Best Portuguese Textbooks – Beginner, Intermediate And Advanced!

Best Portuguese Textbooks

We have scoured the market to find the best Portuguese textbooks available to help you learn Portuguese.

Whether you’re just starting out, or if you’re looking for more challenging material, we have a recommendation appropriate for you.

Of course, textbooks alone aren’t going to teach you Portuguese but they’re a great way to get you started and can be a fantastic accompaniment to other forms of learning.

So here is a list of our best Portuguese textbook recommendations. Let’s take a look!

1. Living Language Brazilian Portuguese

2. Basic Portuguese (Practise Makes Perfect) 1st Edition

3. One Week Portuguese Mastery

4. Ultimate Portuguese: Basic – Intermediate

5. Complete Brazilian Portuguese

6. Linguacious Award-Winning Around The Home Portuguese Flashcard Game

Now keep reading to learn more about these Portuguese textbooks and to find out which one is the right one for you.

Our Top Pick!

Without any more wait, our number one Portuguese textbook to help you get started is:

Living Language Brazilian Portuguese, Complete Edition: Beginner Through Advanced Course, Including 3 Coursebooks, 9 Audio CDs, And Free Online Learning

Average Price: $31.83

Type of Portuguese: Brazilian

See here on AMAZON

The Living Language Brazilian Portuguese is based on over 65 years of experience and combines linguistic sciences and proven techniques to form the perfect resources to help you learn Portuguese.

If you choose this textbook right at the start of your Portuguese journey then it can take you all the way from a beginner to an advanced Portuguese student.

It’s a fantastic resource to get you started and help you on your way to fluency.

If that recommendation doesn’t work for then keep reading!

We have great recommendations for beginners, intermediates and advanced learners below.

Best Portuguese Textbooks For Beginners

These are the textbooks that we think are most appropriate for beginner learners. They have been chosen to help you make a jump start on your Portuguese without being too challenging.

Basic Portuguese (Practise Makes Perfect) 1st Edition – Sue Tyson-Ward

Average Price: $12.22

See here on AMAZON

Basic Portuguese is structured into bitesize lessons to help you tackle new ideas in a manageable way.

In each lesson you will learn some simple grammar or vocabulary concepts which are accompanied by clear examples.

Then the best past: after each lesson there are various activities which will give you plenty of opportunities to practise. Because without practise, you’re liable to forget.

Each lesson can be completed in around 20 minutes or so meaning you could do one a day and watch your Portuguese improve bit by bit.

A must by if you’re just starting out in Portuguese and want to get to grips with the basics.

One Week Portuguese Mastery – Erica Stewart

The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Learn Portuguese In Just One Week

Average Price: $8.99

See here on AMAZON

For those of you who like a challenge, why not try One Week Portuguese Mastery?

In this book, Erica Stewart concentrates on five key areas; grammar, vocabulary, slang and colloquialism, pronunciation and variations of the language. With each one, she lays out the most important aspects and presents them in a digestible way.

If you do choose to buy One Week Portuguese Mastery, then be sure to let us know how you got on in the comments below.

Best Portuguese Textbooks For Intermediates

Finding the perfect Portuguese textbook if you’re an intermediate can be tricky.

You don’t want anything too easy because you’ve already studied at a beginner level but you don’t want something beyond your level just yet.

Well don’t worry, we have a selection of what we believe to be the best Portuguese textbooks for an intermediate learner.

Ultimate Portuguese: Basic – Intermediate – Lourdes Filoco

Average Price: $3.35

Type of Portuguese: European and Brazilian

See here on AMAZON 

The great thing about Ultimate Portuguese is that it ranges from basic to intermediate. So if you buy it when you’re first starting out, you’ll be able to use it all the way up until you’re at a strong intermediate level.

This can make a huge difference because you only need to buy one text book instead of two.

It includes 40 lessons in total and should cover the same amount of content as two years college level study.

Complete Brazilian Portuguese

Average Price: $24.40

Type of Portuguese: Brazilian

See here on AMAZON

When you’ve finally completed the Complete Brazilian Portuguese you should have achieved a solid intermediate level.

Complete Brazilian Portuguese doesn’t just teach you grammar points but helps you to achieve competency in the four major language learning components: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

This textbook uses outcome based learning to give students clear goals to work towards and the discovery method so learners can work out methods on their own which can help for a deeper understanding.

Other Recommendations For Portuguese

Linguacious Award-Winning Around The Home Portuguese Flashcard Game – with Audio!

Average Price: $22.99

See here on AMAZON

If you want to boost your Portuguese learning even more then why not consider investing in this Portuguese Flashcard game.

It’s suitable for toddlers, children and even adults.

Have fun while you improve your Portuguese with this flashcard game

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Portuguese Textbook

Now that you’ve chosen the best Portuguese textbook for your learning needs, you need to learn how to use it to get the most out of your studying. This may sound obvious but so many learners make silly mistakes in their learning that doesn’t actually help them. So here are some tips on how to optimise your learning with your new Portuguese textbook.

Study A Little Bit Of Portuguese Every Day

The longer you leave between studying sessions, the worse your recall is going to be. If you want to improve your Portuguese seriously then it’s much better to study a little bit every day rather than a big chunk once a week. If you use your Portuguese textbook this way then you’ll notice improvements much more quickly

Do Exercises In Your Portuguese Textbook

Make sure the Portuguese textbook you buy has exercises in it. That way you can test out what you’ve learnt. If you just read grammar points but don’t practise them you’re not going to remember things and your Portuguese won’t improve. But if you do exercises after each grammar point then you’ll notice a huge difference in your Portuguese level.

Buy One Portuguese Textbook

Try to just buy one Portuguese textbook. If you buy lots of different textbooks for learning Portuguese then you’ll probably end up doing a little bit of all of them but not actually completing any textbook. This kind of learning can make it easier for you to give up or stop because you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere. But if you buy one and see yourself making progress you’ll be more likely to complete your textbook and advance in your Portuguese.

Decide Whether You’re Learning Brazilian Or European Portuguese

Many of the textbooks that you buy (especially if you’re taking an official exam) will accommodate both types of Portuguese. But if you’re learning a specific kind then make sure that the textbook you’ve bought will help you with that type of Portuguese. It would still be helpful to you regardless but if the type is important, then be sure to look into that before you buy.

Get A Portuguese Textbook With A CD

If the Portuguese textbook you buy comes with a CD then you’ll be able to practise your audio skills as well as your reading and writing skills. You don’t want to spend lots of money on lots of different resources to practise your language skills. It’s much more useful to you if you get one Portuguese textbook that can help you with all of the different parts of language learning.

Learning Portuguese FAQ

These are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding learning Portuguese.

Is European Portuguese difficult to learn?

European Portuguese is not a difficult language to learn however you may find it may difficult than other romantic languages such as Spanish or Italian. Similarly if you’re had exposure to latin american Spanish then you may find Brazilian Portuguese easier to learn.

Is Portuguese worth learning?

Yes of course it is! Not only is it an incredibly beautiful language but Brazil is an emerging global market and it could benefit you tremendously in terms of your career.

What is the best app to learn Portuguese?

Our number one choice would be Duolingo however there are many great apps available.

Is Brazilian Portuguese hard to learn?

Brazilian Portuguese is considered the easier Portuguese to learn and as it is a romantic language, native English speakers should find it relatively easier however it is considered to be more difficult than Spanish.

Why is Portuguese so hard?

You may find Portuguese difficult due to its interesting pronunciation or the fact that it uses different grammar structures to English but stick with it and you’ll find it becomes easier and easier.

We hope you’re found our recommendations of best Portuguese textbooks useful. Let us know which Portuguese textbook if your favourite and why.

Remember that you need more to learn a language than just a textbook. You need to be exposing yourself to the language and speaking the language.

But a textbook is a fantastic way to complement your learning. With a textbook you can learn grammar points, gain a deeper understanding to a language and take your Portuguese learning to the next level.

Good luck!