langula
PortugueseLesson 1
olá
oh-LAHhello
Portuguese · Português
Learn Portuguese free in your browser
Learn Portuguese free in your browser — 80 lessons from A1 to B2, with flashcards and pronunciation practice. No subscription, no download.
Langula for iPhone and iPad · · Get it freeWhy learn Portuguese with Langula?
Sixth-largest native language on Earth
Fast track for Romance learners
Master nasal vowels from day one
No new script to memorize
Paced through the full verb system
Free, instant, no install needed
How it works
Pick your language
Portuguese is preselected — add your source language and go.
Short daily lessons
5–20 minutes a day: new words plus due reviews.
Pronunciation & progress
Repeat aloud, watch your streak and unlock badges.
Your first Portuguese words
After the very first lesson you can greet people and say thank you.
From A1 to B2 — your structured learning path
Here is how your journey is built: four CEFR levels, 80 lessons. Each lesson teaches 20 new words and 6 example sentences — flashcards and pronunciation practice lock them in before the next level unlocks.
- CEFR levels · A1–B2
- 4
- lessons · 20 per level
- 80
- words & sentences per lesson
- 26
- A1
First Words and Sounds· Beginner
Lessons 1–20Master the Latin alphabet with Portuguese accents and — crucially — the nasal vowels and diphthongs (ão, ãe) that define the language's sound. Learn greetings, numbers, grammatical genders and articles, the present tense of regular verbs, and the ser/estar distinction, giving you everything needed for introductions and survival conversations.
After this you can
- greet people and introduce yourself
- ask about numbers, time and prices
- order something in a café
- ask and answer simple questions
- A2
Past Tense and Everyday Life· Elementary
Lessons 21–40Talk about the past using the pretérito perfeito and imperfeito, handle common irregular verbs (ter, ir, fazer, poder), and cover everyday topics — family, food, travel, and daily routine. Build real confidence choosing between ser and estar in authentic contexts.
After this you can
- talk about family, work and hobbies
- go shopping and ask for directions
- tell stories in the past
- make appointments and arrange to meet
- B1
Subjunctive and Connected Speech· Intermediate
Lessons 41–60Introduce the present subjunctive for wishes, doubt, and opinions, the synthetic future and conditional, and the unique personal infinitive that inflects for person. Add object pronouns, discourse connectors, and start noticing the Brazilian vs European Portuguese differences in pronunciation and vocabulary.
After this you can
- express and justify your opinion
- travel alone and solve problems
- report on experiences and plans
- roughly follow films and podcasts
- B2
Fluency Across Both Varieties· Advanced
Lessons 61–80Command the full subjunctive system — present, imperfect, and the distinctive future subjunctive (se eu fizer…) — along with nuanced register, passive voice, reported speech, and the confidence to move between Brazilian and European Portuguese in extended, spontaneous conversation.
After this you can
- follow long discussions effortlessly
- express yourself spontaneously and fluently
- use Portuguese at work
- understand complex texts and news
- Start at A1
Your goal: fluent in everyday life
Level B2 complete — including a PDF certificate for every level you reach.
Learn Portuguese — free and at your own pace
Portuguese is the 6th-most-spoken native language on the planet, with around 260 million speakers across four continents. One language unlocks Brazil — one of the world's largest economies and a global powerhouse in music, football, and film — plus Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and seven other countries in the Lusophone world. Whether your goals are business, travel, culture, or just the sheer range of places and people Portuguese opens up, the return on your learning hours is exceptional.
What immediately marks Portuguese out are its nasal vowels and nasal diphthongs — sounds like ão (pão, 'bread'), ãe (mãe, 'mother'), and õe (ações, 'shares') that simply have no equivalent in English. Beyond the sound system, a rich verb framework includes a full three-tense subjunctive, the rare inflected personal infinitive, and the famous ser/estar split. Add the palatal lh and nh consonants, plus the striking differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese, and you have a language that genuinely rewards careful attention from the very first lesson.
The good news: the US Foreign Service Institute rates Portuguese a Category I language — roughly 600–750 class hours to professional proficiency, the same bracket as Spanish and French. Latin-based cognates make vocabulary and reading click fast, especially for speakers of Spanish, Italian, or French. The real challenges are the nasal vowels, European Portuguese's heavy reduction of unstressed vowels, and the layered subjunctive system — none are insurmountable, but all reward deliberate practice starting in A1 and building systematically through B2.
Langula's 80 structured lessons run A1 to B2 and are paced to match Portuguese's specific demands: accent marks and nasal vowels get front-loaded in A1, while the subjunctive, personal infinitive, and future subjunctive arrive across B1 and B2 exactly when the grammar builds to them. Leitner 5-box flashcards drill the ser/estar pairs and irregular conjugations that catch most learners off guard. And the in-browser pronunciation scorer — which never stores your audio — gives instant feedback on nasal vowels, the sounds that reading and writing alone cannot teach.
More on Portuguese
More to discover
Frequently asked questions
- Does Portuguese have tones like Chinese or Vietnamese?
- No — Portuguese is not a tonal language. Meaning is carried by stress, not by pitch. Langula's pronunciation practice focuses on what actually matters: the nasal vowels (ão, mãe) and correct stress placement, not tone.
- Should I learn Brazilian or European Portuguese?
- Both are mutually intelligible standard varieties; your choice should follow your goals — Brazil's vast economy and media market versus Portugal and continental Europe. They differ in pronunciation, some vocabulary, and the second-person pronoun system (tu vs você). Langula teaches a shared A1-B2 core, and the pronunciation tool lets you target your preferred accent.
- How hard is Portuguese for an English speaker?
- Comparatively manageable. The US FSI rates it Category I — around 600–750 hours to professional proficiency, on a par with Spanish and French. Hundreds of Latin-based cognates accelerate reading and vocabulary; the main hurdles are nasal vowels, the subjunctive system, and the ser/estar split.
- What is the hardest part of Portuguese pronunciation?
- The nasal vowels and nasal diphthongs — ão (pão), ãe (mãe), õe (ações) — which simply do not exist in English, plus the heavy reduction of unstressed vowels in European Portuguese. Langula's speech-recognition scoring gives you targeted, instant feedback on exactly these sounds.
- Do I need to learn a new alphabet or special characters?
- No new script at all. Portuguese uses the Latin alphabet you already know, extended by a few accents: the tilde for nasals (ã, õ), acute and circumflex marks (á, ê), the grave accent (à), and the cedilla (ç). Langula introduces all of them in A1 so reading clicks into place quickly.
- How long will it take to reach conversational level or B2?
- With consistent daily study, motivated English speakers often reach a conversational A2 in a few months and B1 within about a year; full B2 typically requires around 600–750 cumulative hours. Langula's 80 structured lessons and Leitner spaced repetition keep your progress on track from first words through to fluency.
Ready to learn Portuguese?
Free, in your browser, ready in under a minute.