Reach Portuguese A1
8 weeks · 3 milestones
Understand and use basic Portuguese expressions in everyday situations. Unlike app-based learning, every milestone requires proof of real human communication — not a score on an app.
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Portuguese pronunciation is substantially harder for English speakers than Spanish pronunciation — and harder for Spanish speakers than it first appears. European Portuguese reduces unstressed vowels dramatically (unlike Spanish or Brazilian Portuguese), and both varieties have nasal vowels (ão, ã, em, im, um) that don't exist in most other European languages. This milestone builds the 250–300 most common Portuguese words and locks in the pronunciation patterns before vocabulary habits form incorrectly.
Proof required
Record a 3-minute unscripted description of your daily routine in Portuguese. Then write 150 words on: which variety of Portuguese (European or Brazilian) you are learning and why, how the nasal vowels (ão, ã, em, im) feel compared to your native language, and one specific pronunciation challenge you've had that wasn't in Spanish or French if you've studied either.
What gets checked
- The variety choice is stated and reasoned — European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese diverge significantly in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar; a learner who hasn't chosen is learning inconsistently; a clear choice with a reason shows intentional language learning
- The nasal vowel account names the specific challenge — 'the ão combination produces a different resonance than I expect from the spelling' shows developed phonological awareness; a general 'it's harder' without specifics does not
- The 3-minute recording is in Portuguese — it doesn't need to be perfect at A1; the purpose is to show vocabulary range and the pronunciation standard being built from the start