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Is Portuguese Easy To Learn?

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Ana Martín

Is Portuguese Easy To Learn?

What is difficult for someone may be easy for someone else so it’s not always as simple an answer is whether it’s easy to learn. However compared to other languages, yes Portuguese is easy to learn. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this is the case.

Portuguese Shares The Same Alphabet As English

This may sound like an obvious one but for those of you who don’t already know this, Portuguese shares the same alphabet with English. Which means that when you’re learning Portuguese you don’t have to spend a long time learning a whole new writing system. You can just use the Roman alphabet and get started right away.

Portuguese Share A Lot Of Words With English

Another thing that makes Portuguese relatively easy for an English speaker to learn is that since they both have roots in Latin, they both share a lot of similar words. Which means you’ll already know quite a lot of Portuguese words without realising it and you’ll be able to understand a lot more when you see Portuguese written down. This sets you off for quite an advantage compared to if you were going to learn a language like Japanese which doesn’t share it’s roots with English.

The Grammar Is Relatively Simple

Although the grammar is different to English in that it uses conjugation just like other Romantic languages, Portuguese grammar is relatively simple. It’s not the easiest grammar in foreign languages, a language like Mandarin has more simple grammar structures but it’s also not as complex in the grammar structures you would see in Russian. Which makes it not to difficult for us to comprehend once we’ve gotten round the whole ‘conjugation issue.’

If You Already Speak A Romantic Language You’re Set

If you’re lucky enough to already speak a romantic language then you’re good to go. As Portuguese is a romantic language it has a lot in common with languages like Italian, French and Spanish. So if you already speak one of those transitioning into Portuguese should be no problem.

There Are Lots Of Resources Available

Luckily there are loads of resources available to help you learn Portuguese unlike some less commonly learnt languages. No matter what you’re learning style you will be able to find videos, websites, apps, Portuguese textbooks and much much more. This makes Portuguese easier to learn than other languages because you have a wealth of resources at your fingertips.

So there you go, Portuguese is relatively easy to learn at least compared to other languages. But remember learning a language is no easy feat. You have to put a lot of time and hard work into learning a language, it’s not just going to come easy to you because you move to Portugal. It also takes active learning. But if you’re determined, motivated and enjoy foreign languages then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to learn it relatively quickly. And learning Portuguese online is a great way to get started if you don’t want to splash out on textbooks straight away.

How Can I Learn Portuguese Fast?

Posted on October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 by Ana Martín

How Can I Learn Portuguese Fast?

So you want to learn Portuguese but you don’t want to spend years going to classes and not really seeing any progress? Instead you want to jump right into it, get started and watch yourself progress quickly so that you can begin to have conversations and get around in Portugal?

Well don’t worry, this is very achievable, especially if you’re a native English speaker. Portuguese shares the same alphabet with English and also has a lot of words that are very similar and easy to pick up.

Start With The Pronunciation

The first thing I would do is to spend a whole day working on Portuguese pronunciation. It’s not too difficult but it’s definitely different from English and many people have problems with it when they first start out that can last for months.

If you spend your first day concentrating on the phonemes of the language and nothing else, then although you won’t necessarily have it perfect, you will be in a better stage to try speaking than a lot of other people who start out learning Portuguese.

Learn The Conjugations In The Present Tense

The other tenses can come later but to get you started spend another day learning how verbs conjugate in the present tense. Although for the future you’ll need to learn your other tenses, most of your conversations will take place in the present tense (or the past simple). If you learn these basic conjugations as soon as possible you’ll be in a much better position to start speaking a lot quicker.

Learn The 1000 Most Common Portuguese Words

Another way to learn Portuguese fast is to learn the 1000 most commonly used Portuguese words as soon as possible. When we speak we generally use the same words in most conversations. So if you manage to learn the 1000 most commonly used Portuguese words you’ll be able to start forming sentences much more quickly.

Find A Portuguese textbook

If you find a Portuguese textbook at your level you’ll be able to work your way through it like you would a course but at a speed that works for you meaning you would be able to move through it a lot more quickly than if you were doing a course where you only had one class a week. But even with a textbook, there are ways to use a textbook that can improve your learning efficiency.

Study Every Day

We say this when we talk about learning any language. The quickest way to learn a new language is to make sure you study every single day. This way you’ll have the most improvements and see your Portuguese improve on a day by day basis.

Speak As Soon As Possible

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they delay speaking. They want to wait until their Portuguese is perfect before they’ll chance having a conversation, but this is counter productive. The best thing to do is to start speaking as soon as possible and you can learn from your mistakes. A baby doesn’t wait until he speaks perfectly until he starts trying right? Well don’t do the same thing with your language learning.

How Often Should I Study Korean?

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Ana Martín

How Often Should I Study Korean?

Every day! The simple answer really is every day if you want to see progress.

Obviously you can study Korean less often, you could go to a class once a week and still learn the language but if you want to see yourself progress and actually learn in a reasonable time frame then you want to be engaging with your Korean studies every single day.

This is due to the rate of forgetting. The longer you go without engaging in a subject the more you will forget. If you study Korean every day then what you’re learnt the previous day will still be in your mind and you’ll be able to progress. Where as if you wait and only study once a week, part of your studying will be recapping what you learn the week before as it won’t be as readily accessible in your memory.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to sit down and do ten hours Korean study a day to progress. (Although if you did this your Korean would improve dramatically over a very short period of time.) The important thing is the consistency not the amount you do when you study. Depending on your schedule and how much you can allow for studying Korean daily, we would recommend doing about half an hour a day (more if you can) to see visible improvements week by week. If you do less you’ll find you progress much more slowly and if you do more you’ll obviously improve more quickly.

Even though we recommend a minimum of half an hour if you can’t do that don’t just not do anything at all. Even five minutes worth of studying is better than nothing. And a lot of it is about finding the right balance for you and how to fit it into your life.

How To Study Every Day

It’s not enough to just say you’re going to study every day. It’ll make a huge difference if you can put things in place to ensure you do this.

Study At The Same Time Every Day

If you put aside some time to study every day and always study at that time you’ll build a habit of that is when you study. One you’ve built a habit you’re much more likely to continue doing a certain behaviour. If you stick to this then you’ll notice any day you miss and will be able to adjust your schedule accordingly.

Use The Same Materials

Have a textbook that you always use on a Monday or Tuesday or have Wednesday set aside for language exchanges. Bouncing between too many different materials can actually be quite distracting rather than helpful.

You can use a Korean learning website that you go on once a day and complete an exercise or topic. Or just set aside Mondays as the day you use the Korean website.

If you do this kind of thing every day you’ll progress at a rapid rate working your way through material at a pace that suits you.

How Can I Learn Korean Fast

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Ana Martín

How Can I Learn Korean Fast?

You want to learn Korean but you don’t want to spend years going to a class a week to find yourself not really getting anywhere. Don’t worry there are plenty of ways you can learn Korean fast but you need to be motivated and committed to giving your Korean the time it deserves.

Spend Your First Day Learning The Alphabet

Unlike many other Asian languages Korean has an alphabet, and not just any alphabet, it probably has the most useful alphabet out of all of the languages in the world. This is because it’s a phonetic alphabet where each letter accounts for one sound (unlike English where letters can have lots of different sounds), and also because the letters resemble the shapes your mouth makes when you say them.

The Korean alphabet can be learnt in a day and then you can read anything knowing you are pronouncing it pretty much correctly even if you have no idea what you’re saying. If you make the effort to learn the Korean alphabet fully on the first day then you’re setting yourself up to move a lot more quickly through your Korean studying.

Study Korean Every Single Day

The number one tip that we can give you to learn Korean fast is to study Korean every single day. Don’t miss out on one day even if you can only dedicate 15 minutes worth of learning to that day. Consistency is key. It will be far more effective for you to do half an hour every day then three or four hours on a Sunday.

Studying every day will not only help you to remember better but it will keep your brain engaged in Korean more often and you’ll see improvements day to day rather than just week to week which is useful for motivation.

Learn The 1000 Most Common Words

A great way to start with your Korean after you’ve mastered the alphabet is to learn the 1000 most commonly used words. Learning these words will give you a large vocab very quickly which will allow you to communicate in the majority of situations.

Once you have these words you can start forming sentences and having conversations which will help you see a dramatic increase in your Korean. Download an app like memrise or anki to help you learn these words quickly.

Find A Korean Learning Website

There are lots of different websites to learn Korean, simply find one and work your way through the content. That way you can do it at your pace and don’t need to worry about the pacing of a class or a teacher.

If you find a website then you can run through the material as quickly as you want or slow down when you need a bit more time.

The best thing about this is that you can learn Korean online nowadays so you have more flexibility than every before. You can pick up your phone or computer no matter where you are and do a bit of studying.

How Can I Learn Korean For Free?

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Ana Martín

How Can I Learn Korean For Free

Learning Korean is a fantastic challenge to set for yourself but it can be pricey. If you want to dabble in learning Korean but you don’t want to commit to spending money on textbooks and courses then don’t worry, there are lots of ways to learn Korean online for free. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Use Korean Websites Online

There are loads of fantastic learning Korean websites that you can use online for free to help you study without spending any money. Some help you to learn the alphabet, others take you through grammar but no matter what you’re learning there should be a website for you.

Watch Korean Youtube

There are lots of different youtube videos you can find in Korean that you can watch for free, and many of them come with subtitles to help you learn. Some of which can be K-pop. You can find the most popular and current K-pop songs on youtube for free. Learning to sing along to these songs is a really fun way to help you learn Korean, and best of all, it’s free.

Download A Free Korean App

There are also lots of different Korean apps available that you can use to help you learn Korean. You simply download the app and work you way through the course like you would a textbook or classroom course. The only issue with this is that you do have to be self motivated to ensure you keep studying but if you’re that kind of person then a Korean app might be the thing for you. A great app to get you started is Duolingo but if you don’t like don’t worry. It’s free so you can simply delete the app and start again.

Find A Language Partner To Practise Korean With

There are plenty of Korean people online who want to learn English and there are websites you can use to find these people. Simply use a website like italki or HelloTalk to find language partners to practise with. You put your details in and say that you are learning Korean and look for a Korean person who is learning English. Then organise a language exchange with them. One way to do this is to organise a video chat with them where you speak for thirty minutes in Korean and then thirty minutes in English. That way both of you will get a chance to practise your language skills and everybody wins.

Read The News In Korean

A great habit to build is reading the news in Korean instead of your native language. Either find a good Korean news site or change the language on the new site you use to Korean. Then commit yourself to reading just one news story every morning. If you make the effort to do this every morning you’ll see your comprehension skills slowly improve and you’ll find yourself picking up new vocabulary quickly.

Now you’ve learnt how to learn Korean for free why not take a look at how to learn Korean fast.