WHERE IS PORTUGUESE SPOKEN?
There are eight members in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and East Timor.
Portuguese also shares official language status with Mandarin Chinese in Macau.
Most of our students wish to learn because of business or personal connections with Portugal or Brazil.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PORTUGUESE IN PORTUGAL AND BRAZIL?
Pronunciation:
In Portugal you hear the distinctive “sh” sound for the letter “s”.
In Brazil the letters “t” and “d” are often pronounced “tch” and “j” – so “Bom dia” (good morning) sounds like “Bom jia”.
Vocabulary:
The Portuguese and Brazilians use different words for many everyday things – just like the British, Americans and Australians do. But of course, they understand and enjoy all the variations in vocabulary just as different English-speakers do.
SHOULD I CHOOSE A BRAZILIAN OR A PORTUGUESE TEACHER?
It may not matter as much as you think. An educated native speaker from Brazil or Portugal can both teach you to speak Portuguese very well.