Practice Portuguese

Do you prefer dining out or ordering in? Join us for a conversation about food, drinks, and dining in Portugal, with a special appearance from Rui's mom who shares a story about the ultimate Portuguese food faux pas.

Buckle up and join Joel and Rui for a conversation about car preferences and driving experiences.

Check out our Driving unit for even more European Portuguese vocabulary and expressions related to cars and driving!

Estamos de volta! Returning to the roots of where this all started back in 2013, Rui and Joel are reviving our flagship Podcast!

Although we’re releasing video episodes, we’ll also keep our audio-only listeners in mind, so you can subscribe to our podcast feed in your favourite app and listen while on-the-go.

In this episode, we dive into the art of gift-giving – all in European Portuguese, claro!

We also discuss our favourite gifts to receive, and strategies for offering them to others.

Thanks for being with us, and for encouraging us to return to this Podcast format. We’ve missed you too!

We didn’t know what to talk about, so Practice Portuguese team member, Molly, gave us a list of questions to answer! Topics include: pet peeves, where else in the world we’d live, binge-watching habits, favourite cuisine, biggest fears and much more! We also reveal some behind-the-scenes news of what the Practice Portuguese team has been up to these past few months.

Did you know the verb “dar” has at least 60 different meanings in Portuguese? The simplest translation is “to give”, but it also has many idiomatic meanings, which depend on the context. Today, Joel and Rui take a deep dive into “dar”, with some help from one of our Shorty episodes: Dar Uma Mãozinha. Joel also shows off his own study routine for vocabulary building, using Practice Portuguese’s latest “Smart Review” enhancements.

Are Rui and Joel still alive?! After many busy months, we're back to talk about everything that we've been up to, and what's next for Practice Portuguese in 2022.

Special thanks to borderland.pt (@borderland.photo) for the fantastic job on our neon logo!

2021 has already been off to a busy start! Rui & Joel update you on everything that's going on, in Portuguese:
• Rui & Joel get COVID swabs jammed up their noses… for TV
• Rui quits something and joins something else within the same week (Huh?)
• Our mobile app is on the way!
• Appearances from Clara and Avó Odete

Have you been to the dentist lately? In this first-ever video podcast, we feature one of our latest Shorties and discuss useful vocabulary all about… teeth! While recording, we're interrupted by some personal text messages that we reveal and deconstruct for your learning pleasure!

We all have moments where we need some colourful language to express ourselves. (No, we're not talking about swear words, that's for another episode). Today we go through the whole colour spectrum while featuring the Shorty, "Um Lindo Bebé". Do you know how to say your favourite colour in Portuguese?

Featured Shorty: "Diário de uma Quarent(o)ena II."
A lot has happened, to say the least, since we last recorded a podcast episode!
We start out by challenging your comprehension with casual Portuguese conversation to get you up to speed on what's been happening with us personally as well as in the world... since we know we are definitely your primary resource for all things COVID-19!
We spend the rest of the episode tweaking the pronunciation of our brave listeners who once again contributed their recordings. (Obrigado!)
We review the pronunciation of the different R, S, E, and O sounds, perfecting the cadence and flow of Portuguese sentences… plus, you'll discover a word that even Rui has trouble pronouncing!

In this episode, we once again analyze record audio clips from our brave listeners! We listen to the Shorty, "À Busca de Doces", and explore how to make your Portuguese sound more native with pronunciation subtleties and word choice. We also clarify some other challenging concepts, such as the differences between "aí, ali, & lá".

Today, the tables have turned, because YOU, (our listeners) are the main voices of this special episode! European Portuguese learners from around the world bravely submitted recordings of themselves reading our featured Shorty, "Um Encontro".

We listen to each one, while suggesting subtle improvements for perfecting their pronunciation, including some challenging vowel sounds, and rules of the letter "S", and more.

A BIG "thank you" to everyone who bravely submitted their recordings. Let us know if you enjoy this and we'll do more of this in future episodes!
(Learn more about the pronunciation of the letter "S" here: The Letters "S" and "C")

When we launched Diálogo 24 Um Café Em Lisboa (with our special guest, Tatiana from Brazil), it understandably created some controversy with our audience, who normally looks to us for European Portuguese content!

While most members loved exploring the differences between the two dialects, a few members were worried that we were losing our European Portuguese focus. (We’re not!)

To discuss why we occasionally expose our audience to Brazilian content and much more, Tatiana invited Rui & Joel to her radio program, Supermix (based in Italy), for a special interview. We also talk about other aspects of Practice Portuguese that you might have been curious about too! (Note: Some of Tatiana’s audio had to be re-recorded because of technical issues, so some editing was necessary. However, we’ve tried to retain the authenticity of the live interview as much as possible!)

'Tis the season… to spread misinformation about the origins of Christmas and Santa Claus! In this special holiday episode, Rui and Joel explore the food and other traditions of Christmas in Portugal, while featuring one of our latest Shorties, "a Consoada". Boas festas a todos!

Dona Amélia, an old-fashioned woman who only believes in natural remedies, pays a visit to the pharmacy. Will the pharmacist be able to help her, despite her hearing difficulties?

Cláudio and Joana are a Portuguese couple who decide to take a trip to Tomar in a rental car. When it comes to driving, they can't seem to agree on anything. Will they make it to their destination without driving each other crazy?

In this episode, we deconstruct one of our latest "Shorties". We go through some useful food vocabulary, discuss verb and tense choices, and Rui irons out Joel and Molly's "estrangeiro" pronunciation! There's also some exciting news about Practice Portuguese, especially for those of you who might be in the Algarve next weekend.

Dona Gertrudes, a retired 65-year-old woman, has just a received a surprisingly large bill from her gas company. Upset and nervous, she attempts to sort the matter out on the phone.

Monica has just moved to an apartment in the Historic Center of Porto. She meets her neighbour Eduardo who tries to impose some unexpected rules. Will she be able to deal with these strict requirements?

In this Lenda (tale), we explore a famous Portuguese tale of a woman... with goat feet! She manages to keep the secret hidden her entire life, until a nobleman falls in love with her and learns the truth.

(special thanks to Luís Relógio for writing this episode!)

It's the first episode of current events! In this new format we will share the most discussed news stories of the week. They will be more dynamic episodes, in which Rui and Joel participate simultaneously. Are you ready?

February 2017 Update: Wayne, the talented animator and good friend of Practice Portuguese, is back at it again with this animated reimagining of this formerly audio-only episode. Hope you like!

The truth works miracles. Discover how in another Portuguese legend.

Update: January 12, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension.

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Getting sick can cause pain and suffering, but it’s often not as bad as the hours spent in the waiting room of a hospital!

In this episode you’ll find out what to expect from your first Portuguese hospital visit.

How the cradle of Western civilization became one of the greatest concerns of the world at the moment.

This episode tells us a story in which love transforms the impossible into the possible. Although it is a legend, we like to believe that love like this can exist.

In this article you will hear the description in Portuguese of the tragedy that occurred in Nepal. This was the news that arrived in Portugal.

If you want to help those affected by the earthquake, go to the Nepal Red Cross website, nrcs.org, and make your donation.

 

Joel has a new project -- buying a motorcycle to drive in Lisbon! Will it be easier than taking a taxi? Does Joel know how to do business in Portuguese? Vrum vrum!

An episode that tells us the love story of Pedro and Inês, as tragic as it is true. A story of kings, princesses, and castles where the whole family gathered to give voice to the characters!

Sintra is known for its palaces, legends, and winding paths. If you need a reason to visit Lisbon, then Sintra is the only reason you need.

Rui and Avó Odete drive around and talk about the best of Portugal, Christmas, and TAP strikes. She also reveals her grandmother's secret use for soaps!

If you know Portugal, you've heard of Fado and you know what it means to the Portuguese. But how much do you really know about this traditional music? Test your knowledge about Fado and practice your listening comprehension in a two-speed episode, suitable for those who are starting to learn Portuguese.

Updated February 4, 2019: As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon.

Joel goes to the cinema and is faced with various decisions… Let's see whether his Portuguese skills are up to the challenge!

Listen to what my grandmother thinks about my profession and how she manages her money -- "x para aqui, x para acolá"!

Find out what tourists are doing in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup and what Brazilians think about it!

Joel wants to travel in Europe and decides to accept a very interesting suggestion. Do you know this Polish city? What is your favourite European city?

The Canadian's back! Joel still lives in Lisbon and this time he wants to sign up for a gym membership. Has his Portuguese improved?

Updated November 10, 2015 – As a gift to us and all of the other Practice Portuguese fans, fellow member Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. You can watch this one with the Premium Features, whether you are a member or not.

In this episode I will talk about a personal dream and share with you one of my passions. All in clear, slow, and simple Portuguese.

Rui and his mom have a question: where on the planet is the New Year celebrated first? Does anyone know?

What's your favourite day of the week? Listen to the article and show us a picture of your worst "cara de segunda-feira"!

Pizza na Hora receives another order, but this time the problem is communication. Is it possible that a Portuguese can't understand a Brazilian?

Updated January 29, 2015 – As a gift to us and all of the other Practice Portuguese fans, member and friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon.

The end of the world will be in 2032! Can you learn Portuguese by then?

 

 

Ordering a pizza on the phone... Who is worse, the rude employee or the annoying customer?

Updated September 22, 2016 – As a gift to us and all of the other Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into an animated cartoon.

 

A new article format - now with a brief summary of the news in simpler words!

Avó Odete is back! And she's not alone... For the first time, Avô Manuel decided to talk to tell us what he thinks about snails!

It's not easy to learn a new language, much less Portuguese, but here are some tips that we think could be useful!

Joel wants to take Portuguese classes, but first he needs a metro pass. This episode has a special guest, who could it be?

"Saudade" -- a word without translation. What word would you use to express this feeling?

And the adventure continues... Follow Joel as he visits a supermarket in Lisbon and find out what he's going to cook. Can he "fazer compras" in Portuguese?

As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon.

European Portuguese...who knows the main characteristics?

Updated February 11, 2019: As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. 

In this episode, Joel arrives to Lisbon and is faced with a challenging (and frustrating) taxi ride.

Learn more about Lisbon's biggest festival, Santo António, with a shorter, simpler article. Enjoy!

Follow Joel in this new adventure, where the dialogues are funnier, more useful, and closer to your reality!

Is Portugal really the best destination for tourism?

Find out what the country has to offer and listen to what the experts think.

Would you agree?

Listen to this dialogue about the 25th of April, a Portuguese national holiday commemorating the Carnation Revolution.

Have you tasted Lisbon's most famous sweet? Discover the history of the pastéis de Belém and find out if there really is a difference between this and the pastel de nata.

Updated March 5 2015, special notice for members: Previously released as audio only, this classic episode has been brought to life with beautiful visuals by animator (and friend of Practice Portuguese), Wayne! A BIG thanks to Wayne for his countless hours of work in reimagining this classic Practice Portuguese episode. Enjoy!

Joel's back, "eh"! He reveals his level of Portuguese after six months of living in Portugal. Find the mistakes and leave a comment!

Improve your Portuguese by listening to native speakers! Use our videos and try the version with subtitles. In this episode, Rui wants to go to the movies, so he calls two friends. What will they decide?

Half Jesus, half chocolate! Portugal and its Easter traditions, in a video with subtitles so you can practice at your own pace.

In this episode we ask someone special to help us with marketing! Can you guess who it is?

Try it with subtitles

As we promised, an episode with an article read at two speeds. Enjoy!

The first episode with dialogue only! Rui calls Avó Odete and Luís about the Oscars.

You can subscribe now to access all the written content!

From now on, nothing will ever be the same...

Don't miss this episode... we have a very special guest!

We present the second episode! The topics are:

* Síndrome do Sotaque Estrangeiro
* Como Sobreviver Muitas Horas no Avião

We hope you enjoy it!

Update: August 3, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon! The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension.
~~~

The articles in this first episode are:

* Fotografar Comida em Restaurantes
* O Sono e O Álcool

We are proud to present the first of many episodes of the Practice Portuguese Podcast. We have many projects planned for European / Continental Portuguese learners, and is just the beginning.
If you enjoyed this podcast, we would be very grateful if you would share a review in the iTunes Store. It will help spread the word and inspire us to continue making new episodes.

Aproveita!

iTunes Store description:

Practice Portuguese is for the European Portuguese learner who wants to take the next step towards improving their listening and speaking skills. Don't worry if you can't understand everything at first. Just keep listening and your comprehension will improve with each episode.

A melhor forma de aprender uma língua é ser exposto a diálogos da vida real com pessoas nativas dessa língua. Practice Portuguese é para estudantes de português europeu que procuram dar o próximo passo em conversação e compreensão oral.

To prepare for an upcoming birthday party that they'll be hosting, a modern grandma and her jokester husband stock up on groceries at the local supermarket. While taking advantage of every promotion they can, will they actually remember to pick up everything they went there for in the first place?

Eduarda, the mechanic, deals with a customer who thinks he knows exactly what's wrong with his car… when in fact, the biggest problem might just be the driver!
(Special guest: Eliana Silva)

While making her way through her lengthy shopping list (containing useful food vocabulary, of course), Sra. Rosa shares her elderly wisdom with a young employee who is eager to help.

Special Guest: Eliana Silva

This holiday season, a Practice Portuguese TV reporter takes to the streets to hear directly from Portuguese natives about their family Christmas traditions… until a particularly talkative woman steals the show!

With the holiday season approaching, Rui and Joel announce a special early gift for members of Practice Portuguese! Listen and find out exactly what is on "the Way"…

Updated December 1, 2018: It's launched!

Salvador and Mariana (– no, Adriana! –) visit a hair salon to freshen up their looks, but quickly find themselves in a hairy situation! In this episode, you'll learn lots of new vocabulary and expressions that should come in handy the next time you find yourself going under the scissors…

Today we revisit Diálogo 29 to discuss some of the vocabulary and expressions surrounding the Portuguese housing market. There's also an extra listening challenge waiting for you in the second half, so stick around!

In this episode, we explore the Portuguese apartment rental market with James, a young adult of Portuguese descent looking for a new place. To find some leads, he recruits the help of his friend, Luís. However, Luís happens to be going through a bit of drama with his ex-girlfriend, so let's see if he's able to be of any help…

After listening to our last podcast on foreign words derived from Portuguese, a Japanese member, Ryoko, came to our rescue with recordings of every Japanese word we mentioned, plus a bunch of new ones for good measure. Join us as we explore surprising similarities between Japanese and Portuguese in this bonus episode!

("Arigato" once again to Ryoko Kawaoka for her generous time in preparing the list and recordings for this episode!)

In this unscripted dialogue between Rui and Joel, we discover words in English, Spanish, French and Japanese that apparently derived from Portuguese vocabulary… Come for the comprehension practice, stay for the butchered non-Portuguese pronunciations!

Hoping for a calm, vegetarian dining experience at a local Portuguese restaurant, Sr. John gets thrown off guard by unprofessional service and a problem with his order! Find out how he deals with these challenges, and learn lots of vocabulary and expressions to use the next time you're dining out.

"Ronaldo" is one of the first names that pop up when discussing Portugal, wherever you are in the world. Regarded as one of the most important football/soccer players of all time, he's earned his place as not only a top Portuguese celebrity, but also as an important symbol of the country. Neither Rui nor Joel are fans of the ol' sportsball, which made exploring the new vocabulary and expressions even more interesting! (Cue the hate mail, "futebol" purists!).

Today we learn about one of the most important symbols of Portuguese culture, found all over the walls and buildings throughout the country – azulejos (tiles). As always, we explore new vocabulary and grammar, and correct more of Joel's "pronúncia de estrangeiro!"

Our fabulously fictional Portuguese family is back (with peculiarly different voices ) and this time, they're considering adding a new member. We explore new vocabulary surrounding food, animals and more, and also run into some new usage examples of the conjunctive and conditional moods. And just like in the last episode, Rui continues to help Joel identify some more of his "estrangeiro" pronunciation habits!
Update (April 12, 2018): After launching this episode, it was helpfully pointed out to us that keeping a turtle as a pet is irresponsible: They die earlier in captivity and live a miserable, unnatural life. They're part of our wildlife heritage and need their protected, natural habitat to thrive. Instead, consider adopting a cat or dog from a shelter – surprisingly, they're less work, and you'll be doing some good! More details here and here. (Obrigado, Joanna!)

In this episode, we learn about one of Portugal's most important symbols and main exports: cork! We explore tons of new vocabulary, and later, for your benefit, Rui humbles Joel by tearing apart his pronunciation skills!

Today, our fictional Portuguese family is subjected to some of the grammar you'll find around the B2 Intermediate level, including the "conjuntivo" verb mood. Since the mother is sick, the father has to improvise with preparing dinner himself, all while taking care of the kids. Will it be as easy as he thinks, or will it all go "por água abaixo"?

Update: April 10, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension.

Telephone and Internet service companies are notoriously painful to deal with, and Portugal is no exception! In this dialogue, a pushy representative from "VOZ" calls in an attempt to recapture a former client. Have you had the pleasure of dealing with one of these services in Portuguese yet?

After our very challenging Diálogo, dedicated to the Algarvian dialect, we decided to record a follow-up discussion with Eliana, (who voiced the Algarvian characters).
She will help us understand a bit better some of the difficult terms and expressions that came up in that episode, and how they're typically used in the region.

In what might possibly be our most ambitious Diálogo to date, we explore some of the delightful bureaucracy that surrounds obtaining a residency permit in Portugal. With Michael (our special guest estrangeiro) moving to Algarve, we get a chance to explore some of the vocabulary and pronunciation quirks that set this region apart from the rest of Portugal!

A special "obrigado" to our friends who helped us put this episode together:

• Michael Reeve – provided his guidance, ideas and voice talent (from afpop.com, an organization that provides support to foreign residents and visitors throughout Portugal)
• Rui Coimbra Sénior – O pai do Rui!
• Eliana Silva – talented voice actress who not only brought the female characters of Algarve to life, but also helped us make sure the script was as authentic as possible

You'll definitely find some of this Algarvian dialect challenging, but we'll go over a lot of this episode's content in a discussion between Eliana, Rui & Joel, to be released soon!

Note: This episode's mention of afpop is not a paid endorsement, but just a friendly collaboration! 

Update August 1, 2017: As promised, we posted a follow-up episode to explore this dialogue in more detail. Once you're done listening to this episode, make sure to have a listen to our follow-up discussion!

Discover the beautiful ballad that unexpectedly swept Europe off its feet in the Eurovision 2017 song contest: "Amar Pelos Dois", by Salvador Sobral. After 53 years of competing, this marks Portugal's first victory ever! With the help of a special guest, Rui and Joel explore the meaning behind these Portuguese lyrics as well as what set this performance apart from all the rest.

Note: We only used a short clip of the song to avoid waking up the copyright police, so make sure to check out Salvador's full performance with his sister, (and composer, Luísa Sobral): https://youtu.be/z5VUti3kVIo?t=4m13s

This episode is a collaboration featuring Tatiana Ribeiro, a Portuguese teacher (and fan of the project) from Brazil, currently living Italy! She recorded with us and also wrote the dialogue, which takes place in a café in Portugal.

Since we all know jokes are funnier after they're explained in exhaustive detail, Rui and Joel discuss the key vocabulary and expressions used throughout. But rather than making it easy on you by switching to English, we decided to keep the entire conversation in Portuguese!

But don't worry – For the first time ever, members using the podcast player on our website can now enable English translations at any point in this episode, to make sure you don't miss a single "palavra".

We're excited to hear what you think!

Update, August 11, 2017: Shortly after launching this episode, we were invited on Tatiana's radio show for an interview. We've released an edited version of this interview with transcript if you'd like to have a listen!

We're back with another classic Portuguese tale, this time with the story of a Moorish king after the heart of a humble, female shepherd. Will he win her heart, despite their different religious backgrounds? How will they survive when the Christians come to take over the castle and land? Listen and find out!

In this video, Joel (o Canadiano) interviews Pedro, a personal trainer in Lisboa. When he saw which videos and website his Greek girlfriend was using to learn Portuguese, he immediately recognized Rui and Joel as members of the gym!

Instead of just taking a photo together, we decided it would be a bigger surprise for her to see her boyfriend pop up in her YouTube activity feed! So we recorded this interview to make it happen...

During the conversation, we discuss:

• Common challenges that make Portuguese difficult for non-natives to master

• Learning your partner's language while in a relationship

• Specific grammar and pronunciation peculiarities in European Portuguese

Disclaimer: Since this interview is spontaneous and Joel is not a native speaker, he makes a few mistakes (eg. "Isto é" instead of "Este é" when introducing Pedro!) Members who see the subtitles / transcription will see the corrections, and hopefully learn from these common errors. But for those who just hear the audio or view the video without subtitles, just make sure to take Joel's grammar with a grain of salt and focus more on Pedro! :)

Márcio o Brasileiro calls in once again to everyone's favourite Portuguese pizzeria, but this time to ask the owner for a job. Will they be able to overcome their cultural differences and work together? Have a listen and find out in this 3rd episode of Pizza Na Hora!

As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon.

What could be better than a holiday episode in January? (Just about anything!)

Listen to find out what happened to Rui that delayed this episode... and be extra prepared for when the holidays come around again in about 355 days!

We also discuss some quirky traditions and superstitions that Portuguese natives take part in during the New Year. Feliz janeiro!

A few days ago, Joel overheard some enthusiastic Portuguese natives talking about how António Guterres had been chosen as the new secretary-general of the United Nations. So in this episode, we take the opportunity to explore António's life and the experiences that led up to this proud moment in Portugal's history!

Outdoor concert festivals are fun and everything... until someone goes missing! In this dialogue, a Canadian named Fred gets worried when his Portuguese friend João disappears unexpectedly. He attempts to file a police report in the middle of the night with an unhelpful officer who'd rather continue napping.

Today's destination is Morocco, as we cover tons of new vocabulary to prepare you for wherever your future travels take you! Follow our journey through the airport, airplane, and all through the ancient city of Marrakesh.
(Featuring a very special guest, Ana Coimbra, Rui's mãe!)

In this second half of "Portugal Campeão", we continue to celebrate Portugal's futebol victory!

Just like the last few episodes, we discuss vocabulary and grammar useful in every day life, even if (like us) you don't follow sports! Make sure to listen until the end where Rui gets a little bit hyper... and musical! (Too much galão, perhaps?)

(00:55 Slow reading, 07:31 Discussion, 26:38 Fast reading, 31:02 Outro)

We celebrate Portugal's futebol victory with a play-by-play of how it all went down, including tons of useful expressions and vocabulary, soccer/football related and otherwise.

With Rui and Joel's lack of sports knowledge (sports experts, you've been warned), we hope this episode is as educational as it is wacky!

Show up for the multiple musical outbursts, stay for the in-depth analysis of Ronaldo and his pet moth!

(Photo courtesy of Leticia De La Fuente)

Marco and Ana take their kids to the "supermercado", giving us an opportunity to learn some new vocabulary surrounding food.

First, Rui reads the entire article all the way through, then Rui and Joel split the text into sections to discuss vocabulary, Portuguese culture, and useful expressions you'll hear on a daily basis while in Portugal. Rui also corrects some of Joel's "estrangeiro" pronunciation mistakes that you might be making too!

Are you just starting to learn Portuguese? This episode is perfect for you! It is A1/A2 level with simple vocabulary and grammar, but read by a native speaker, so it's ideal for all levels to practice their pronunciation and listening comprehension! In addition, whenever we comment on the text, we take the opportunity to teach some expressions and review grammar.

Tip: The article is first read with discussion in between, and then read full-speed in its entirety at 14:50.