Group Classes
Learn Portuguese
with
Group Classes at Brazil in Chicago
What will I learn at Brazil in Chicago?
All of our classes are conversation-based, that are customized according to how our students communicate in their own native languages. This allows us to create a program that makes sense to our student and aligns with their portuguese language goals. Also, we curate classes based on content and situations that constantly expand a students vocabulary and grammar, whilst immersing them in the culture.
What will I learn at every level?
Our level breakdown reflects your experience learning your mother tongue. Throughout the Beginner’s levels you’ll learn to describe yourself, your surroundings, talk about your routine, past actions and future plans. The Intermediate levels will give you the tools to describe the past and talk about what is going on not only with you, but about with those around you. Finally, the Advanced levels cover the most complex structures in the language, such as the subjunctive. With those structures you will be able to engage in discussions of complex issues and hypothetical situations.
Beginner's Portuguese (BP1 - BP4)
Daily Life
Intermediate Portuguese (IP1 - IP3)
Social Life
Advanced Portuguese (AP1 - AP3)
Life in Society
Beginner's Portuguese
We have been teaching Portuguese since 2006, and we have developed a solid method that makes the transition from one language to another easy and fun. The English language has pretty much all the sounds of Portuguese. Grammar and vocabulary, however, require more time to master. That is why our beginner's course is divided into four levels.
Beginner's
Portuguese
1
Here students learn pronunciation, to describe themselves and others around them. They acquire the fundamentals in grammar (noun/adjective order, gender, plurals, possessive pronouns, etc), as well as an introduction to verbs.
Beginner's
Portuguese
2
This course lays a solid foundation on verbs in the Present Tense, as well as dedicating a lot of time on the differences between the two verbs TO BE. Students also learn the numbers, telling time and asking/giving directions.
Beginner's
Portuguese
3
Here students will learn some of the most important irregular verbs, as well as how to express future plans. They will also find themselves in situations such as shopping, ordering food, making plans with friends and planning a trip.
Beginner's
Portuguese
4
Students now have expanded the subjects of their conversation, talking about their families, as well as their heritage and background, since in this course they will have learn to talk in past tense.
Intermediate
Portuguese
1
Here students will learn about verbs that are commonly used to describe one’s morning routine and also express mutual actions between two people, such as “we help each other” (nos ajudamos). They will also learn new adjectives to describe personality traits and new nouns to talk about food, order at a restaurant, and follow a recipe. In class and at home, students will continue to talk about actions that happened in the past while incorporating new verbs into this tense. Teachers will continue to help students pluralize difficult words, and will also introduce the use of direct object pronouns.
Intermediate
Portuguese
2
Students will learn to make comparisons and express their preference for certain foods, places, and people. In conversations with each other, students will talk about their childhood and their past experiences using the imperfect tense. This course will also engage students’ conceptions about the typical Brazilian, and challenge the way Brazil is portrayed in news, art, and popular culture.ns such as shopping, ordering food, making plans with friends and planning a trip.
Intermediate
Portuguese
3
In this course, students will learn the basics of talking on the phone, sending email, and writing a letter (or maybe just a text!) in Brazil. In addition, “para aula” exercises will help students practice opening a bank account, looking for an apartment, and finding one’s way through the airport. Teachers will continue to discuss the various variations of Portuguese spoken around the world, and focus on specific regions of Brazil that are of interest to students. Finally, students will be able to talk about their plans for the future, from dream jobs to plans for the night.
Advanced
Portuguese
1
Students in this course will continue to learn about the different idioms and variations found throughout Brazil. In order to make each student’s language fit the situation, teachers will discuss the differences between written and spoken Portuguese, as well as introduce various slang terms and abbreviations that are commonly used in informal speech among friends. Putting these skills to practice, students will talk through scenarios like ordering a drink at a bar, making plans with friends, and making small-talk with neighbors.
Advanced
Portuguese
2
Many sessions in this course are devoted to learning to express emotion, doubt, desire, and other uncertain or subjective states of being. In addition, students will continue to learn new ways to use familiar verbs, and incorporate more colloquial language into their vocabularies. Teachers will bring in more fiction and Brazilian folklore for the class to discuss.
Advanced
Portuguese
3
This course will include news articles about recent events in Brazil as well as popular fiction. Students will be introduced to the “cronica,” a unique and varied type of newspaper column. In order to reinforce learned verb tenses, students will casually discuss their own thoughts about the future and learn more about the history of Brazil. This course will serve as a model and a preparation for later conversation-based "Advanced Conversation classes.
Looking for a more customized class?
When deciding the best way to learn Portuguese to achieve your language goals, it is important to find the right way of learning for you. Along with group classes, we also offer private classes for those who prefer individualized attention or require specialized vocabulary. Both classes are great ways to learn Portuguese in their own right. Click on the link below to see what benefits our private classes offer.