TOP TIPS FOR PORTUGUESE INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS
If you’re already at a B1 proficiency level in Portuguese, it means you can communicate with people, provided they speak Portuguese to you slowly and attentively.
Intermediate students of Portuguese in Lisbon, particularly those at levels B1 and B2, encounter new challenges at this stage.
When starting from level A1, you need to grasp basic grammar and the rules of Portuguese sounds, and allocate time to memorize the fundamental language rules.
However, as you progress to level B1, the dynamics change. At this juncture, you must find a way to engage in daily Portuguese conversation. Consolidating B1 grammar content in Portuguese becomes challenging without regular daily practice in speaking the language.
Check the grammar content at this stage of learning:
- Preterito perfeito composto (example: Eu tenho lido muito = I have been reading a lot)
- Pretérito mais que perfeito composto (example: ele tinha ido à praia com a Maria = He had gone to the beach with Maria)
- Subjunctive (Present). (example: “Talvez ele vá ao cinema” = Maybe he will go to the cinema)
- Subjunctive (future). Example: “Se fores a Lisboa, eu vou contigo” = If you go to Lisbon I will go with you.
Subjunctive in Portuguese can be hard. We use these structures to talk about and describe possibilities, things that are not real, and the wishes and fears that we have.
There are many connectors to learn and repetition plays a critical role at this point. Learning these Portuguese connectors isn’t enough. You have to use them often. You also have to hear people using it. Hopefully, you will recognize them during the conversation.
Another important tip is: to find a teacher to converse with in Portuguese. It must be an experienced teacher that will lead you toward those tenses and grammar structures that you’re learning and consolidating. Random talk is also useful but isn’t enough to improve your Portuguese consistently.
Watching television with Portuguese subtitles is also a great tip at this point.