Oct 30, 2023·edited Oct 30, 2023Liked by Scott H-K
Great stuff! Keep up the excellent effort. Thought of you folks today when I saw that the Braga cathedral and its impressive zig-zag stairs have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Boa sorte!
I am constantly amazed by all the people from the other countries in the world who speak multiple languages. What a different view of humanity they have than most Americans!
It's amazing how frequently we run into people who speak three or more languages. If they've moved here from a non-English speaking country they almost always fall into that category. And yeah, they have seen a lot.
I am happy your class was not a traumatic experience. It is funny how we can create anxiety with little to no evidence. (I excelled in doing that.) Thanks for letting those of us walking the same path know a bit about your experience.
The books can be bought pretty much anywhere books are sold, I think. People in my class got them from FNAC and Bertram's. I got them from the publisher in Saldanha: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4suUn74p8ZgfXCqUA
I found this very interesting; muito obrigada for the post! I learned Italian from an online class where we had to video ourselves; and while the feedback was available for all to watch, I didn't have to watch myself and receive that feedback IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. Yikes! LOL...but it does get easier, right?
The info on the various courses available is very helpful, so again thank you to all who shared. I will look up the gov't course, why not if I can skip the govt exam, and hope to see a course closeby to me. I'm currently enjoying and learning using the Practice Portuguese online/app course. For me the hardest part is all the new vowel sounds to learn. Cheers!
Oct 31, 2023·edited Oct 31, 2023Liked by Scott H-K
In Porto, We did 3 hours two nights a week for seven months. Our teacher spoke very little English. She would switch to French for the Moroccans in the class and Spanish for the Venezuelan. We don't know how we did on any of the three tests except that we passed, evidently, because we got the A2 certification for citizenship.
Almost forgot. We took the class with masks on during covid.
I didn't want to have to attend classes again in a traditional setting for the same reasons. After trying a few apps, they weren't motivating me enough to get past the first 3 lessons. I watched several YouTube videos of Liz Sharma's and eventually began her online course at Talkthestreets.com.
Yes, it is more expensive than many other classes; but it's self-paced and I can access the materials and lessons for years if I wish.
I'm loving the course even though I am technologically inexperienced. It's very motivating and I began having success with conducting very limited taxi or restaurant conversations within the first month. I have no trouble eagerly devoting 10+ hours a week to it. I highly recommend her classes.
Thanks, Maury! I love her videos and had thought about trying out her course as well. I think the price kind of scared me off. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Boa sorte!
I should note that with her course one does not get to skip A1 or A2 CIPLE exams, but I no longer worry that I won't be able to pass them when I take them.
"When I drop something like faz sentido ('makes sense') into a conversation, it often elicits a chuckle." Yes, gets off into the topic of "speaking X like a native." I think it is a delusion to think you can "speak like a native" by picking up a few colloquialisms and idioms. I once made the slight mistake of saying "no hay de que" instead of "de nada" to a language partner I've been speaking to for years, and she burst out laughing. I said "Oh, is that wrong?" and she said "Oh no, it just doesn't sound like something YOU would say." The other way around, my feeling is that when you are listening to someone "through" an accent, the accent makes them difficult to understand, and they can compensate for that by being as _predictable_ as possible, meaning sticking to boring "classroom English." Then, too, the more idiomatic a phrase is, the more important it is to use truly idiomatic rhythm and intonation. I once had a split second of trouble understanding someone who spoke fluent but accented English; he was securing something to a car, pulled the rope tight, and said "It's not GOING anywhere" instead of "That's not going ANYwhere."
Not only is it a delusion to "speak like a native," without fluency it's a disadvantage. Frankly I really don't believe it happens. Think of how often you hear a Portuguese person speaking English grammatically flawless, with an unfettered vocabulary. Do they ever trick you into thinking they are from an English speaking country?
"known currently as Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) or Portuguese Host Language, and formerly titled Portuguese for Speakers of Other Languages (PFOL) or Portuguese for All (PPT)" :) Yes, there's obviously some linguistic-political churning everywhere. In English, such courses used to be called "ESL," for "English as a Second Language," or sometimes "EFL," "English as a Foreign Language," but the volunteer program I'm in called is "ESOL," "English for Speakers of Other Languages," while one Massachusetts high school calls it "ELL," "English Language Learners."
Hi Scott & Amy, I hope Amy is feeling better. I too have beeb plagued by migraines but fortunately rather infrequently these days. There are so many language courses and also many, many that cover A1/A2. Can you indicate which course (link please) you chose and why this one? My husband and I have been taking classes at Lusa language school, but we kind of lost the momentum when traveling this summer and I'm thinking I'd like to sign up for something like what you describe. Muito Obrigada!
I chose this class because it is sponsored by the government and if I pass it I will not have to take a language test to obtain either citizenship or permanent residency should I decide to apply for either after I've been here for five or more years.
Off topic, but I am curious to know... and you have an opportunity to ask someone... are the "Turma da Monica" comics as well known and well-loved in Portugal as they are in Brazil?
Wow. That's all. What an undertaking! I hope at some point they offer a morning class for Amy!
Great stuff! Keep up the excellent effort. Thought of you folks today when I saw that the Braga cathedral and its impressive zig-zag stairs have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Boa sorte!
We haven't gotten to the zigzag stairs yet. Our next trip to Braga...
I am constantly amazed by all the people from the other countries in the world who speak multiple languages. What a different view of humanity they have than most Americans!
It's amazing how frequently we run into people who speak three or more languages. If they've moved here from a non-English speaking country they almost always fall into that category. And yeah, they have seen a lot.
I am happy your class was not a traumatic experience. It is funny how we can create anxiety with little to no evidence. (I excelled in doing that.) Thanks for letting those of us walking the same path know a bit about your experience.
Happy to help!
Scott where does one buy those books? Please
The books can be bought pretty much anywhere books are sold, I think. People in my class got them from FNAC and Bertram's. I got them from the publisher in Saldanha: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4suUn74p8ZgfXCqUA
Totally impressive. You’re the best adventurers!
Thanks, Ann!
I found this very interesting; muito obrigada for the post! I learned Italian from an online class where we had to video ourselves; and while the feedback was available for all to watch, I didn't have to watch myself and receive that feedback IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. Yikes! LOL...but it does get easier, right?
The info on the various courses available is very helpful, so again thank you to all who shared. I will look up the gov't course, why not if I can skip the govt exam, and hope to see a course closeby to me. I'm currently enjoying and learning using the Practice Portuguese online/app course. For me the hardest part is all the new vowel sounds to learn. Cheers!
In Porto, We did 3 hours two nights a week for seven months. Our teacher spoke very little English. She would switch to French for the Moroccans in the class and Spanish for the Venezuelan. We don't know how we did on any of the three tests except that we passed, evidently, because we got the A2 certification for citizenship.
Almost forgot. We took the class with masks on during covid.
I didn't want to have to attend classes again in a traditional setting for the same reasons. After trying a few apps, they weren't motivating me enough to get past the first 3 lessons. I watched several YouTube videos of Liz Sharma's and eventually began her online course at Talkthestreets.com.
Yes, it is more expensive than many other classes; but it's self-paced and I can access the materials and lessons for years if I wish.
I'm loving the course even though I am technologically inexperienced. It's very motivating and I began having success with conducting very limited taxi or restaurant conversations within the first month. I have no trouble eagerly devoting 10+ hours a week to it. I highly recommend her classes.
Thanks, Maury! I love her videos and had thought about trying out her course as well. I think the price kind of scared me off. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Boa sorte!
I should note that with her course one does not get to skip A1 or A2 CIPLE exams, but I no longer worry that I won't be able to pass them when I take them.
Hang in there. At some point it will get easier
"When I drop something like faz sentido ('makes sense') into a conversation, it often elicits a chuckle." Yes, gets off into the topic of "speaking X like a native." I think it is a delusion to think you can "speak like a native" by picking up a few colloquialisms and idioms. I once made the slight mistake of saying "no hay de que" instead of "de nada" to a language partner I've been speaking to for years, and she burst out laughing. I said "Oh, is that wrong?" and she said "Oh no, it just doesn't sound like something YOU would say." The other way around, my feeling is that when you are listening to someone "through" an accent, the accent makes them difficult to understand, and they can compensate for that by being as _predictable_ as possible, meaning sticking to boring "classroom English." Then, too, the more idiomatic a phrase is, the more important it is to use truly idiomatic rhythm and intonation. I once had a split second of trouble understanding someone who spoke fluent but accented English; he was securing something to a car, pulled the rope tight, and said "It's not GOING anywhere" instead of "That's not going ANYwhere."
Not only is it a delusion to "speak like a native," without fluency it's a disadvantage. Frankly I really don't believe it happens. Think of how often you hear a Portuguese person speaking English grammatically flawless, with an unfettered vocabulary. Do they ever trick you into thinking they are from an English speaking country?
"known currently as Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) or Portuguese Host Language, and formerly titled Portuguese for Speakers of Other Languages (PFOL) or Portuguese for All (PPT)" :) Yes, there's obviously some linguistic-political churning everywhere. In English, such courses used to be called "ESL," for "English as a Second Language," or sometimes "EFL," "English as a Foreign Language," but the volunteer program I'm in called is "ESOL," "English for Speakers of Other Languages," while one Massachusetts high school calls it "ELL," "English Language Learners."
That's a lot of acronyms.
Hi Scott & Amy, I hope Amy is feeling better. I too have beeb plagued by migraines but fortunately rather infrequently these days. There are so many language courses and also many, many that cover A1/A2. Can you indicate which course (link please) you chose and why this one? My husband and I have been taking classes at Lusa language school, but we kind of lost the momentum when traveling this summer and I'm thinking I'd like to sign up for something like what you describe. Muito Obrigada!
Hello Sandi. I'm glad your migraines are less frequent these days.
This is the link to the overall course I'm taking:
https://www.acm.gov.pt/-/como-posso-frequentar-um-curso-de-lingua-portuguesa-para-estrangeiros-
I chose this class because it is sponsored by the government and if I pass it I will not have to take a language test to obtain either citizenship or permanent residency should I decide to apply for either after I've been here for five or more years.
Off topic, but I am curious to know... and you have an opportunity to ask someone... are the "Turma da Monica" comics as well known and well-loved in Portugal as they are in Brazil?
Nope :)
There you go, Dan. ☝ I trust Filipa on this ... Obrigado, Filipa!
I will see what I can learn.