Do you want to learn the melodic and exotic language that is Portuguese? Great! But are you motivated enough to throw yourself into that learning journey even though you can’t understand a single word?
Finding motivation that will carry you through all the bad days can be a determining factor when learning a language. If you manage to have an intense desire to learn Portuguese, nothing will be able to stop you.
Here are some ways that can help you evoke that motivation within you and start learning Portuguese.
Learn about the Culture
You’ll be more eager to learn Portuguese if you know more about its fascinating culture. Immerse yourself into the benefits of speaking Portuguese by looking into all Portuguese-speaking cities in the world. Those are the places where you’ll be able to travel with ease and speak to locals.
Read books (in English for starters) that will bring you closer to the ways of life of Portuguese people. You should also learn about Portuguese traditions, festivities, Portuguese art, and delicious traditional food.
The most famous type of Brazilian restaurant is churrascaria which is kind of a Brazilian steakhouse. If you have such a restaurant near you, visit it. You might even catch some of the waiters or other employees speaking Portuguese.
You can also research about the business situation in your industry in Portuguese-speaking countries. Let’s say that you are a successful freelancer. Search for the best places for you to work in Brazil or Portugal, and you might get a desire to live in those places for a while.
Watch TV Shows and Movies in Portuguese
Most of us LOVE to watch movies and TV shows. Why not also make it a learning experience?
Find entertaining TV shows in Portuguese. Before you know it, you’ll be picking up some words and wanting to know more. There are even some Portuguese-speaking TV shows on Netflix such as:
- 3% (dystopian thriller)
- Mecanismo (political drama loosely based on the real-life “Car Wash” bribery scandal that involved former presidents Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff)
- Coisa Mais Linda (Girls from Ipanema) (a period drama set in 1950s Rio)
- Ninguém Tá Olhando (Nobody’s Looking) (comedy)
- Killer Ratings (true-crime docuseries)
Portuguese and Brazilians make awesome movies. Go ahead and find movies in your favorite movie genre.
Exposing yourself consistently to Portuguese through TV shows and movies will not only motivate you to learn the language, but it will also provide you with a foundation. You’ll get to enhance learning the language without actually studying.
Listen to Brazilian Music
Falling in love with Brazilian music is almost inevitable. The soulful singing, the rhythmic melody, the passionate beats – they all suck you in and make you want to listen to it endlessly.
Brazilian’s have many different music genres for you to explore. To name a few:
- Bossa Nova
- Funk Carioca (Rio de Janeiro city’s Funk music)
- Axé (the fusion of different Afro-Caribbean genres like reggae, marcha, and calypso)
- Sertanejo (country music)
- Forró (forró music)
Adding a few Brazilian songs to your playlist can be a great start. Once you start browsing for more songs on Spotify or YouTube you’ll also want to know what they are singing about.
But don’t just listen to music. Sing the songs out loud. Who cares that you don’t understand (for now) what they are saying. Copying the pronunciation will help you “tune your ear.”
Talk to People Who Known Portuguese
Start making friends and socializing with people who speak Portuguese. Do some research on whether there is a community of people who speak Portuguese in your area.
If you can’t find any in-person way of socializing with Portuguese-speaking people, you can always resort to online solutions.
Some online platforms offer you the possibility to connect you to a native speaker for speaking practice. One of such platforms is MyLanguageExchange.
When you get to know someone better, you can write to each other, which means that you’ll have a chance to work on written communication as well.
Use a Learning App
Luckily for us, people had all kinds of innovative ideas for making language learning easier. One of those ideas is learning apps.
There are lots of useful apps that can make the beginner’s learning journey less intimidating. What’s also great about these apps is that you’ll have them on your phone so you can practice whenever you have 5 or 10 minutes to spare.
One of the most popular apps for learning languages is Duolingo. The reason why learners are drawn to this app is that it is a gamified app. Meaning, that you learn through a game like the concept. You get to earn points, unlock levels, and learn along the way.
Learning through an app doesn’t have to be all fun and games. Use apps like Evernote or Simplenote to note down useful phrases and words you want to remember.
You can even make your personal dictionary with words you have pulled out from the app. Search for personal statement help to find writing services who work with students and therefore, have affordable prices. Such services can help you create that dictionary.
Watch YouTube Videos
YouTube is full of a variety of video content that can match any interest. Whatever you like to watch, there is a big chance that you’ll find it on YouTube. So why not surface interesting videos in Portuguese that suit your curiosity?
The best part is that you can turn on the caption for most videos and you’ll get a translation of the video in English. Before you boost your level of motivation and start learning Portuguese, you can use captions to know what the video is about.
Turn Your Motivation into a Habit
Once you put these tips to use and surround yourself with the Portuguese language, it’s time to “cash in” that newfound motivation.
Consistency is the bedrock on which learning a new language lies. If you aren’t consistent in your studies, you won’t see any progress and your motivation will decrease.
Ensure that you learn at least 30 minutes a day. Spearing that much time won’t be hard, but it is necessary.
Final Thoughts
Discover the beauty of the Portuguese language and culture and won’t need anyone to convince you to learn the language.
The most wonderful thing about learning a new language is that you get to know their ways and traditions, what motivates people from these countries, and what kind of lifestyle they have.
Learning Portuguese can bring you so much joy. There is no doubt that the motivation will show up as soon as you welcome the Portuguese language into your life.
