Portuguese for Foreigners in Lisboa
Most people who ask us for Portuguese lessons in Lisbon have already been here for a while. They manage daily life in English, recognise a few words and have reached the point where that is no longer enough: for dealing with public services, for talking to a partner's family, for following what happens around them at work, or for a nationality application. What they need is not a general course but European Portuguese as it is actually spoken here. Arranja Já sends a teacher to your home, in Alvalade, Campo de Ourique, the Olivais or Parque das Nações, at whatever hour suits your week.
25K+
Interventions
4.8
Average rating
98%
Satisfaction
10+
Years experience
About our service in Lisboa
We start by establishing the objective properly, because everything else in the plan follows from it. Someone who wants to talk to a partner's family needs listening and spontaneous speech, with a high tolerance for mistakes. Someone who needs Portuguese at work needs specific vocabulary and a more formal register. Someone preparing the CIPLE exam has a defined syllabus, four assessed components and a format worth practising. These are three different routes, and mixing them wastes a good deal of time. In the first session we listen to what you can already do rather than to what you have studied, and we build the plan from there, which is usually more encouraging than people expect. Most learners know more grammar than they think and far less listening than they need. One point we always make explicitly at the outset: we teach European Portuguese. The difference from the Brazilian variety is not a matter of accent. Pronunciation, the placement of pronouns, forms of address and a good deal of everyday vocabulary all differ, and someone who learned from Brazilian materials understands far less than they expected at a counter in Lisbon, which is discouraging for no good reason. We work from the start with the variety you will actually hear in the street, including rapid speech, which is the main obstacle for anyone who has already studied the grammar and still cannot follow two Portuguese people talking to each other. On the CIPLE exam itself, we prepare all four assessed components with papers in the real format and explain how registration works through the official bodies. To be clear: we teach and we prepare, we do not issue any certificate and we have no role in the examination itself. We work Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm, and we are closed on Sunday.
In Lisbon, Portuguese lessons usually cover:
Services Included
- European Portuguese from the first lesson, with the pronunciation heard here
- Understanding rapid speech, the main obstacle for anyone who has studied grammar
- Everyday vocabulary: public services, health, housing and transport
- Preparation of the four CIPLE components with papers in the real format
- Conversation with corrections held back rather than interrupting
Areas We Serve
We cover the whole city: Alvalade, Areeiro, Olivais, Benfica, Lumiar, Campo de Ourique, Belém, Alcântara, Parque das Nações and Graça.
Work Gallery
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. If the teacher is not right for your level, we change them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What people in Lisbon ask us most:
I learned Portuguese from Brazilian materials. Do I have to start again?
No, but you do have to adjust. Almost all the grammar carries over. What changes is pronunciation, pronoun placement, forms of address and a fair amount of everyday vocabulary. We concentrate on listening to European Portuguese, which is usually the biggest surprise for people arriving with that background and the fastest thing to improve.
Do you prepare the CIPLE exam? Do I get the certificate through you?
We prepare the exam, across all four components and in the real format, and we explain how registration works. The examination and the certificate are the responsibility of the official bodies, not ours. We are a study support service and not an examination centre, and we would rather say so plainly than let anyone plan around a misunderstanding.
How much do Portuguese lessons in Lisbon cost?
It depends on your level, how often lessons run, their length and whether they are one-to-one or for two people, a couple for instance. Exam preparation with a fixed date has a different shape from regular conversation lessons. Tell us your objective and we will send a no-obligation quote.
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What Our Clients Say
Reviews from satisfied customers in Lisboa and surroundings
"Trabalho muito bem feito. Profissionais dedicados e simpáticos."
Tiago M.
Lisboa
"Excelente atendimento e resultado impecável. 5 estrelas!"
José O.
Lisboa
"Profissionais competentes e pontuais. Voltarei a contratar."
António T.
Lisboa
"Serviço de qualidade a um preço justo. Superou expectativas."
Catarina V.
Lisboa