Welcome to our documentary of Rui and Joel’s (and friends) journey walking the Caminho de Santiago! Continue Reading
Passo a Passo (O Caminho de Santiago)
Blog Posts
A Libertação dos Caracóis com o Rui Sénior
Rui Sénior is back with an important message for all those who enjoy eating snails! Learn more about the important cause he’s standing up for, and find out how you can help… Continue Reading
Learning Studio Upgrades: Mastery Levels & Scoring
September 20th: This post has been updated to reflect additional scoring tweaks we launched today, inspired by some of the feedback in emails and this post’s comments. We’d love to know what you think in the comments… Obrigado! 🙂 We have exciting news! Over the past year, we’ve been rebuilding the Learning Studio from the ground up to… Continue Reading
Musculação Rural com o Rui Sénior
In the peak of summer, fitness expert Rui Sénior takes a few minutes to show us how he stays in better shape than everyone else, even while on vacation… No excuses! Continue Reading
Episódio 1 (2018, ANIMATED) – Fotografar Comida em Restaurantes / O Sono e o Álcool
Talk about a callback… This video is a brand new animated version of our very first podcast episode, from way back in 2013! By comparing the audio of this episode to our newer ones, you’ll hopefully notice not only a massive evolution in not only our production quality and comfort on the mic, but also… Continue Reading
How to Pronounce the Letter X in Portuguese
Compared to some other languages, Portuguese pronunciation is relatively consistent, once you learn and follow the basic rules. A huge exception to this idea lies the letter X, which is one of the most challenging sounds – even for more intermediate learners. That’s because this letter makes a several different sounds, and it varies unpredictably… for… Continue Reading
Resolver Um Problema Ao Telefone (2018, ANIMATED!)
Update: April 10, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne Wilson has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension. Telephone and Internet service companies… Continue Reading
O Joel Vai Ao Hospital (2018, ANIMATED!)
Update: January 12, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne Wilson has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension. ~~~ Getting sick can cause pain… Continue Reading
Feliz Natal e Boas Festas!
What better way to celebrate the season than with a bit of snow and -11°C temperatures? Check out the holiday hijinx we got up to while almost freezing to death in Toronto, Canada this month… and learn a bit of seasonal vocabulary at the same time! Continue Reading
Animated: Pizza Na Hora Está a Contratar!
Animator Wayne Wilson is back at it again, in this third episode of our Pizza Na Hora series (previously audio-only). Márcio o Brasileiro calls in once again to everyone’s favourite Portuguese pizzeria, but this time to ask the owner for a job. Will they be able to overcome their cultural differences and work together? Watch… Continue Reading
Supermix Interview (with Tatiana, Rui & Joel)
When we launched Diálogo 24 Um Café Em Lisboa (with our special guest, Tatiana from Brazil), it understandably created some controversy with our audience, who normally looks to us for European Portuguese content! While most members loved exploring the differences between the two dialects, a few members were worried that we were losing our European… Continue Reading
Video: Lavar a Loiça Com a Avó Odete
Avó Odete is back! She teaches us lots of new vocabulary while chatting, singing, and washing the dishes, (with Rui’s “help” 🙈). Rui even attempts to get her saying “asneiras” (bad words!) Watch now to see if he succeeds! Continue Reading
Simple Phrases To Learn Before Visiting Portugal
We often get messages from complete beginners who plan to visit the country and want to learn a few of the basic phrases. In Portugal, the level of English is quite good, especially the younger generations in the main cities of Lisbon and Porto. But regardless of how well the locals speak your language, picking… Continue Reading
Kombucha: O Que É, E Como (Não) Se Faz!
It’s tea time! But not like anything you’ve ever had before. Have you heard of kombucha? Find out what it is, how it’s made… and how to make a mess! Our special guest is our designated “kombuchista,” (who also happens to be Rui Sr., Rui’s Jr.’s pai). Continue Reading
Aprender Português? Vejo-me Grego! (Video)
In this video, Joel (o Canadiano) interviews Pedro, a personal trainer in Lisboa. When he saw which videos and website his Greek girlfriend was using to learn Portuguese, he immediately recognized Rui and Joel as members of the gym! Instead of just taking a photo together, we decided it would be a bigger surprise for… Continue Reading
Dicas Do Rui: Como Viajar Com Uma Mochila (Video)
No, we’re not getting into luggage sales… But since Rui spent many hours researching the best travel gear, leading up to his trip to Argentina, we decided to take advantage of his new-found knowledge to create this video, exploring new vocabulary surrounding travel, clothing, and more! Note: We have no affiliation with and receive no compensation… Continue Reading
A Lenda do Galo de Barcelos (Animated!)
Wayne, the talented animator and good friend of Practice Portuguese, is back at it again with this reimagining of one of our podcast episodes, based on a famous Portuguese tale. You can find more of Wayne’s work on his YouTube channel. Please be sure to leave a comment to help us thank him for his countless hours of work. Obrigado Wayne! Continue Reading
Mystery of the Disappearing Sounds (in European Portuguese!)
Have you ever been confused by the way Portuguese natives pronounce their sentences? Even if you know the individual words, when used together they can sound completely unfamiliar. This is often because some written vowels mysteriously vanish when spoken. Watch this short video now, because in the next few days we’ll launch a new lesson… Continue Reading
Diálogo 10 – Encomendar uma Pizza ANIMATED!
We are very excited to announce that Wayne Wilson, a good friend of Practice Portuguese is back at it again with another animated version of one of our favourite episodes. Our other Pizza Na Hora episode with Márcio o Brasileiro is one of our most-watched videos, so we know you’ll love this one too! You can… Continue Reading
Tips & Tools For Learning European Portuguese
In this video, we cover some of our favourite apps, practical learning tips, and discuss some of the mindset challenges our members run into when trying to learn the language. We also answer a question we hear over and over again: “How can I confirm the words I’m learning are used in Portugal and not… Continue Reading
Open & Closed Vowels in European Portuguese
Many learners find European Portuguese natives much more difficult to understand than Brazilians – mainly because when spoken, it sounds much more closed. In some cases, there are even vowel sounds that are barely audible! (Make sure you already saw the Mystery of the Disappearing Sounds as an entertaining 2-minute introduction!) In this 2nd of our 3 video lessons in this… Continue Reading
5000 Portuguese Words You Already Know
Have you ever noticed that sometimes you can look a Portuguese word you’ve never seen before, but still understand what it means? Or if you have already had a Portuguese conversation, you may have even successfully guessed a word you had never previously studied, just by changing the ending of an English word. When words are similar in… Continue Reading
A Lenda da Rainha Santa Isabel ANIMATED!
Wayne Wilson is back at it again with another beautifully animated version of one of our episodes! This is one of our favourites, especially because it features Rui’s parents lending their voice talent as the king and queen! You can find more of Wayne’s work on his YouTube channel. Please be sure to leave a comment to help us thank him… Continue Reading
O Joel Vai Ao Supermercado (Animated!)
We are excited to share with you another fantastic animated video by Wayne Wilson, of one of our classic episodes. A BIG thanks to Wayne for his countless hours of work in reimagining this Practice Portuguese episode. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/user/Toyuki1 Please be sure to leave a comment to share your appreciation with Wayne! Continue Reading
Video: Uma Família Portuguesa, Com Certeza!
Na nossa casa, animação não falta! Neste vídeo, a avó Odete cria o caos ao tentar explicar o que é o Natal e o fim do ano. Consegues adivinhar as suas resoluções para 2016? Like this special video-only episode? Tell us in the YouTube comments! (Atenção: Nível de dificuldade = MÁXIMO) • Because of the… Continue Reading
O Joel Inscreve-se Num Ginásio (Animated!)
Previously released as audio-only, this classic episode has been brought to life as a fully animated feature, by Wayne Wilson! Original audio version, released March 29 2014. A BIG thanks to Wayne for his countless hours of work in reimagining this Practice Portuguese episode. Please be sure to leave a comment on the YouTube video to share your appreciation with… Continue Reading
Getting Past Beginner’s Intimidation On Your Way To Portuguese Fluency
We get amazing emails from our members daily, and we usually just respond to them privately. But since the response got quite long and involved, I decided to go over it a couple times before sending and try to turn it into a more or less intelligible article that others might be able to relate to… but you… Continue Reading
Subscribing to Practice Portuguese on Android
We recently had a user ask us how to download our podcast for offline listening using an Android device. In the past, we have used and enjoyed Pocket Casts, a “podcatcher” app for Android, but the process should be similar regardless of which app you choose. In the App Store (on your Android Device it… Continue Reading
New Video Released! Artigo 3 – Pastéis de Belém ou de Nata? (2015 Video Version)
Previously released as audio only, this classic episode has been brought to life with beautiful visuals by animator (and friend of Practice Portuguese), Wayne Wilson! A BIG thanks to Wayne for his countless hours of work in reimagining this Practice Portuguese episode. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/user/Toyuki1 Just like all of our other… Continue Reading
Pizza na Hora, Márcio o Brasileiro (Animated!!)
Previously released as audio-only, one of our all-time favourite episodes has been brought to life as a fully animated feature, by Wayne Wilson! Watch European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese face off head-to-head in this very special animated episode. Original audio version, released Nov 5 2013. A BIG thanks to Wayne for his countless hours of work in… Continue Reading
Practice Portuguese November News Update
Olá! After almost two years of us putting all of our focus into releasing new podcast episodes, we realized that our website design and functionality was starting to slow us down. We were stacking new features onto the very basic website we had started with, which was working fine… but today, we are very proud… Continue Reading
Practice Portuguese August News Update
Community Growth In the past year, we have been blown away by all the positive feedback we have been receiving from iTunes listeners, blogs, googlers, and of course, our supporting premium members. (We love to hear from our listeners and members, so send us a message to say hi! Escreve em português ou inglês, como queiras!) With… Continue Reading
O Regresso da Avó
One year ago, we attempted to record a commercial with Rui’s avó informing our visitors of our premium podcast features. But why was that footage was never released? Watch this special behind-the-scenes video we created to find out for yourself! Continue Reading
Different Accents Throughout Portugal / Sotaques em Portugal
Here is another question from our friend Ihsan, to be answered by Rui:
Q: I was wondering if Portugal had different accents according to region like in Brazil…and if they varied greatly or differ only subtly? If there are different accents, which one does Rui speak?
Rui: Sim Portugal tem diferentes pronúncias que variam de acordo com as diferentes zonas. Os Açores têm a pronúncia mais marcada de todo o País (continente e ilhas) e talvez a que menos portugueses entendem. Continue Reading
Will Speaking Portuguese Help Me Communicate While Visiting Spain? / Falar Português em Espanha?
I found plenty of discussions about how it’s really not recommended to speak Spanish in Portugal, but I couldn’t find anything the other way around. I’ll be going to Seville in a couple months, and in case I can’t use English, would I be boo’d at for trying to communicate in Portuguese, since I don’t know Spanish?
Rui: Nunca ouvi dizer que não se deve falar espanhol em Portugal, acho até que geralmente os portugueses têm mais facilidade em entender os espanhóis do que o contrário. Continue Reading