Your first week of Brazilian Portuguese
Your first week
in Portuguese.
Seven manageable sessions to start speaking, asking questions and finding your way through a short conversation. Bring a notebook and a little curiosity.
A suggested 15-minute rhythm.
Take longer, repeat a day or split a session whenever you need.
This is a practice outline for complete beginners, not a promise of fluency in a week. The examples focus on Brazilian Portuguese. For the “hear & say” part, use a recording by a Brazilian Portuguese speaker or ask a teacher to model the phrases. This page itself has no audio.
Day 01 / Start simply
Say hello. Say thank you.
Start with a greeting and a polite expression you can use in the same interaction. Listen to the whole phrase before trying to say it yourself.
- Oi! / Olá!
- Hi! / Hello!
- Bom dia!
- Good morning!
- Por favor.
- Please.
- Obrigado. / Obrigada.
- Thank you. Conventionally, a male speaker uses obrigado and a female speaker uses obrigada.
Imagine entering a café in the morning. Greet the server, then thank them for handing you a menu. Repeat the short exchange three times without reading.
Quick recall: Cover the examples. Greet someone in the morning and thank them. Then check the two phrases.
Finish by checking: Can I choose a greeting and say thank you without looking?
Day 02 / Make it personal
Introduce yourself.
Build a short introduction you would actually use. Begin by reviewing yesterday’s greeting, then add your name and where you live.
- Meu nome é…
- My name is…
- Eu moro em…
- I live in…
- Estou aprendendo português.
- I’m learning Portuguese.
Write three sentences with your own name and city. Read them aloud, then turn the notebook over and introduce yourself again. If using your device to record, listen once and note a phrase to ask a teacher about.
Quick recall: Before introducing yourself, say yesterday’s greeting without looking. Then give your name and city.
Finish by checking: Can I give a short introduction with only my own name and city as prompts?
Day 03 / Use a simple request
Order a drink.
Practise a complete request instead of a single word. Keep the polite ending and change the drink. The examples give you the complete phrase to learn.
- Um café, por favor.
- A coffee, please.
- Uma água sem gás, por favor.
- A still water, please.
- Para levar, por favor.
- To take away, please.
- Para tomar aqui.
- To drink here.
Make two pretend orders: one coffee to take away and one still water to drink here. Begin with a greeting and finish by saying thank you. Ask a practice partner to choose which drink you order next.
Quick recall: Introduce yourself once from memory, then ask for a coffee and a still water.
Finish by checking: Can I swap the drink while keeping the request polite?
Day 04 / Listen for an answer
Ask the price.
Asking a question is only half the exchange. Start listening for small numbers, and keep a phrase ready for when the answer is unfamiliar.
- Quanto custa?
- How much does it cost?
- Pode escrever, por favor?
- Can you write it down, please?
1 · um2 · dois3 · três4 · quatro5 · cinco6 · seis7 · sete8 · oito9 · nove10 · dez
Write numbers one to ten on separate pieces of paper. Shuffle them and name each one. Then ask a partner to read numbers in a different order while you point to the matching paper. These are number drills, not real-world price estimates.
Quick recall: Say a complete drink order from memory. Then ask the price and request a written answer.
Finish by checking: Can I recognise some numbers out of sequence and ask for a written answer when needed?
Day 05 / Connect language to a place
Find your way.
Ask where something is, then practise recognising a short reply. A simple hand-drawn map gives you something concrete to point at.
- Onde fica o banheiro?
- Where is the bathroom?
- Onde fica o café?
- Where is the café?
- À direita. / À esquerda.
- To the right. / To the left.
- Aqui. / Ali.
- Here. / There.
Draw a room with a café counter and bathroom on opposite sides. Ask where each is, then answer by pointing and saying “to the right” or “to the left”. Turn the paper around and repeat.
Quick recall: Name three numbers out of sequence, then ask where the bathroom is without reading.
Finish by checking: Can I connect a spoken direction to a place on my drawing?
Day 06 / Keep the conversation going
Ask for another try.
You will not understand every reply. Practise saying that you missed something, then ask the speaker to repeat or slow down.
- Não entendi.
- I didn’t understand.
- Pode repetir?
- Can you repeat that?
- Mais devagar, por favor.
- More slowly, please.
- Como se diz “hello” em português?
- How do you say “hello” in Portuguese? Replace “hello” with a word you want to learn.
Return to the café role-play. Ask your partner to give a reply you have not practised. Respond with “I didn’t understand”, ask for repetition and try again. If practising alone, rehearse the clarification phrases after each question.
Quick recall: Ask where the café is. Imagine that you missed the reply and ask the speaker to repeat it.
Finish by checking: Can I ask for clarification instead of ending the exchange?
Day 07 / Try a complete scene
Put it together.
Today is a review day. Use the language you already have in a short café scene, then choose what you want to practise next.
- Greet the person serving you.
- Order a coffee or still water and say whether it is to take away.
- Ask how much it costs.
- Ask the speaker to repeat an answer.
- Ask where the bathroom is.
- Thank the person before finishing.
Try the scene once with notes and once without them. Mark each step in your notebook as “independent”, “needed a prompt” or “need to review”. The result is a plan for your next practice session, not a grade.
Quick recall: Start with the two phrases you found hardest this week. Use each once before trying the full scene.
Finish by checking: Which phrase is becoming familiar, and which reply do I want to understand better?
Make the plan work for you.
What if I miss a day?
Resume with a short review of the last session you completed. The seven sessions can take longer than seven calendar days. Adjust the pace to your available time.
Do I need a teacher to use this?
You can read and rehearse the written exercises on your own. A teacher or speaking partner can model pronunciation, vary the replies and give feedback that this page cannot provide.
What should I practise in the second week?
Repeat your two hardest sessions, then choose one new everyday situation. Keep reviewing the familiar material while adding a small number of phrases. Bring your unanswered questions to a teacher or language partner.
Will my progress be saved?
With JavaScript and browser storage available, the page saves only your seven checkmarks on this device. They are not shared across browsers or devices, and may disappear if you clear browser data. Private browsing and locally opened files may limit storage.
Keep a record of your seven sessions.
Print this sheet or copy it into your notebook. Mark what you could do independently, write one difficulty and choose what to revisit. Leave a row unfinished until you have tried that session.
| Day | How did it go? | A phrase or reply to revisit | My next practice step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 2 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 3 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 4 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 5 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 6 | □ Independent □ Used notes | ||
| 7 | □ Independent □ Used notes |
At the end, repeat one scene without notes. Keep your questions for a teacher or speaking partner; a checked box records a practice session, not a fluency level.