European Portuguese Course

Contents overview:

Level 1 – Getting Started with the Basics

At this beginner level, learners are introduced to personal subject pronouns and the verb "ser" in the present tense, allowing them to express identity, nationality, and profession. They also learn how to use definite and indefinite articles with singular nouns and form regular plurals of nouns and adjectives. Regular -ar verbs are introduced in the present tense, enabling students to build simple affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Vocabulary focuses on greetings, personal introductions, colors, family members, and common household items. Numbers, days of the week, and dates are covered, along with the verb "estar" to describe temporary conditions and locations.

Level 2 – Building Everyday Communication

This level expands on verb usage by introducing frequently used irregular verbs like "ir", "fazer", and "ter" in the present tense. Students learn how to use basic prepositions (such as em, de, com) with verbs and expressions, and how to build sentences with possessive pronouns. Thematic vocabulary includes food, clothing, and weather. Learners begin to express preferences with structures like "gostar de", and use reflexive verbs to describe daily routines. Demonstrative pronouns (este, esse, aquele) are introduced, along with the near future using "ir + infinitive". Students also learn to ask questions using common interrogative pronouns like what, who, where, and when.

Level 3 – Telling Stories and Expressing Emotions

At this intermediate level, learners work with both regular and irregular verbs in the preterite to talk about past actions, and begin to contrast it with the imperfect tense to describe ongoing past events. Vocabulary centers around travel, transportation, leisure activities, and urban life. Students learn to use basic connectors like then, after that, and next to create simple narratives. Object pronouns are introduced, along with advice-giving structures like "dever", "precisar", and "ser bom + infinitive". The present subjunctive appears here for expressing desires and hypothetical situations. Students practice conditional phrases with "se" and begin to use adverbs of manner, time, and intensity.

Level 4 – Deepening Grammar and Expressing Opinions

At this stage, learners are introduced to more complex grammar, such as the future subjunctive, often used in conditional and temporal clauses. Topics include the world of work, social relationships, and more abstract vocabulary. Verbal agreement with complex subjects and both types of passive voice (analytical and pronominal) are practiced. Learners develop skills to express opinions and make arguments using sophisticated connectors like although, however, and therefore. They also study the pluperfect tense, as well as the use of gerunds and impersonal infinitives in verb constructions. Sentence structure expands to include relative clauses and cause-effect expressions like because, since, and so that. Vocabulary includes technology, politics, and the environment.

Level 5 – Navigating Abstract Language and Complex Ideas

This advanced level focuses on mastering the subjunctive mood in more complex subordinate clauses—noun, adjective, and adverbial clauses. Students are exposed to more abstract and academic vocabulary, and refine their use of verb tenses for stylistic purposes in storytelling and discourse. A variety of discourse markers are studied, both formal (e.g., furthermore, despite that) and informal (e.g., on the other hand). Learners work on impersonal expressions using structures like "há", "faz", and "é necessário que". Idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms are introduced, and students practice rewriting sentences to avoid repetition using pronouns and ellipses. Attention is given to tone and register—knowing when to use formal, informal, or technical language—and to crafting well-structured argumentative texts using modal expressions and opinion markers.

Level 6 – Mastering Nuance and Style in Language

At the highest level, learners analyze and produce a variety of Portuguese text types with distinct purposes and styles, including narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative writing. They refine their use of indirect discourse and even explore free indirect speech. Vocabulary now includes metaphorical language, euphemisms, neologisms, and specialized jargon. Linguistic variation—across regions, social groups, and historical periods—is explored in depth. Learners recognize and apply complex syntax, such as embedded clauses and inverted sentence structures. Figurative language is used deliberately and effectively in writing. Students engage critically with the differences between standard and colloquial usage, and conduct stylistic and rhetorical analysis of Portuguese literary and journalistic texts. This level also emphasizes the expression of irony, ambiguity, and implied meaning, and prepares learners to participate in debates and deliver persuasive presentations with confidence and sophistication.