The Proof It's Working
The woman who works at my local Continente said to me recently, "Your Portuguese is getting so much better!"
She said it in Portuguese. I understood every word.
A year ago, she wouldn't have said that. She would've asked if I needed a bag and I would have smiled, nodded, and walked away carrying a bunch of groceries in my hands.
This is why I'm convinced these lessons work. Not because I'm a language expert (I'm not). But because I'm using them myself. Every day, walking my dog with audio lessons in my ears. Testing new phrases I'm learning whenever I leave the house.
Why Teaching Helps Me Learn
The selfish truth is that I create these lessons for myself first.
Writing about "when to use por vs. para" forces me to actually understand it. Recording audio drills means I listen to them 20 times during editing. Building PDFs gives me quick references on my phone.
I built my Flashcards tool entirely so I could help myself study when I had free time and didn't want to listen to the audio lessons. (I'm quite proud of that tool.)
My wife and I are taking private lessons twice per week. A previous instructor and I worked together to map out a "teacher-approved curriculum" that one could theoretically follow to go from total beginner A1 to fully-conversational B2.
This is the same curriculum I'm following and sharing with you.
Traditional lessons teach rules. Life demands reflexes. They present formal Portuguese while real people speak in slang and expressions.
So I build what I myself need: practical phrases that work at the gym, the bank, in the hallway chatting with neighbors. Then I share them with you. We both win.
A Little About Me
American of Azorean ancestry from the Bay Area. Met my New Yorker wife while living in San Francisco. We Lived in Portland, Oregon for 5 years. Adopted a dog there.
I've always loved visiting Portugal. I spent 3 months here in 2009, then kept coming back as often as I could. I even got citizenship (through my grandparents) in 2014. Finally, when remote work became a possibility for us, I convinced my wife to finally make the jump in 2022.
Three years later, I'm conversational but still learning. Somewhere between A2 and B1 level officially, but some days feel like A1, others like B2. That's the reality no one tells you.
My background in digital marketing taught me to build websites and create content. Combined with my obsession with Portuguese, this site was inevitable.
What Keeps Me Going
Small wins. Understanding someone's joke when they're speaking Portuguese. Following Benfica match commentary. Having actual conversations with my building's residents beyond just nodding and saying "bom dia."
Every lesson I share represents a personal breakthrough. That moment when something finally clicks. When a phrase I practiced actually works in real life.
If you're stuck where I was—good enough to survive but not to thrive—these lessons can help. Because I'm not teaching from memory. I'm teaching from this morning's visit to the pastelaria.
Ready to break through together?
What I learn this week becomes your lesson next Sunday. Let's get conversational.
Have questions? Want to share your own breakthrough?