Practice Portuguese

Damiana’s advice on how to be a good Portuguese student!

Rui and Joel discuss how their lives have changed after kids.

A special guest from our Practice Portuguese team, Joana, talks to Joel about her Alentejo culture and traditions. Discover essential vocabulary related to regional differences and expressions unique to the Alentejo region.

Joel and Rui discuss their social media habits and entertainment choices. Who is more addicted to Instagram? Reddit? Do they prefer in-depth documentaries, or trash TV?

Rui and Joel explore the pros and cons of living in Lisbon, their favourite areas to live and where to find the best places in Portugal to actually Practice Portuguese with natives!

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")

'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?