Plan a trip to South America and study Brazilian Portuguese in Brazil. Courses are available to book all year round in cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador.
Brazil Fast Facts
Official Language
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, spoken by the entire population (except for a few, very remotely located tribes). Indeed, Brazil has had immigrants from all parts of the world for centuries, whose descendants now speak Portuguese as their mothertongue.
Currency
Name: Brazilian real
Code: BRL
Symbol: R$
100BRL is approx £24
Time Zone
Time Zone: Amazon Time Zone (UTC-04:00) Fernando de Noronha Time Zone (UTC-02:00) and Brasilia Time (UTC-03:00)
About Brazil
An amazing country, Brazil occupies almost half of South America and is roughly the size of the USA excluding Alaska.
Much of Brazil remains covered by the Amazon, a vast wilderness of which legends are still made. The Amazon remains partially unexplored, and with the estimated 15,000 species there, it is no surprise that many go unidentified.
São Paulo is actually the world’s second most populous city with 20 million people, many of them immigrants or descendents of immigrants. Not surprisingly, Brazilian culture therefore is a mix of influences shaped by the original inhabitants, the Portuguese, the Africans, and the settlers from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
In music, food, dance, art, and religion, Brazil embraces the various traditions that have fed its history and affected its development. And you might want to brush up on your soccer (futeball) skills before going as you are bound to get on well with the natives if you can play!
Learn Portuguese in Brazil
Schools provide everything you need to learn to speak Portuguese, from tuition, practicing with other students to applying new language skills in different settings to see quick improvement.
With average class sizes of only three students per teacher and a maximum of six, progress is rapid, targeted and very impressive.
Schools offer a range of services that makes students stay more enjoyable, convenient and safe, from the point that you apply to when you arrive at the airport to when you need to book a transfer to return home.
Popular Places to Study in Brazil
Most local and international schools are located in the larger cities and also tourism areas, including:
- Rio de Janeiro
- Sao Paulo
- Salvador da Bahia
- Florianópolis
- Natal
- Maceió
- Olinda
- Recife
- Belo Horizonte
- Porto Alegre
- Brasilia
- Fortaleza
- Curitiba
- Campinas
- Manaus
Is Portuguese in Brazil Difficult to Learn?
Brazilian Portuguese has a number of pronunciation differences with that spoken in Portugal (and within, between the regions there are some accent and slang differences), but speakers of either can understand each other. However, European Portuguese (Luso) is more difficult for Brazilians to understand than the reverse, as many Brazilian television programs are shown in Portugal. Note that a few words can have a totally different meaning in Brazil and Portugal, usually slang words.
Body Language
Brazilians use a lot of body gestures in informal communication, and the meaning of certain words or expressions may be influenced by them.
- The thumbs up gesture is used everywhere and all the time in Brazil.
- The OK gesture (thumb and finger in a circle), on the other hand, may have obscene connotations in Brazil. Avoid it if you can, people may laugh at you, or be offended (usually if they are drunk). Use thumbs up instead.
- A circular movement of the forefinger about the ear means you are crazy!, the same as in English.
- Stroking your two biggest fingers with your thumb (possibly ironically stating that something takes a long time) is a way of saying that something is expensive (same as French).
- Clicking your middle finger with your thumb multiple times means a long time.
- Joining your thumb and middle finger and snapping your index finger upon them means fast (not in whole country).
- Stroking your lips with your index finger and snapping it means delicious, grabbing your earlobe with your index and thumb means the same (not in all country).
- Making a fist with your thumb between the index and middle finger is the sign of good luck (not in whole country).
- Touching the palm with the thumb and making a circular movement with the hand means I am being robbed! (sometimes meaning that some price is too high) (not in whole country).
- The Hush gesture is considered extremely impolite, just about the same as shouting shut up! to someone.
- An informal way to get someone’s attention (similar to a whistle in other cultures) is a hissing sound: pssiu! It is not perceived as unpolite, but gets really, really, REALLY annoying if repeated too often. They also call cats with a similar sound, rather than the kiss noise others (the French again) produce.
Other Languages Spoken in Brazil
English is not widely spoken except in some tourist areas. Don’t expect bus or taxi drivers to understand English, so it is a good idea to learn basic words and phrases before arriving. In most big and luxurious hotels, it is very likely that staff will speak English.
Spanish speakers are usually able to get by in Brazil, especially in the south. While written Portuguese can be quite similar to Spanish, spoken Portuguese may be much harder to understand. Compare the number 20 which is veinte (BAYN-teh) in Spanish to vinte (VEEN-chee) in Brazilian Portuguese. Even more different is gente (people), pronounced HEN-teh in Spanish and ZHEN-chee in Brazilian Portuguese.
Letters CH, D, G, J, R, RR, and T are particularly difficult for those who know some Spanish, and that’s without even considering the vowels. Spanish speakers (European or Latin American) usually find European Portuguese slighty easier to pronounce than the Brazilian one.
Studying in Brazil FAQ
Accommodation
Accommodation is optional. Students can choose between apartments, usually modern, spacious and centrally located close to schools. All bills are usually included in the price if students choose to use this option. Home stays can sometimes be provided too, as well as hostel/hotel accommodation.
Activities and Free time
Seminars, workshops and social events are usually arranged weekly for students.