HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO LEARN PORTUGUESE?
The answer is… It depends on many different factors and scenarios.
STUDENTS WHO SPEAK SPANISH AND / OR ITALIAN
STUDENTS WHO SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE (none of them is Spanish or Italian)
For those students, learning Portuguese in Lisbon is usually a rather straightforward process. Learning a third language is always easier than learning a second language. These students are already comfortable with many concepts, such as verbs, regular and irregular verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and prepositions. After 9-12 months, due to their effort, many students can already resolve 90% of their problems in Portuguese (in one-on-one conversations) – reaching B1/B2 proficiency. However, in group situations, with noise and Portuguese native speakers speaking very quickly, these students may still encounter difficulties.
STUDENTS WHO SPEAK ONLY THEIR MOTHER TONGUE (and that language isn’t Spanish or Italian)
For this final group, we have many different examples. We have several students who, after 1 year, are finishing at level B1. However, we also have other Portuguese students who struggle to maintain a simple conversation after 12 months (which means that they are still at A2 level).
In conclusion, it really depends on your background and also on the following decisions:
1.The number of hours per week that you will spend learning Portuguese.
2.The materials that you will use.
3.The teacher that you are going to choose.
4.How much you will enjoy your Portuguese lessons and how eager you are to start speaking the language.
5.Your personality. Extroverted people tend to learn Portuguese faster because they are not afraid of making mistakes.