Olá, como está?

If this is the first sentence you’ve ever learned in Portuguese, you are already on your way toward understanding one of the great languages and cultures of the modern world. Spoken by more than 280 million people across dozens of countries on four continents, the Portuguese language has the unique potential to open life-changing doors for you and the people around you.

And Conversa Portuguese is here to help open those doors.

Led by Cláudia Taveira’s more than 22 years of personalized, dedicated instruction to students from all over the world, Conversa’s online lessons are backed by a robust online learning platform of lessons, materials, and interactive resources that don’t just focus on language, but on the Portuguese culture as a whole.

From speaking, writing, listening to, and reading the language to mastering metaphorical and intercultural communication competencies, we help our students develop a close, personal relationship with everything European Portuguese, ultimately empowering you to speak the language confidently in a way that meets your specific goals and purpose.

Whether you want to communicate with your Portuguese family, you’re an expat in need of Portuguese for business, a student preparing for an exam, or a traveler visiting Portugal, we’re ready and waiting to tailor our highly qualified, immersive learning experience to your unique goals.

We know learning a second language can be intimidating – but it doesn’t have to be. Our instructors simply love to teach, providing a welcoming, friendly environment for our students to better their lives with what Portuguese means to them.

That’s the Conversa experience.

 

Meet Cláudia

“One of the hardest-working teachers I’ve ever worked with.”

-Paul, Maryland, USA

As our founding member and lead instructor, Cláudia’s dedication, expertise, and friendly nature have become the cornerstones of Conversa Portuguese, as we continue to develop and expand our offering for new and existing students.

Cláudia has over 22 years’ experience teaching Portuguese as a Second Language. It all started in Timor-Leste, where she combined two passions: the Portuguese language and working in the field of development cooperation. Cláudia truly believes that it is possible to build a better world, and in Timor-Leste, she realized the power that the Portuguese language has to change lives, both professionally and personally.

In Timorese classrooms, Cláudia had a varied adult audience, forcing her to adapt the courses to the needs of adult students, including formulating different programs, manuals, and other specific materials for language learning.

In Portugal, Cláudia also worked with people from all over the world who wanted to learn Portuguese online for a wide variety of reasons and, once again, she had to adapt to their goals.

Cláudia is a curious person and loves to learn. After graduating with a degree in Portuguese Language Teaching, she earned her Master’s degree in Portuguese as a Second Language, which allowed her to realize the need for intercultural awareness in order to communicate effectively in a second language.

Her master’s dissertation is about the linguistic transfer of native English speakers when learning Portuguese. This helped her to understand the main difficulties of this audience and create strategies to fight critical linguistic areas.

She is currently completing her PhD in Portuguese Studies, focusing on the development of Portuguese learners’ metaphorical competence – an essential but overlooked area in second languages.

Cláudia is also passionate about the use of technology in Portuguese teaching and devotes much of her time to studying which tools are appropriate for her students’ objectives.

Study, practical application, and hard work are the essential ingredients for leaving no student behind. Her experience, qualifications, and dedication paired with her gift for personalized, one-on-one instruction has resulted in many of Cláudia’s former students becoming lifelong friends.

Contact us or book your first lesson today to get to know Cláudia and all the ways she can help you better your life with what Portuguese means to you.

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Why Learn with Conversa?

While Portuguese culture has always been deeply tied to tradition, we apply a more modern approach to our instruction, balancing proven methods, digital technology, and a human touch to make sure your learning experience is both easy and effective. The Conversa experience focuses on:

Personalization

We tailor every lesson to the individual needs of the student, always working to ensure you can accomplish your one-of-a-kind goals with the Portuguese language. Our courses eliminate any need to buy standardized workbooks, as all learning materials and lesson plans are designed to meet your unique needs and challenges.

Linguistic, Metaphorical, and Intercultural Competencies

Our method of teaching the European Portuguese language is unique because we focus not only on linguistic competencies, but also on metaphorical and intercultural competencies. Speaking, writing, listening to, and reading European Portuguese is only a small portion of learning this second language. Our students also learn to understand and use everyday expressions while communicating effectively in a different cultural context.

Virtual School

Through our virtual learning platform, students can access online Portuguese classes and language learning anytime, anywhere. Speed up your learning progress by diving into hundreds of free exercises and a digital library with resources linked to the music, cinema, literature, painting, and gastronomy of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

Visit the Conversa Portuguese Virtual School

From anytime-accessible lessons to a library of engaging learning materials and resources, the Conversa Portuguese Virtual School has everything you need to continue learning on your own timeline.

Visit the Virtual School

Take Our Placement Quiz

Curious how your knowledge of European Portuguese stacks up? Our placement quiz will give you an idea of your baseline knowledge and your language level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A1 (Beginner), A2 (Elementary), B1 (Intermediate), B2 (Upper intermediate), and C1 (Advanced).

Take The Quiz

Who Are Our Students?

Conversa Portuguese courses are based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), whose language proficiency is organized into levels A1 (Beginner), A2 (Elementary), B1 (Intermediate), B2 (Upper Intermediate), and C1 (Advanced). However, each lesson is unique and tailored to your goals. Here are just a few of the most common types of students we see within our program.

  • People with family in Portugal, but also in Angola, Mozambique, or Timor-Leste
  • Children and teens learning Portuguese
  • Expats living and/or working in Portugal and in other Portuguese-speaking African countries and Timor-Leste
  • Students preparing for school and CAPLE exams, such as CIPLE
  • People in need of Portuguese for business
  • People visiting Portugal on holiday
  • People looking to broaden their cultural horizons
  • People that simply love the language and the culture

Hear from Our Students

“Cláudia always came prepared and tailored the lesson to specific things I wanted to work on. She clearly put a lot of time and thought into preparing the lessons. In my many years of teaching and studying, I would say Cláudia is one of the top teachers I’ve ever encountered. She really knows how to connect with students and how to teach a foreign language, which is not easy to do. Cláudia has a true love of the language, loves teaching, and will go more than the extra mile for her students. Whoever studies with her is lucky because she gives her all to help her students’ language skills improve.”

- Paul, Maryland, USA

“Cláudia is simply the most amazing teacher. She is professional, well-prepared, her knowledge of the language is obvious, and she is able to explain things simply and effectively. The classes are interesting, informative, and fun. Cláudia really cares, and she goes above and beyond to help her students. She has really helped my grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and perhaps most importantly, my self-confidence when speaking Portuguese. I highly recommend Cláudia’s classes.”

- Clare, England

“Cláudia is an excellent teacher, and these are the best language lessons I have ever had. I need to speak Portuguese because of my professional life. Before Cláudia, I had some free trial lessons with other teachers, and I could see that she was the best. Her qualifications and experience really make a difference. I was a total beginner; I couldn’t say a word in Portuguese! I can have a fluent conversation now thanks to her experience, methodology, and structured lessons. She always prepares my lessons according to my needs and the e-learning platform also helps me a lot.”

- Klaus, Germany

“I truly enjoyed my Portuguese classes with Cláudia as they were really adapted to my needs, expectations, and learning possibilities. I managed to systematize my knowledge, greatly improve my oral expression, and understand quite well some difficult parts of Portuguese grammar. Cláudia also is able to explain quite difficult things with easy language and always gives many examples. That helps! And she is very patient when needing to explain something again and again. I think Cláudia views teaching more as a challenge than as a job. For me, it was a very good experience.”

- Anna, Poland

“Cláudia starts with the basics and builds on that. She’s very cultural and knows everything about the language and the culture. She and I immediately clicked and I felt very comfortable with her. She takes the time to build a relationship with you.”

- Linda, Portugal

“Cláudia made learning fun, she incorporated the culture into her teaching, she tailored the class to our needs, and she encouraged us to love learning the language and the culture.”

- Genoveva, Australia

FAQs

What is the difference between European Portuguese and other kinds of Portuguese?

European Portuguese is one of the main varieties of the Portuguese language, with differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammar compared to Brazilian Portuguese, the other major variant. The distinctions are similar to those between British and American English.

The African and Timorese varieties of the language are close to European Portuguese. If you want to communicate in these countries and don’t have the opportunity to learn Portuguese with a native speaker, you should take European Portuguese lessons.

European Portuguese tends to have more varied vowel sounds and can be considered more conservative in terms of preserving certain sounds that have evolved or changed in Brazilian Portuguese. While the core vocabulary remains largely the same, there are also key differences in terms of colloquial expressions, idioms, and some everyday words.

Conversa’s coursework focuses solely on European Portuguese at this time.

Let's Get Started

Ready to embark on your exciting new journey with the European Portuguese language and culture? Book your free, introductory lesson today to take the first step toward Portuguese fluency.

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