to your accommodation, checking in, buying water, ordering food. A few reliable phrases can help you get something done. You can also point to a written place name or ask someone to write down a price.
If you are moving abroad, the same basics help you greet a neighbor and ask simple questions. Fast conversations, detailed administrative matters, and work meetings need further practice. Your first successful exchanges give you a starting point, rather than requiring you to know everything before speaking.
Understand the A1 goal
At CEFR level A1, learners begin to use familiar expressions and simple sentences, with a listener who is willing to speak clearly and help. First contact prepares these early skills; completing its activities does not by itself demonstrate every A1 ability. 1
Set observable goals: give your name without reading, mention your reservation, understand a price after repetition. Reusing an expression a few days later is more revealing than repeating it immediately after a recording.
Is Portuguese from Portugal useful in Brazil too?
A shared foundation for beginner conversations
Yes. The essential expressions in this course can also help you in Brazil. Greetings, numbers, and many simple requests are shared. The differences do not mean you need to learn two separate languages. Know which model you are hearing, and gradually recognize local alternatives.
| Shared expression | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Bom dia | Good morning | Greet someone in the morning. |
| Por favor | Please | Make a request more polite. |
| Quanto custa? | How much does it cost? | Ask a price. |
| Tenho uma reserva | I have a reservation | Check in at a hotel. |
| Preciso de ajuda | I need help | Explain a problem. |
Shared words do not always sound the same. In Portugal, unstressed vowels are often strongly reduced. In Brazil, rhythm and some consonants sound different, with considerable regional variation. If Brazil is your destination, add short Brazilian recordings of the same everyday situations early in your practice.
A few useful vocabulary changes
| What you need | Portugal | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| A bus | autocarro | ônibus |
| A train | comboio | trem |
| A cell phone | telemóvel | celular |
| Fruit juice | sumo | suco |
| A restroom | casa de banho | banheiro |
| Breakfast | pequeno-almoço | café da manhã |
These are frequent choices, not an exhaustive description of every region. Keep your sentence and change the part you need: Onde fica a casa de banho? becomes Onde fica o banheiro?. Notice the article changes too: a with casa, o with banheiro.
Recognize differences in everyday phrasing
Estou a aprender português is a common way to say “I'm learning Portuguese” in Portugal. In Brazil, you commonly hear Estou aprendendo português. Both describe an ongoing activity here; the gerund is also used in parts of Portugal. 4
When addressing someone you do not know in Portugal, Pode ajudar-me? — “Can you help me?” — avoids needing to choose an explicit address pronoun immediately. Você is common in many Brazilian settings, but it is not a universal polite “you” in Portugal. Usage depends on region and relationship. 5
What is covered in the 17 chapters?
The themes are grouped into six stages. Follow the course sequence or begin with the situations that matter most for your plans.
| Chapters | Conversations to prepare |
|---|---|
| Essentials, Conversation, Learning | Greet people, introduce yourself, say thank you, ask for repetition. |
| Colors, Numbers, Time tracking | Understand prices, describe something, specify a time. |
| Taxi, Transportation, Beach | Give a destination, arrange a journey, ask for information. |
| Restaurant, Bar, Hotel | Order, ask for the bill, explain a reservation. |
| Family, Feelings, Parting | Talk about people close to you, express a need, say goodbye. |
| In case of trouble, Looking for someone | Explain a simple difficulty and ask for help. |
Connect the chapters: at a hotel, you need a greeting, your name, numbers, and sometimes a time. In a café, ordering, specifying a quantity, and asking the price belong to one conversation.
One chapter may take several sessions. The additional examples in this guide illustrate useful structures; they are not a complete transcript of the recordings or quiz questions. The audio examples below are retained from the course.
How much time should you allow?
Your first fifteen-minute session
Choose four or five expressions that fit together. Listen, check their meaning, and repeat them. Then hide the text and imagine the scene: arrive, say hello, introduce yourself, ask for repetition. The next day, try to recall the same phrases before replaying the recording.
You can learn an initial request quickly. Understanding an unexpected answer takes more practice. Alongside your quiz progress, check whether you can speak when there are no multiple-choice answers to help you.
Get ready for a trip in two weeks
Fifteen to twenty minutes a day gives you 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 40 minutes over fourteen days. This is enough time to practice selected travel situations, not to work through the whole course.
| Period | Focus |
|---|---|
| Days 1–3 | Politeness, introductions, asking someone to repeat. |
| Days 4–6 | Numbers, prices, times, and directions. |
| Days 7–10 | Transportation, accommodation, and meals for your trip. |
| Days 11–14 | Short conversations without reading; review difficult phrases and add Brazilian listening if traveling to Brazil. |
Plan for the full course
The course displays 40–65 hours of work. Treat this as a planning estimate for lessons, exercises, and review, not a promise to reach a particular level within a fixed time.
| Daily practice | Equivalent of 40–65 hours, with no days off |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 240–390 days, roughly 8–13 months. |
| 15 minutes | 160–260 days, roughly 5–9 months. |
| 30 minutes | 80–130 days, roughly 3–4½ months. |
Breaks naturally extend the calendar. Choose a pace you can sustain, and leave time to revisit earlier material. Being able to use a few expressions before a trip is a different goal from completing every part of the course.
How do you make phrases available when you need them?
Listen, understand, recall, reuse
First listen without reading, then check the written phrase. Notice its stressed syllables and overall meaning. Repeat at a comfortable speed before moving closer to the recording's rhythm. You are training both your listening and your speech.
Next, move from recognition to recall: imagining “I'm checking in and have booked a room” should bring back Tenho uma reserva. Quizzes and Super Memory help you revisit fragile expressions. Add short spoken exchanges so you can use them beyond the exercise list.
| Difficulty | Useful practice |
|---|---|
| You recognize the text but not the recording. | Listen without looking, then compare a few words with the text. |
| You choose the answer but cannot say it independently. | Start from a situation and recall the phrase before revealing it. |
| You ask a question but miss the reply. | Practice two likely answers with different numbers or places. |
| You forget after a few days. | Revisit the phrase and attempt recall before listening again. |
Learn useful groups of words
Learn Preciso de ajuda as “I need help.” Then keep Preciso de… and add água or um táxi. This shows how a sentence works without asking you to invent every part at once.
Change one element at a time initially. Changing the subject, tense, verb, and object together makes it difficult to identify what needs attention. A practice partner can answer slowly, then vary just one detail.
Which Portuguese sounds should you notice?
Find the stressed syllable
Portuguese uses the Latin alphabet, but reading it with English spelling rules will often mislead you. In obrigado, the stress falls on ga. In Olá, the written accent marks the stressed final syllable.
In European Portuguese, unstressed vowels can be short, reduced, and sometimes barely audible. Start by recognizing the stressed syllables. Do not deliberately drop every other vowel: their realization depends on the word and surrounding sounds. Camões offers resources for a closer look at European Portuguese pronunciation. 3
| Feature | Example | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| ão | não, pão | A nasal diphthong: the vowel quality moves; it is not English “ow” followed by an n. |
| nh | vinho | A palatal nasal, somewhat like the joined “ny” sound in “canyon.” |
| lh | filho | A palatal lateral sound; imitate the recording rather than pronouncing separate l and h sounds. |
| ch | chave | A sound similar to English “sh,” not the “ch” in “chair.” |
| j and g before e or i | já, gente | A sound like the middle consonant of “measure” in these examples. |
| s between vowels | casa | Usually a “z” sound. |
| s at the end of a syllable | dois | Often “sh”-like in Portugal; the following sound and region can affect it. |
| Unstressed final o | obrigado | Often close to an “oo” vowel in Portugal. |
| Single r and rr | caro, carro | Different sounds; the stronger r varies regionally and is not simply the English r. |
Keep nasal sounds and written accents
The tilde in não and amanhã signals nasality. Final m can also help represent a nasal vowel or diphthong, as in bem. Do not simply add the final consonant of English “ham.” Listen to the whole word.
Written accents can distinguish words: avó means “grandmother” and avô means “grandfather.” You do not need every spelling rule on day one, but keep the accents when you write down an expression.
Use English comparisons as temporary aids
English approximations can help you begin, but they cannot capture every Portuguese vowel. Avoid turning each written vowel into a familiar English diphthong. Also notice that the Portuguese letter h is silent when it appears alone at the beginning of an ordinary word such as hotel.
Record a short sentence and compare one feature at a time: stress, then a vowel, then how the words connect. Your initial goal is intelligibility while becoming used to different speakers. For Brazil, add Brazilian listening instead of mechanically changing every sound in a European recording.
Fourteen grammar points to recognize in complete phrases
Use these points to understand and reuse common patterns. You do not need to recite the rules before starting to speak. A short expression tied to a real need gives each rule a purpose.
1. Learn a noun with its article
Portuguese has masculine and feminine nouns: o quarto means “the room,” a casa means “the house.” Unlike English “the,” the definite article changes. Learn the article with the noun so that gender comes with the word.
| Singular | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| o quarto | os quartos | The room, the rooms. |
| a reserva | as reservas | The reservation, the reservations. |
| um bilhete | dois bilhetes | One ticket, two tickets. |
| uma mesa | duas mesas | One table, two tables. |
2. Notice agreement across the group
Um quarto pequeno and uma casa pequena mean “a small room” and “a small house.” The adjective changes for gender. In duas casas pequenas, several words show plural agreement, unlike English “two small houses.”
Many adjectives follow the noun in simple descriptions. Some keep the same form for masculine and feminine, such as grande. Learn two contrasting examples to see what actually changes instead of adding an ending automatically.
3. Recognize the person in the verb
Falo português means “I speak Portuguese.” The subject eu can be left out when the verb form and context make the meaning clear. English normally requires “I”; Portuguese often does not.
| Person | With falar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eu | falo | I speak. |
| tu | falas | You speak, familiar singular. |
| ele, ela, você | fala | He speaks, she speaks, or you speak with você. |
| nós | falamos | We speak. |
| eles, elas, vocês | falam | They speak, or you speak to several people. |
Begin with forms you need in conversation. Fala inglês? can ask “Do you speak English?” without stating você. Portuguese does not insert an equivalent of English “do” to form this question.
4. Distinguish ser from estar
Sou inglês introduces a nationality; Estou cansado describes a state: “I'm tired.” O hotel está perto says where the hotel is in relation to you. “Permanent versus temporary” is too rigid a rule to explain every use.
Associate an expression with a function: introduce yourself with sou, say how you feel with estou, and recognize locations with está. A woman can say Sou inglesa and Estou cansada. Both verbs may translate as English “be,” but they are not interchangeable.
5. Express needs with ter
Tenho uma reserva means “I have a reservation.” Portuguese also uses ter in Tenho fome, Tenho sede, and Tenho frio: “I'm hungry,” “I'm thirsty,” and “I'm cold.” Do not copy English “am” into these expressions.
Age uses the same pattern: Tenho trinta anos means “I'm thirty years old.” By contrast, Há um café aqui perto means “There is a café nearby.” Here há expresses existence rather than possession.
6. Make a simple negative
Não normally comes before the verb: Não percebo, Não tenho reserva, Não falo português. You can make a familiar phrase negative without adding English-style “do not.”
In Brazil, Não entendo is especially common for “I don't understand” and is also understood in Portugal. Learning to recognize two expressions for the same intention is more useful than treating one as a mistake.
7. Build questions you will use
Onde? asks where, quanto? asks how much or how many, quando? asks when, and como? asks how. Start with complete questions such as Onde fica o hotel?, Quanto custa?, and Como se chama?.
A simple question can keep ordinary word order: Tem uma reserva? — “Do you have a reservation?” Listen to the intonation, and avoid transferring English auxiliary inversion into Portuguese.
8. Make a polite request
Queria um café, por favor uses queria, an imperfect form that softens a current request here. You can learn this useful phrase before studying how to narrate the past. Quero means “I want” and can sound more direct when ordering.
Pode repetir? and Pode ajudar-me? are useful patterns too. In Portugal, se faz favor also accompanies requests. A greeting and a friendly tone matter as well as a particular polite word.
9. Understand short contractions
Some prepositions and articles combine: de plus o gives do, and em plus a gives na. Recognizing the parts helps you understand a spoken answer.
| Parts | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|
| de + o | do | a chave do quarto — the room key. |
| de + a | da | perto da estação — near the station. |
| em + o | no | Estou no hotel — I'm at the hotel. |
| em + a | na | Estou na praia — I'm at the beach. |
| a + o | ao | Vou ao supermercado — I'm going to the supermarket. |
| a + a | à | Vou à praia — I'm going to the beach. |
10. Keep the preposition with the verb
Gosto de café means “I like coffee.” The de belongs to this construction even though English “like” does not need a preposition. With another verb, Gosto de viajar means “I like traveling.”
Preciso de água and Preciso de ajuda express needs. Review gosto de… and preciso de… as patterns rather than learning only gosto and preciso. That small word is part of using the verb correctly.
11. Match the possessive to the thing possessed
O meu pai means “my father”; a minha mãe means “my mother.” In Portugal, the article commonly accompanies the possessive. Its form follows the gender and number of the noun, not the gender of the person speaking.
In Brazil, you will also encounter possessives without the article. Your first goal is to recognize whose thing or relative is being discussed. Learn o meu quarto and a minha reserva in their hotel context rather than mapping everything to an unchanging English “my.”
12. Understand numbers and times
Um and uma, then dois and duas, vary with gender: dois bilhetes, duas pessoas. Practice prices by listening before looking at the digits. Reciting numbers in order is easier than recognizing an unexpected number in a reply.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| É uma hora | It's one o'clock. |
| São duas horas | It's two o'clock. |
| Às duas | At two o'clock. |
| Amanhã de manhã | Tomorrow morning. |
If you are unsure, Pode escrever, por favor? means “Could you write it down, please?” Asking for clarification is a useful beginner skill, especially for a departure time or room number.
13. Talk about an ongoing action or a plan
Estou a aprender português describes an ongoing activity. Vou aprender português means “I'm going to learn Portuguese,” presenting a plan. In the second pattern, vou is followed directly by the infinitive: do not add the a from the first construction.
For a destination, Vou para a estação means “I'm going to the station.” The verb ir appears in different patterns. Notice what follows it instead of translating vou on its own each time.
14. Recognize object pronouns in familiar phrases
Chamo-me Ana means “My name is Ana.” In this common affirmative phrase in Portugal, me follows the verb with a hyphen. In Não me chamo Ana, the negative word changes the pronoun's position.
You do not need every placement rule at A1. Start with chamo-me, não me chamo, and pode ajudar-me as complete groups. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, Me chamo Ana and Pode me ajudar? are common: recognize the shared meaning when you hear them.
Three short conversations to practice
These are additional practice scenes. Play both roles, then change a name, drink, or number. Understand the replies before trying to speak faster.
Order in a café
| Role | Portuguese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Bom dia. Queria um café e um copo de água, por favor. | Good morning. I'd like a coffee and a glass of water, please. |
| Server | Mais alguma coisa? | Anything else? |
| Customer | Não, obrigado. | No, thank you — said by a man. |
| Server | São dois euros. | That's two euros. |
The price is fictional. A woman traditionally says obrigada. The same exchange is useful in Brazil; adapt the currency and your order to the actual situation.
Buy a train ticket
| Role | Portuguese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Traveler | Queria um bilhete para o Porto, por favor. | I'd like a ticket to Porto, please. |
| Clerk | Só ida ou ida e volta? | One-way or round-trip? |
| Traveler | Só ida. A que horas sai? | One-way. What time does it leave? |
| Clerk | Às dez. | At ten. |
Notice the destination phrase: para o Porto, but para Lisboa. Check the wording for your actual journey rather than adding an article to every city. In Brazil, passagem is common for a travel ticket, and trem means “train.”
Check in at a hotel
| Role | Portuguese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | Boa tarde. Tenho uma reserva em nome de Ana Silva. | Good afternoon. I have a reservation under Ana Silva. |
| Receptionist | Para quantas noites? | For how many nights? |
| Guest | Duas noites. O pequeno-almoço está incluído? | Two nights. Is breakfast included? |
| Receptionist | Sim, está incluído. | Yes, it is. |
For Brazil, replace o pequeno-almoço with o café da manhã. Practice a negative reply too, so you are prepared for more than the ideal version of the conversation.
Which mistakes should English speakers watch for?
Trusting familiar-looking words too quickly
Atualmente means “currently,” not “actually.” Pretender can mean “to intend,” rather than “to pretend.” Pasta may mean a folder or paste, depending on context. Read the surrounding phrase before trusting the resemblance.
Also watch English structures that do not transfer: Tenho fome uses “have,” not “am”; Não falo needs no “don't”; and Gosto de café includes a preposition. Learn the correct chunk so you do not need to repair it word by word while speaking.
Translating everything before replying
A short expression can have a conversational function that a literal translation misses. Learn what a phrase accomplishes in its scene, then gradually understand its parts. You can recognize a greeting, request, or polite response before being able to analyze every word.
Keep three ways to repair a conversation ready: ask for repetition, slower speech, or writing. Pode falar mais devagar? — “Could you speak more slowly?” — is often more useful in the moment than an additional grammar rule.
How can you check your progress and choose the next step?
| Small challenge | What you should be able to do |
|---|---|
| Introduce yourself without text | Give your name and say which language you speak a little. |
| Order | Choose a drink and respond to a simple follow-up question. |
| Understand a price | Recognize the amount after repetition if needed. |
| Check in | Mention a reservation and give the number of nights. |
| Explain a difficulty | Say that you do not understand and ask for help. |
| Adapt to your destination | Recognize a few frequent Portugal–Brazil alternatives. |
Try these scenes again on another day in a different order. If a phrase only comes after you have reread it, return to a smaller selection and practice recall. A specific hesitation tells you what to work on next.
For further study, Independent in 6 months — Brazilian Portuguese focuses on more developed exchanges and A2–B1 goals. Check its page for availability and the current program. Moving to a different variety adds listening and usage practice while preserving much of your foundation.
If your plans center on Portugal, keep listening to Portuguese speakers and practicing the situations you meet there. A Loecsen course-completion certificate is not an official proficiency examination; CAPLE provides information about its separate qualifications and their levels. 6
Frequently asked questions about beginner Portuguese
Does this course teach Portuguese from Portugal?
Yes. First contact uses European Portuguese phrases and recordings. Brazilian examples in this guide are identified so you can recognize useful alternatives.
Will it help me if I am going to Brazil?
Yes. Essential vocabulary and many simple phrases work in both countries. Add the local words you need and Brazilian listening practice: similar vocabulary does not make the accents identical.
Do I need two separate vocabulary lists?
No. Build a shared foundation, then note differences that matter to you, such as autocarro and ônibus. A small comparison list is enough; you do not need to double every review session.
Is Portuguese easy for an English speaker?
Some vocabulary is recognizable, but noun gender, verb forms, nasal sounds, and reduced vowels require practice. Reading and listening may develop at different speeds. Use short spoken phrases to connect the two.
Should I learn all the grammar first?
No. Begin with useful expressions and notice one pattern at a time. Tenho uma reserva works immediately and later helps you recognize other phrases with tenho.
Is ten to fifteen minutes a day enough?
It can support steady practice and early progress. For the course's estimated 40–65 hours, fifteen minutes daily amounts to about 160–260 days. Breaks and additional review affect your calendar.
Can I prepare for a trip in two weeks?
You can focus on greetings, transportation, accommodation, and meals. That limited goal is different from mastering all of A1. Prioritize questions for which you can recognize likely answers.
Should I say tu or você?
It depends on the country, region, and relationship. In Portugal, tu is familiar; with someone you do not know, a question such as Pode repetir? often avoids stating the pronoun. Do not treat você as a universal formal “you.”
Is the course free?
Online learning offers lessons, audio, quizzes, and Super Memory with free access within the service's usage limits. Paid options include downloads and other benefits. Check the terms displayed for your account.
Does finishing First contact certify my A1 level?
You will have practiced useful foundations for early conversations. Assessing the full level also requires varied listening, speaking, reading, writing, and interaction tasks. Activity completion and a course certificate are not official A1 certification.
Sources and resources for further study
This guide combines practical learning suggestions with original teaching examples. The references below explain the A1 framework, Camões Portuguese resources, variety differences, and official proficiency examinations.
