When it comes to learning a new language, especially for those of us who choose to learn outside of school and on our own, we usually want to learn as quickly as possible. People will go searching the web for answers on “how to learn language X as quickly as possible” etc. But, the reality is, any language takes time to learn. Also, it depends on how in-depth you want to get into any language or do you just want to learn a few phrases. Most folks are lazy and prefer the easiest route which means not really learning much at all.

I had several years of French classes when I was a kid (high school etc.) but when I actually went to France and met some English speaking French people who could help me with my French, I actually learned a lot more and at a faster rate because you are basically forced to learn quickly. Obviously, it depends on the person because if you’re lazy or don’t want to make the effort to learn a new language like Brazilian Portuguese, then you’ll never learn it even if you live next door to Brazilians. So, attitude also helps a lot.

Before you embark on learning Brazilian Portuguese, in order to prevent burn-out or disinterest, first ask yourself what you’d like to accomplish. Again, is it about basic phrases like “where is the toilet” or “I would like to order a hamburger” or do you want to delve deeper and learn how to speak conversational Brazilian Portuguese? If it’s the former, then a simple book from the library will probably suffice. If it’s the latter, you’d be better off either visiting and spending time in Brazil or befriending some Brazilian friends and asking them for help.

Either way, learning to speak another language can open up a whole new world if you’re open minded and put in the time!