So, continuing on the theme of my last post (languages), here's another about portuguese. I'm so excited! I get to take a Portuguese class this semester! Finally, I get to take an actual class! Learning on your own is better than nothing, but now I get to continue with that and get some actual instruction.
It wasn't easy to get to this point though, you wouldn't believe the hoops I had to jump through to take a Portuguese class in college! First of all, this is my last semester (I'm a senior) and I didn't think I'd even have room in my schedule for it, but things changed and now I do. I go to a college that is in the "5 College area" and I can take classes at the other colleges as well, which is great because my school doesn't offer Portuguese. So I tried to take a "Portuguese for Spanish speakers" class at Smith College, but its the only class of its kind in the five colleges and is so freakin popular that i couldn't get in the THREE different semesters I've tried! Really frustrating. So then I tried to take the Elementary Portuguese class, but it's a year-long course and they don't accept people mid-year. FINALLY, I was able to register for a class at the University of Massachusetts. It's Elementary Portuguese II, and I'm supposed to have taken the first semester of it, but because of my level of Portuguese knowledge, the professor is making an exception. THANK GOD!
I just feel so frustrated at my level of portuguese right now! I'm fluent in Spanish, so I picked it up fairly quickly, and I've definitely learned a lot, but I feel stuck. I'm at the point where I can have a decent conversation without sounding like a total fool, but I often get stuck on vocab I don't know for non-everyday things and I'm pretty much stuck in the present and preterite tenses. I'm not at all confident when I talk. And although Brazilians have told me "Voce fala muito bem, como aprendeu?" (You speak really well, how did you learn?), I think Brasileiros tend to be very polite and overly nice about that type of thing.
I talk to Dear BF in portuguese all the time, but we chat (type) online because it's easier and he doesn't have a microphone for skype. So my writing and reading is much better than my speaking and comprehension. Although I have gotten a lot of help with that from some Brazilian friends here at school, but now a few of them have gone to study in France, which means less practice for me :(. I just wish that it were as easy for me to speak Portuguese as it is to speak Spanish. I think I can get there (or almost there) someday. I don't want to have to be thinking for words all the time, to have tons of trouble telling a story or talking about the future, or always be asking 'O que?!?!' with a confused look on my face. And I'm hoping this class can help bump me up a level in my language ability!
Entao, me desejam boa sorte com as aulas de portugues! (So, wish me luck with the Portuguese classes)!
Beijos,
Elena
Since, as I've mentioned before, dear boyfriend speaks pretty limited English, I figured I'd write a post about how I've been learning Portuguese and what resources have been useful. Maybe this one will actually be useful to all you readers *cough- all one of you- cough* out there!
Well, I guess I should give some background of how I'm able to even communicate with dear bf. Before I first went to Brazil, I was very interested in learning portuguese. English is my first language, but I'm completely fluent in Spanish and grew up hearing it spoken to me. So I decided to take a portuguese for spanish speakers class, but the class filled up quickly and I couldn't get into it. So instead I bought a ste of those 'learn portuguese!' CD's and listened to them (although not nearly as much as I had planned) before I left. But when I arrived in Brazil, I was totally lost! My first week I was glued to my phrasebook, and fumbled along. But slowly but surely, I began figuring out the key differences between portuguese and spanish and started feeling slightly more comfortable with it. And by the time I met dear bf, after being in the country for just a week and a half, I was able to get by (especially due to the help of my lovely host R, who spoke English and taught me so much portuguese). It probably sounds crazy, but I guess I should also give a little credit to my genes, because my mom is great with languages and speaks 5! Plus, having a significant other who speaks the language really is the best motivation! By the way, I've been teaching myself by practicing with friends (really the best way to learn) and doing stuff online, and I can hold a pretty good conversation now! I struggle a bit, and I'm sure I often sound silly, but I've made a lot of progress!
There are a lot of resources out there to help you learn another language, and portuguese in particular, but these are just a few of my favorite. Please feel free to comment with any that I've missed!
So, time to hit the books (or should I say pages?)!
Helpful FREE Language Learning Resources (for many languages):
- Since we've spent most of our time apart, chatting online has been the easiest way to keep in touch. Wordreference.com is my best friend, and I keep it open all the time to look up words I don't know (but I'm needing it less and less these days!).
- LiveMocha - Although I haven't used it steadily, this website is great! It basically has lessons that you sign up for on your level, then uses a flashcard/picture strategy to teach you words/phrases and then you can do speaking and writing excersizes to practice. But the coolest part of the website is the social aspect, where native speakers can review your submissions and you can chat with them as well, and you in turn pay it forward to others.
The following is a list of websites/blogs that I don't use as often, but still have a lot of great information! In no particular order:
Helpful FREE Language Learning Resources for BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE:- Street Smart Brazil - The website of a Portuguese language school in San Francisco, that also does skype classes, the blog has a lot of useful advice from native speakers! They also have forums which aren't super active yet, but have alot of potential.
- Portuguese Blog - great blog with lots of different ways to learn, including news, music videos with lyrics, games, and more!
- English this way! - just discovered this blog recently, and it's targeted more towards portuguese speakers learning english, but just as useful for learning portuguese. It covers phrases and sayings that are less common and can be difficult to find a translation for. Plus, Fabio is really nice!
- Brazilian Portuguese Podcast - for practice listening, check these out!
- Portuguese word of the day - just a quick, easy, word of the day!
- Portuguese for Spanish Speakers - just what it says. lots of practice excersizes.
- Ta Falado - another great site for spanish speakers, with podcasts
- Terra brasilis - as the website says, language and culture resources. I haven't gone through it extensively, but it seems to have some good links!
- Conjuga-me - conjugations galore!
- Eyes on Brazil - this is a blog about all things Brazil, but there are several "Tricky Words & Verbs" entries that are super helpful!
Well, that's all folks! I think that should keep you (and me) occupied for a while! Going through my old bookmarks for this entry I found a bunch of sites I hadn't looked at in a long time! Boa Sorte!
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