Learn Portuguese in NYC :: Williamsburg

More about Level 1

Taught in English. Level 1 is for those who want to start at the very beginning with Portuguese or for those who took a little bit of Portuguese in high school…but let’s be honest, you were passing notes. If you can struggle through saying things like: I am American, I study Portuguese, I like football, and I have a dog, then you should check the Level 2 descriptions to be sure a Level 2 class isn't more appropriate for you.

Part of the time in most of our Level 1 classes is spent on how to learn a language in general. If you are "good at languages" or took a college-level Spanish class before (even if it was a while ago) you might want to consider going straight into a Level 2 class. If you choose to skip Level 1 and have not previously studied the language, we highly recommend 2 to 4 hours of private lessons and a Bridge to Level 2 Workshop to get caught up and be ready to dive in (even if you have another romance language under your belt).

If you are more advanced than some of the absolute beginners in your Level 1 class, but not ready for Level 2 yet, please be aware that our Level 1 classes start at the very beginning. While you can take advantage of brushing up on some of the fundamental concepts and still benefit from the class overall, please be patient while the others are learning the language from the absolute beginning for the first time.

More about Level 2

Level 2 is for those who have studied Portuguese before, even if they aren't confident with what they know because it's been a while. Either way, you should sign up for a Level 2 class even if you need to review the extreme basics as the first class or two does just that.

Level 2 is right for you if you feel even a little bit comfortable saying a few things about yourself in Portuguese, even if only at a very basic level in the present tense with a very limited vocabulary. If you can struggle through saying some of these phrases, then Level 2 is right for you:

I study Portuguese.
My friend (or brother/sister) does not speak Portuguese.
I am American.
I live in Brooklyn.

and could struggle through asking someone else:
Do you have a dog? (or, if you don't know the word for dog, how about car or apartment?)

The main questions to help determine if Level 2 (vs Level 1) is right for you are:

Are you somewhat familiar with the idea of conjugation? As in how to turn falar, which means "to talk", into Eu falo, você fala, ele fala (I speak, you speak, he speaks...) by simply removing the "-ar" from the infinitive and adding back an "o" for eu, an "a" for você, and an "a" again for ele?

Are you somewhat familiar with the idea of nouns having a gender and having to choose between um, uma, uns and umas vs o, a, os, and as for "a" vs "the"?

Are you familiar with the idea of regular vs. irregular verbs? Do you get that falar is conjugated above in exactly the same way that lots of other verbs such as achar, encontrar, and botar are, but that verbs like ser (to be) are conjugated completely irregularly (sou, é, é...)?

"Familiarity" here refers to having been introduced to the main idea before, even if you need a quick review/reminder of how it all works.

If you answered yes to at least two of those three questions (what is this, an informercial?) and you can struggle through more than half of the phrases/questions above, then Level 2 is right for you. If you are feeling pretty confident about all of this, be sure to check the Level 3 description to be sure that Level 2 isn't, in fact, not advanced enough for you.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

More about Level 3

Level 3 is for those who can confidently say a few sentences in the present tense and are a little bit familiar with how the main past tense works (Eu escutei, você comeu, etc.) and are ready to be introduced for the first time to more verb tenses such as the conditional (Eu limparia, você subiria, etc.) and how these verb tenses are used in everyday conversation.

You should sign up for a Level 3 class even if you need to review the basics of the present tense and the main past tense as the first class or two does just that.

Here are some questions to help figure out if Level 3 is right for you:

Can you use many of the most basic verbs (to eat, to talk, to walk, to be, to have, etc.) in present tense sentences fairly confidently? Can you say things like:

I speak Portuguese
My friend does not speak Portuguese
I walk to my friend's house every day

or ask someone else: Do you have an apartment in Brooklyn?

without too much hesitation?

Do you understand the fundamental structure of the main past tense? Do you get how you Eu como is the present tense for "I eat" and Eu comi is the past tense for "I ate"?

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, you belong in Level 3.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do a informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

More about Level 4

Level 4 students are starting to understand how the major verb tenses work, are adding to their growing vocabulary, and are ready to gain confidence when speaking and using several different verb tenses.

In Level, 4 we will focus on solidifying all tenses previously studied and take on a new topic: the subjunctive.

Here are some questions to help figure out if Level 4 is right for you:

Can you use some of the most basic verbs (to eat, to talk, to walk, to be, to have, etc.) in both the present tense, the two main past tenses (the pretérito perfeito and the imperfeito), the conditional, and the future tenses? Can you say things like:

I ate at McDonalds yesterday
.

You took the train to work today.


He was 18 when he went to college.

and be able to struggle through asking someone: Would you like to go to Paris with me this summer?

without too much hesitation?

If the answer is yes, you belong in Level 4.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

More about Intermediate Portuguese

Intermediate students might need a quick grammar refresher here and there, but are comfortable having a simple and basic conversation in Portuguese. They can speak with some fluidity, even if they are still making a lot of mistakes. Increasing listening comprehension is a major component of an Intermediate class with the goal in mind of moving towards being able to listen to the radio and watch television or full-length movies with no subtitles.