Product Description
The Everything Learning Brazilian Portuguese Book with CD makes Brazilian Portuguese a breeze to learn! Author Fernanda L. Ferreira, Ph.D., provides you with step-by-step instruction in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Learn how to:

• Understand Portuguese grammar
• Improve pronunciation
• Ask questions in Portuguese
• Have basic conversations when traveling, dining out, conducting business, and shopping

Customer Reviews (12)

Good Book, But Not 100% Helpful
This book is useful, but not perfect for learning Portuguese. It lists the alphabet in the wrong order (placing "X" before "W"). It also does not clearly explain pronunciation or list enough nationalities. It does not give the words for Russian or Russia in the country, town, and nationalities list or in the glossary, but it does have that as an answer to an activity. I would say if anybody has to write a workbook for learning a foreign language, that author has to check for any errors before selling the book.

good, easy to read book

simple and to the point.A good way to get acquainted with portuguese.

The everthing learning Brazilian Portuguese
The book is great and the CD is helpful with the pronounciation! I will be visting Brazil in December and I feel confident with the language!I do want to point out that I also speak Spanish and that helps as well.

I love this book!
This book has very concise ways of teaching Portuguese to English speakers!
Muinto obrigado!!!!!

Effective, but not great!
Good book. You will learn the basics in portuguese. That being said, it's a very slow method: you will have to reach page 58 to learn "to be" (present tense) in portuguese. Moreover, each lesson begin with a very basic grammar explanation (what is a noun?, what is an article?). I find it a bit condescending (the author could have assumed that her readers went to elementary school).
The CD is very helpful. I would not buy the book without it.
... Read more

Product Description
Smoother than capoeira, fresher than a caipirinha, tastier than an empanada. Make the mostof your travels with Brazilian Portuguese.
super social section for getting to know people
communication tips and cultural information
culinary reader offers the wonders of Brazilian cuisine

Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture - a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Very good book!
The book arrived and is in excellent condition. It is very useful for those who want practical expressions in Brazilian Portuguese - and it has a very good pronunciation guide.

Lonely Planet Brazilian Portuguese
Wonderfully compact. Lots of good info. Take a bit to familiarized yourself with the format of the book before you get to Brazil.

Helpful resource
This handy book was very helpful in dealing with language situations while traveling in Brazil.I added to tabs to the pages so that I could easier find certain sections--like what to say when meeting people, numbers, things like that.

Very good language book for traveling.
I thought this book was very good.It gave each phrase in portuguese, english and written out the way that you would pronounce it.I bought another portuguese book that did not have the pronunciations, and will never do so again if I can help it.In my opinion the english/portuguese dictionaries did not contain enough words in them.There were quite a few times where I didn't have access to the words I was looking for.Overall I think this is a good book and would definately stick with Lonely Plane Phrasebook in the future.

A Good Pocket Guide
Just got back from Rio and found this version of the guide book very helpful. I would have loved if there was an audio companion to this book. That would have been extremely helpful in getting the right pronunciations. Overall, a great pocket guide. ... Read more

Product Description
Ultimate Portuguese has everything you need to learn Portuguese from scratch or to revive the Portuguese that you learned years ago. This course combines conversation and culture in an easy-to-follow, enjoyable, and effective format. It's the perfect way to learn Portuguese for school, travel, work, or personal enrichment.

Ultimate Portuguese Beginner-Intermediate includes:

•40 lessons in a comprehensive 416-page textbook:

Each lesson contains a lively and authentic dialogue, vocabulary, grammar and usage, step-by-step character writing, cultural highlights, and plenty of practice. The first ten lessons also include special pronunciation sections that will have you speaking right from the beginning. The book also contains review sections, readings, supplemental vocabulary sections, appendixes on essential Portuguese grammar, and a Portuguese-English/English-Portuguese glossary.

•8 hours of recordings with an ingenious two-step approach:

Learn at home: Listen to the first set of recordings as you follow along in your textbook. Immerse yourself in Portuguese while you listen and repeat with the all-Portuguese recordings, and learn conversation, grammar, vocabulary, and more

Learn on the go: Then practice, review, and expand upon what you’ve learned with the second set of recordings. An instructor will guide you through each lesson, and since no reading is required, you can listen in the car, on the train, at the gym…anywhere! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good, but definitely could be better
I bought this book having already purchased the Ultimate French Beginner-Intermediate, which is excellent, and hoping for the same quality from the Portuguese edition. However, I did not find this book to be of nearly as good quality as the French (and German, which I now own too) editions. This book has many errors, in both English and Portuguese, and does not include all new words used in the chapter in the vocabulary list at the end. And for the words it does include, it often arbitrarily puts verbs in a random conjugation (not the standard infinitive form) and adjectives and nouns in the feminine and/or plural forms without saying so. It also does not include the definite or indefinite article with nouns, to show the noun gender. All in all, it gets the job done, but it doesn't make it easy for the learner, who must already know some Portuguese grammar, or do some outside research to make sense of the vocabulary.

Okay for Brazilian Portuguese but not specific...
This book is the book my class used to study Brazilian Portuguese.I only assume it was chosen due to a lack of specific Brazilian Portuguese classroom books/training aides.The assignments in the book were pretty good and the answer key was handy.My teacher, from São Paulo, was constantly making changes for Brazilian Portuguese.Hey, I learned the language with this book and the class together, so it wasn't all that bad.There is probably a much better book to use in conjunction with a Brazilian Portuguese class.

Great if you're learning Brazilian Portuguese.
I couldn't begin to tell you how difficult it is to find books on learning continental (aka, European) Portuguese, and I thought I had finally hit the gold! This book seemed wonderful, from what I could tell from previews, and word of mouth. However, I ordered the book only to find that it is Brazilian Portuguese. If that is what you are looking for, then I highly recommend this book to you; it's easy to understand, although if you don't have any practice with the romance languages it may be a bit confusing, and even after you've finished it, it will remain a good resource.

I do recommend, however, that you make sure when you order this that you expect only the book, when it seems you would do best with book, audio, and dictionary (not sure where to get these, or I would have them myself).

As for continental Portuguese references...alas, my search continues.

Four out of five stars!

not perfect, but it's the best for the price
If you're good at learning languages and you already have some knowledge of one of the romance languages, this book is for you. If not, don't buy it.

Actually, when I bought it, I thought the CDs came with it, but they don't! So I returned it and got the package set with the book, CDs, and dictionary.

It's the easiest to use for the price. All the other language systems are way more money. I would suggest getting some supplimental materials too, like 501 Portuguese Verbs, and Essential Portuguese Grammar to really flesh it out.

A good set, worth the $50 I paid for it.
I bought several different sets of Portuguese books (Living Language, Teach-Yourself, Colloquial) but I've returned all of them except for the Living Language set.I'd have to say this one was one of the better ones.The book is well made, but I found the CDs to be a necessary supplement to the book unless you have a firm grasp of pronounciation.I'd recommend this series, with the following supplementary books as well:Larousse Portuguese dictionary, 501 verbs, and essential Portuguese grammar.As good as the Living Language book is, it is not thorough enough for a full study of the language.If you are just looking to learn how to converse in Portuguese, I recommend the Pimsleur system.I didn't have a good experience with the Behind the Wheel Portuguese CDs, but I guess I'll give them another try later.I am also considering taking classes at the Berlitz language center to further improve my ability to speak the language, but it does cost an arm and a leg. ... Read more

Product Description

Do you know Brazilian Portuguese already and want to go a stage further? If you’re planning a visit to Brazil, need to brush up your Brazilian Portuguese for work, or are simply doing a course, Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil 2 is the ideal way to refresh your knowledge of the language and to extend your skills.

Key features of Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil 2 include:

• revision material to help consolidate and build up your basics
• a wide range of contemporary authentic documents
• lots of spoken and written exercises in each unit
• highlighted key structures and phrases, a grammar reference and detailed answer keys
• a broad range of everyday situations, focusing on Brazil
• supplementary exercises and Brazilian Portuguese language web-links at www.routledge.com/languages.

Audio material is available to purchase on CD or in MP3 format to accompany Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil 2. Recorded by native speakers, this material includes scripted dialogues, texts and extracts from authentic interviews as well as interactive exercises, and will help you perfect your pronunciation and listening skills.

Customer Reviews (1)

A great intermediate textbook
Although this is not a book for beginners, if you already speak a little Portuguese and know the sounds of the language, this is a great resource for expanding your knowledge of colloquial Portuguese. I adopted a sibling group from Brazil a couple of years ago, so I have an in-house source for the language of the street. But this is a well-designed, well-written textbook that provides a vocabulary list and a reading section based on the vocabulary covered up to that point (something that is now quite rare in language textbooks in my experience as a college Spanish prof).

If you still need help with the sounds of Portuguese, then you will want to purchase the audio CD from Amazon (ISBN: 0415430992).

I speak rather fluent Portuguese, but I still need help with colloquial speech. I found this book to be exactly what I needed. ... Read more

Product Description
Quick! What’s the most widely spoken language in South America? That’s right, Portuguese! And what’s the fastest, easiest, most enjoyable way to learn Portuguese? Portuguese for Dummies, of course! This fun, friendly guide helps you start speaking Brazilian Portuguese immediately! Whether you're a student, a traveler, or you work in business or government, you'll love its practical lessons, cultural facts, and handy references — including a Portuguese-English mini-dictionary, lists of vital verbs, and more! You’ll discover how to:

• Have everyday conversations in Portuguese
• Make sense of Portuguese grammar
• Use idioms and popular expressions
• Improve your pronunciation
• Get a handle on verb conjugations
• Get around in Portuguese-speaking countries

Portuguese for Dummies comes complete with a CD loaded with real-life “Talkin’ the Talk” dialogues that help you understand and pronounce this lovely, lyrical language. With this easy, low-pressure approach you’ll be jabbering away in Portuguese in no time.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Excellent!!
I found Portuguese for Dummies to be a great introduction to learning Portuguese.Aside from being useful, it's entertaining, so for those who aren't good at making their way through dry grammar books that's a major plus. Also, for those who are interested in language, there are some fun cultural anecdotes on usage etc.

Of course if you're looking for a complete review of Portuguese grammar, go elsewhere, but if you're looking for a fun, quick, entertaining way to become proficientin Portuguese, this book is perfect. The accompanying CD is pretty sad but it will at least give you an idea of how to pronounce some of the more difficult sounds in Portuguese, which for me, are quite a few.

Some good info, some mistakes
I was very excited when I found this book since it solely focuses on Brazilian Portuguese.I ordered it before moving to Brazil as a supplement to learning Portuguese.I found a lot of things nice about this book such as some of the cultural tips and info and her general "voice" in writing the book.Also, I'm still able to use this book as a reference if I want to look something up quickly without going to the computer.However, there are some negatives about this book that I just can't ignore.To name a couple... like some others who have reviewed this book there is definitely some descrepancy with pronuciation of some of the words-- and I am talking standard pronunciation (regional accents aside!)Along with that it makes me wonder what happened with the editing!I may be being too picky here, but when using an example of one of the most famous women in Brazil --Gisele Bündchen-- you should spell her name right and the author not only spelled it wrong, but spelled it wrong two different ways and the editors did not catch this-- but I caught it (and other typos) immediately.

A Book with Mistakes, Love it
I'm planning to go to the Carnaval in Rio soon, so I bought this book to get me a kick ahead into the language. I'm a native Spanish Speaker, and noticed the similarities between the two languages, so I figured I wouldn't have extreme difficulty learning with this helper. One super big advantage I have is that I have Portuguese and Brazillian friends who help me with pronounciation, expressions, and grammar. But I can't be using my friends, and I wanted to learn on my own. I know not everybody is as lucky. I noticed mistakes in some phrases, because I've been absorbing the rules and spelling. Majorly the difference between 'e' and 'é' 'o' and 'do' is what gets me, but I noticed mistakes with these examples in the book. That's not good if the idea is to teach how to spell and pronounce words correctly, but mistakes are human. I think the CD was ok, a bit fun to listen to. I know that the speakers sound a bit robotic, but it's to make tha pronounciation clearer and more imatable by the learner. When I heard the narrator's voice, I was about to lose my rag. She pronounced the words so dully, so terrible. "Senhorda" is what shocked me. Good thing she wasn't the one speaking "like a native." I wouldn't believe that one bit. So far I'm doing good with this but you have to be a good student, or wait for a even more revised version comes out.

Poor Quality
I was born in Brazil - thus Portuguese is my primary language.

I came across this book only by chance.

I used the "Look Inside" feature and had a shock: I noticed an excessive amount of words that are not spelled correctly, many cases of poor translation and text showing inappropriate use of slang (and too much of it). To make things worse, the author committed basic grammar errors. All this is absolutely unacceptable when the book's objective is to teach the language!

I strongly recommend the author to submit this book to a Brazilian linguist expert for a deep, thorough review.

I definitely do not recommend this book to anyone.

Don't Take Pronunciation Guide as Gospel
This book does a good job of introducing common Portuguese words for someone new to the language. My main problem with the book is the pronunciation guide related to the letter "r". For all word positions except the first or last letter in a word, this book says that an "r" should be pronounced with a "d" sound in all cases. This conflicts with the pronunciation of "r" I hear/see used in the Rosetta Stone Portuguese course, the Pimsleur Portuguese course, the Harper-Collins Portuguese dictionary, words spoken on Brazilian news shows on Dish Network, etc. My suggestion is to use the book to learn everyday words, but don't use this book as a definitive source for pronunciation guidance.There are a number of typos/mistakes in this book.

... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Brazilian Portuguese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Brazilian Portuguese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Brazilian Portuguese includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Brazilian Portuguese plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Brazilian Portuguese are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Brazilian Portuguese Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

You too can sound Brazilian!
For the most part, this is a great system.The method used to teach language is very effective. Just when you're ready to throw in the towel because you feel like you'll never remember how to say, "I want to go to the restaurant," you get to revisit the teachings in the next lesson.Before you know it, you realize you have quite the Portuguese vocabulary.You quickly learn how to pronounce words like a native, which helps immeasurably.I was complimented several times in Brazil on my speaking ability.Additionally, with a male and female speaker, you are able to hear pronunciations of words by two different people.Since, Portuguese has some language rules dependent on gender, it's important to be able to hear how different words are pronounced depending on the gender of the speaker e.g., obrigado vs. obrigada.

What this system was missing were more conversations specifically related to travel in a foreign country.It's great to be able to say "I want to eat" in Portuguese, but that's not useful at a restaurant.The waiter already knows you want to eat, the question is WHAT do you want to eat and HOW do you order it?Likewise, it's great to be able to say "Where is hotel ___?"But, once you get to the hotel, how do you say, "I'd like to check-in?", or "I'd like to find the business center to use the internet." I ran into the same problem at the train station - I had no idea how to say, "I'd like to by a one-way ticket."Similarly, it would have been helpful to know how to say, "I'd like change please," or "Should we tip?"Since Portuguese is pronounced so differently from the French and Spanish I'm used to, the translation book I had with me didn't help at all.People understood me best when I spoke using words I'd learned thanks to Pimsleur. Perhaps more travel-related language is available on the larger set?But, I survived, between my Pimsleur learning and some sign language, we Americanas got along just fine.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Pimsleur system and will pick it up when I need to learn a new language for my next trip.

Great Starter Course
These CDs are great if you have a commute over 30 minutes or so, and can just pop them in and listen.They build on the words introduced in previous lessons and are a very effective introduction.The one thing I missed was a written lesson plan or list of the words used, so I could see the spelling.This was especially significant with Brazilian Portuguese, which pronounces letters very differently from English.(D is pronounced as a J, Rs sound like Ds, etc.)

That said, there is quite a bit of variety in usage demonstrated (and requested,) so you do get to (just) start thinking in the language.It's an introduction, probably ok for vacation trips, etc., so plan on something deeper if you are going to stay longer (or have a deeper relationship!)

Better Than RS!!!
I got this audiobook for my boyfriend who is American and has been trying to learn portuguese. As a genuin Brazilian I can definitely say that it works great! He has been learning very fast and loves it!!! Totally recomend!

GREAT for conversational Portuguese
I recently went to Brazil for a week with a group, and used this program along with learning a few phrases recommended by the group to prepare myself. I had about two months to study Portuguese, and I am really surprised at how comfortable I was with the language!

I was easily in the top half of the group for how well I could speak Portuguese, and probably more in the top quarter (though many of the folks couldn't say anything in Portuguese). One man in our group had been studying Portuguese for a year and a half using Rosetta Stone, averaging 2 hours a night...though of course he could speak better than I could, I was amazed at how close I was to him in overall comfort level. I didn't have near the extent of vocabulary yet, but I could usually pick out the words that I did know even as the Brazilians were speaking at their normal speed, and I could communicate the essentials at restaurants and in most of our typical conversations.

I highly recommend this program as a starting point for learning Portuguese. As others have said, it is not a complete program at all, but it gets you started with basic conversational phrases and an intuitive understanding of Portuguese sentence structure. For the price, it's a great launching point for long-term study, and adequate for cramming before a last-minute trip!

Great beginner learning CDs
Someone recommended Pimsleur brand to me, and I am very impressed with the Brazilian Portuguese conversational I CDs. I am on 10 out of 16 lessons, and I feel like I'm really speaking Portuguese! Each lesson is 30 mins long, so I can listen to it on my commute to work and it doesn't take any extra time out of my day. The price was a steal for what I'm getting out of it. I wish there was a Conversational II so I could continue my lessons! ... Read more

Product Description
With Living Language Complete Portuguese: The Basics, you’ll start by learning words, and then you’ll progress to phrases, sentences, and conversations.This simple four-step building block approach will have you speaking with confidence right from the beginning, and you’ll be able to learn gradually and effectively.Best of all, this comprehensive course includes everything you need — pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, culture, and practice — and it’s designed to be effective in a short period of time.So what are you waiting for?With Living Language, you’re just a few simple steps away from speaking Portuguese!

This comprehensive course package includes:
•40 step-by-step lessons in a convenient coursebook
•4 audio CDs with all the important course content
•A comprehensive grammar reference section
•Supplemental sections on e-mail and internet resources
•An English-Portuguese/Portuguese-English learner’s dictionary
•A bonus pocket travel reference

Plus, you can save $5 with publisher mail-in rebate! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Just like a textbok, but cheaper!!
This has been a helpful tool in my decision to learn Portuguese.It teaches the language very much like a textbook would and at a very reasonable price.I would definitely recommend to a beginner like myself.The CD is also helpful and allows you to hear the correct pronunciation.

Nice, easy, useful
A Good price and lots of informative material. My wife and I each got our own copy. I would recommend it.

Not especially effective
I used this set to prepare on the flight for a trip to Brazil.I must admit that I did learn to say "please" and "thank you", as well as "pleased to meet you", but otherwise, I did not find this to be an effective way to learn.Granted, I did not use the set as recommended (daily for a period of time).After two trips to Brazil, I got serious about learning Brazilian Portuguese, and with the help of others' reviews, I hit upon the Pimsleur materials.They are the most expensive of any I have found, but also truly effective, so that they turn out to be a very good value.I use them in the car, and after only four lessons can carry on some basic conversation.They are almost as good as live one-on-one lessons with a native teacher.Don't pay full price for Pimsleur; brand new sets are discounted on various online venues.

Complete Course is only Brazilian in the audio portion
fyi - per living language, "... the Complete Course is only Brazilian in the audio portion and both Brazilian and Continental in the book. In case you decide to continue on into more in-depth Portuguese, our Ultimate Portuguese has about 9 lessons out of 40 that are Continental (while the rest are Brazilian)." Also, Portuguese In-Flight is only Brazilian.




... Read more

Product Description
All the grammar really needed for speaking and comprehending Portuguese. Ideal for self-study or class use, by beginning students or in refresher courses. Emphasis is on explanation rather than rote memory, with inclusion of much phrase material for examples. Can be used as a supplement to phrase study.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

GREAT VALUE
I LOVE this little book. Very compact. Everything you need to know about grammar. Honestly, you probably don't even need a textbook. If you're disciplined enough, use a dictionary to create vocabulary lists for building your Portuguese vocabulary everyday. This little book sums up all the rules you need for creating sentence structures. Essential Portuguese Grammar comes very handy either as a reference or a primary learning source. Author differentiates between Brazilian and European/Continental rules in grammar, as well as spelling and giving examples of common usage of each grammar rule. This book is a MUST-HAVE. I recommend getting a book on conjugated verbs as well, otherwise, just use the site I always do: [...]

Great guide on the basics
This book is written in an easy to follow fashion that I found very helpful and informative. This book should however be considered a cliff-notes or abridged guide as it is light and compact (that was what I was looking for); by no means is an extensive guide on the Portugese langauge. Note: This book is mainly on Portugese as spoken in Portugal not Brazil.

For all levels!
This book is very easy to read and very thorough.each concept is explained very simply and concise.if there is any confusion on when to use a specific grammatical forms, this book will clarify.it has everything you need to know about portuguese grammer, even the stuff that nobody ever uses.my girlfriend, who is Brazilian, uses this book to check up on certain things from time to time.Like i said, this book is for all levels of learning.although, i would imagine that some high level purists would prefer a grammar book written in Portuguese to really immerse yourself.but, the grammar is all here in this book for all levels.

the book is written in english for first language english speakers.if you dont speak english very well then some of the concepts might not make sense.only grammar included, not much vocab.you will learn a lot from the examples but to really learn portugues you'd probably need another tool to help you with vocabulary.not quite sure what those tools are, but one thing i heard of is to put post-it notes on things around the house with the portuguese word.not too bad...rossetta stone may be good for you.everybody learns differently, you need to find a method that works for you.

Good Little Grammar Book
This is by no means a complete comprehensive grammar book, but if you want to get a feel of Portuguese grammar, and you don't have a lot of time to study, then this is a good book. It explains a lot of grammar, and is especially helpful if you don't have a lot of time to study every aspect of grammar. It gives you a lot of examples. I also have Essential German Grammar, and that is very helpful for me as I learn German.

Very helpful book
Very helpful when you know portugese or english word to find word in other language. Use this book often. ... Read more

Product Description
SPEAK PORTUGUESE WITH CONFIDENCE IN JUST 6 WEEKS!

The Living Language® Portuguese Complete Course teaches the basics of Brazilian Portuguese language and usage, while indicating significant European Portuguese variations. It uses a highly effective speed-learning method developed by U.S. government experts to teach languages to overseas-bound service personnel and diplomats.

THREE 60-MINUTE COMPACT DISCS WITH 40 LESSONS
•Begin with simple words and progress to complex phrases and sentences.
•Just listen and repeat after the native speakers on the recordings to learn naturally, the way you learned English.

PORTUGUESE COURSEBOOK
•40 lessons from the recordings with translations, additional vocabulary, detailed explanations, quizzes, and reviews.
•Verb charts, a comprehensive grammar summary, and a section on letter writing are also included.

PORTUGUESE–ENGLISH / ENGLISH–PORTUGUESE DICTIONARY
•More than 20,000 words, idioms, and expressions.
•Examples show how words are used in everyday conversation.
•1,000 frequently used words are highlighted for easy reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Portuguese Complete Course: Basic-Intermediate Compact Disc Edition
The order I made should have a book and a CD, but only book was delivered. Even though I sent them an e-mail, but its response is extremely poor.

Claims to be useful for all Portuguese users but it isn't
I'm trying to learn Continental Portuguese and this book claims that it has a focus on Brazilian Portuguese and also includes Continental.What it doesn't tell you is that all the pronunciations and most conjugations are for Brazilian Portuguese so you have to do your homework to remember the differences.It's like learning American English with a British English course--you'll learn English but all your pronunciations and phrasings will be off.

Also, the structure of this book/CD is awful.It would make more sense to me to learn the very basics (i.e. alphabet, numbers, colors, vocabulary) first and work your way up to more complex phrases.Instead this book dives in head first to cities and names, then works its way back to basic numbers and alphabet, then jumps to full sentences, then eventually works it's way back to vocabulary.For example,you'll learn how to say "How are you, miss?"Before you ever learn how to conjugate the word "Estar" and before you learn the word "miss."By the 10th lesson, after you've been learning conversational phrases, you finally learn how to conjugate your first word.I'd pass on this set.

Well, I'm still horrible - but it's not Living Language's fault
I'm just terrible at learning foreign languages.This CD set lets you go at your own pace, but you must be the type who learns well from rote memorization.I'm much better in a classroom, so while this system is helpful, it does not do as much for me as face-to-face schooling/tutoring does.

The four stars is for the quality of the product - don't let my admission of how bad I am at learning dissuade you.

Good when used with other books and CDs
In February of this year, I met a new friend who is from Brazil.She has been teaching me her native language for five months now.By supplementing her lessons with this book and CD set, my Portuguese has improved dramatically.This course mostly contains lists of words and phrases, but it is very helpful to listen to the native speakers even if you're still learning the vocabulary.The text is a small paperback book and the package seems cheaply made, but the content is worth its price and then some.It does come with a dictionary, but my gripe on that is the print is too small.

Yes, it does help to have a native speaker to practice with, but by supplementing other tools in addition to this set, anyone can get a good foundation in the Portuguese language.I give it 4 stars instead of 5 due to the cheap quality of the books.I'm trying very hard not to break the spine of these paperbacks for fear that they may fall apart!Definitely a course to be used at home and not behind the wheel.

Not what I was expecting...
I was looking for a system that I could use in the car while I am commuting everyday. This is great for repetition and accent, however, without looking at the book, I can only guess at what they are talking about. I do speak Spanish, so the words that are similar to Spanish I can understand, but if I didn't, it would not be usefull at all. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn to speak, read, and write Portuguese quickly and easily with Living Language®. Developed by U.S. government experts, this book introduces readers step-by-step to all the basics of the Brazilian version of Portuguese: pronunciation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and grammar, while indicating significant European Portuguese variations.

IN THIS BOOK, READERS WILL FIND:
•All the words and phrases from the 40 lessons on the Living Language® Portuguese Complete Course recordings, plus additional vocabulary
•A guide to pronunciation
•Useful topics including directions, introductions, shopping, faxes, and e-mail
•Explanations of grammar and usage
•Short quizzes to help you check your progress
•A comprehensive summary of Portuguese grammar
•Verb charts including all tenses
•A special section on writing letters

While this book stands on its own as an instructional program and an invaluable reference, readers will find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Living Language® Portuguese Complete Course cassette and compact disc packages include this book as well as a dictionary. ... Read more

Product Description
Bestselling language courses now with audio CDs!

From Danish to Spanish, Swahili to Brazilian Portuguese, the languages of the world are brought within the reach of any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Language Courses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are based on the very latest learning methods and designed to be enjoyable and user-friendly.

Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including:

Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues
Graded units of culture notes, grammar, and exercises
Step-by-step guide to pronunciation
Practical vocabulary
Regular and irregular verb tables
Plenty of practice exercises and answers
Bilingual glossary
The new editions also feature:

Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout
Self-assessment quizzes to test progress
Website suggestions to take language study further ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

taech yourself brazilian portugesecompleate course
I recieved your product, it's fast. But not compleate it isno cd. I can't use this book complealy, it no sound.

Not as bad as the reviews suggest
I'm not sure why the majority here are trashing this book. Some reviewers sound more like scholars of the Portuguese language rather than consumers who are looking for a basic introduction to BP. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen so many people with axes to grind who paid ~$20 for a book and 2 cds. Get over it. If you want the language spoon fed to you without any ambiguities, then take a class. So what if the woman on the CD has a British accent or if you think the presentation is geared to UK readers. I speak American English and I don't find this to be a barrier to understanding the exercises nor the examples. I also don't think that any instructional course is going to give you perfect examples of pronunciation to Brazilian Portuguese because there are regional variations. I'm halfway through the book and I'm finding it very helpful and enjoyable which is saying a lot for a language instruction course book. I've tried a few other do-it-yourself books on learning Portuguese and I believe this one to be the most practical and concise ... and painless. I actually enjoy and look forward to opening up the book and picking up where I left off, whereas with some others, I have a feeling of dread just looking at the book on my shelf. Are there flaws? Maybe. But I don't know enough Portuguese to notice them. I like the sample dialogues; the boxes that define key phrases and grammatical concepts, and the illustrations. Of course, to get a different perspective, it's a good idea to use more than one book when trying to teach yourself a new language. However, I'm glad I started with this one. It packs a lot of information into 230 pages. You get a BP/Eng to Eng/BP dictionary; a glossary of grammatical terms and a cheat sheet for the numbers. So, I think if you're new to the language and travelling to Brazil for the first time and want to feel comfortable enough to ask basic questions and grasp the major concepts of BP, then this book will be helpful and worth the investment.

Great for the grammar.
This book is very good for the grammatical pat of the Brazilian Portugese language, however, one still needs a CD to listen to the pronunciation.

Home study of Brazilian Portuguese
Teach Yourself Brazilian Portuguese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself Language Complete Courses)
This is fairly easy to get started and in depth enough to make itworthwhile - the mixture of written and spoken language is useful as are the revision sections.Well worth the money if you need to learn more than the very basics.

I want my money back...
The audio CD doesn't gives only one or two exercises where you can repond and focuses almost exclusively on listening.In addition, the written exercises do not follow what is on the CD so often you don't know if you have completed the exercises correctly or not. My husband is Brazilian and I speak fluent Spanish so I understand spoken Portuguese.I wanted something to help me with my pronunciation and grammer, but this wasn't it!

Annoying waste of money!


... Read more

Product Description
Here is an ideal supplement to classroom textbooks for students learning Portuguese. The most frequently-used Portuguese verbs are presented alphabetically in table form, one verb per page. Each verb is completely conjugated in all tenses with English translations. A new index in this edition lists an additional 1,000 verbs with English translations, cross-referenced to verbs that are similarly conjugated in the main text. Language students will find additional material covering idiomatic verb usage, grammatical construction, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (54)

Great reference, but lacks a thorough discussion of the tenses
The reference part of this book is solid, with a good selection of verbs showing every possible conjugation, tense, and mood.The handful of sample sentences at the bottom of each page does a good job of illustrating how each verb is used in its various shades of meaning. I would have appreciated it if the authors had also included the most common expressions and the appropriate prepositions to use with each verb -- a good dictionary is still necessary for these.

The book is not particular to either european or brazilian portuguese and does an admirable job of highlighting differences in spelling and even pronunciation between the two variants.Students of Brazilian Portuguese will have to ignore the inclusion of the "tu" and "vos" forms in the tables and examples.

The additional English->Portuguese and Portuguese->English glossaries in the back vastly increase the value of this book, since they include an additional 1,000 verbs cross-referenced to similar verbs whose full conjugations are given in the main section.

The front matter of the book is quite comprehensive in some areas but utterly lacking in others.For example, it goes into quite a lot of detail concerning reflexive verb usage, object pronouns, passive voice, the progressive tense, and irregular past participles.But, bafflingly for a reference book about verbs, there is little to no discussion at all about the various tenses and moods presented in the tables!Nowhere, for example, will you find a description of what the subjunctive is or when to use it.Completely lacking is any discussion of how to use each of the numerous past and future tenses.And nowhere will you find a discussion of the two most unusual features of Portuguese verbs: the personal infinitive and the future subjunctive.Given how much attention is paid to far more arcane topics, it's just bizarre what has been left out.

That said, having already studied these missing topics using other resources (I recommend Essential Portuguese Grammar and Ponto de Encontro), I found that this book really helped me see the big picture and synthesize everything I had learned about the huge variety of tenses and moods available in Portuguese.After using this book for a few weeks, my verb usage has become more sophisticated, I've been able to memorize the irregular verbs that were giving me trouble, and I've learned quite a lot of new verbs.

don't buy for the kindle 3
impossible to read on the kindle 3.the screen isn't large enough so the font is tiny.you cannot even zoom in due to the formatting.

Book needs improvement but still has some use.
I can see why earlier reviews commented how poorly this book did in explaining the conjugation of Portuguese verbs. I understand many Portuguese words and their conjugation because I know Spanish. Somebody commented and compared this book to the Spanish version of "501 Spanish verbs". This book did a poor job of simply not defining clearly the different tenses in Portuguese. In the Spanish version book, it CLEARLY indicates how many tenses there are and the DIFFERENT kind of tenses. This 501 Portuguese Verbs book, you have to figure it out yourself. Even though I have an advantage of learning Portuguese quicker because I already know Spanish, it was still difficult for me to understand the conjugation of the verbs, reading this book. You'll need more than this book to master Portuguese verbs.I still recommend it because it does have a lot of verbs you can learn.

Do _NOT_ buy for Kindle
This book is unreadable on Kindle (note other reviews corraborating this).It looks like probably a great resource in the print version.But the way it has been trasnfered to Kindle leaves nearly all of the most important sections unreadable, even at largest type size, or using Kindle's magnify feature.

Worth its weight in gold
This book has enough information packed into it, in a very organized way, to supply my needs for a lifetime.I give this book absolutely the strongest recommendation.IMO you will not regret buying this.

For Portuguese I recommend: this book (501 Portuguese Verbs) for a reference, the Larousse Port.-English dictionary, and "Para a Frente" for a grammar. All these books are available on Amazon, and they are all fantastic. ... Read more

Product Description

GET D!RTY

Next time you're traveling or just chattin' in Portuguese with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:

• Cool slang
• Funny insults
• Explicit sex terms
• Raw swear words

Dirty Portuguese teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of Brazil:

♦ What's up? Tudo bem?

♦Are those fake boobs? Você tem silicone no peito?

♦I need to take a piss.Preciso mijar.

♦That goalie is so weak. Esse goleiro é uma mãe.

♦Shit's about to go down!O coro vai comer!

♦I'm smashed.Tô bebum.

♦Let's fuck like animals. Vamos trepar como animais. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

An excellent primer to the language and culture
This book is loaded with many useful expressions.I study Portuguese with Rosetta Stone, but this gives a great deal of insight into the slang and culture of Brazil.My wife is Brazilian, and I usually can make her laugh reading a handful of the expressions.The layout is a little awkward, and some of the expressions are pretty regional- meaning they don't translate so perfectly all the time.But all in all, a fine book to combine with actual language study.The book is inexpensive, engaging through the use of humor, and teaches the parts of the language you will not get in a textbook.

Exremely entertaining!
This book is a steal for what it is! You will seriously get a whole lot more than just the "f" word! Totally worth the money spent. Amazon shipping delivered on time too.

Oh so helpful...
This book is a must have for travelers to Brazil, capoeiristas, anyone who spends time with Brazilians, anyone who has any interest in Brazilian culture, or... anyone with a sense of humor. Practical, useful, and fun, this portable book will teach you more than you ever thought you wanted to know about Portuguese slang.

Highly Recommended!
This book is more than dirty expressions to use to impress your new Brazilian friends. It gives a window into a piece of the culture in Brazil, providing less-than-intuitive suggestions like which are the appropriate clothes to wear to the gym, to the dangers of supporting an Argentine soccer team while in the presence of a Brazilian.The book is an enjoyable, easy read that made me laugh out loud, and made me even more excited to visit this unique country. It is clearly written by people who know what they are talking about.The authors do a great job of translating humor- one of the more difficult tasks between languages and cultures. Even if you don't have immediate plans to head South this book is more than worth your time!

Great Conversation Starter!
This book is an excellent conversation tool in almost ANY context! While it is a definite must have for a trip to Brazil, it is also handy to disrupt awkward silences abroad...'hey guess how to say MILF in Portuguese?' It's incredibly easy to use and, as other reviewers have mentioned, conveniently compact. But don't let the size fool you, as promised, it's loaded with Brazilian sayings, slang, and cuss words. I showed the book to a Brazilian friend who lives in the U.S. and he couldn't get enough of it! It does get quite racy and everyone seems to go directly to the sex chapter, which has caused me to blush on more than one occasion, but this is part of its charm as no corners are cut in getting down and DIRTY! Well worth the $8 investment! ... Read more

Product Description
With hundreds of travel-related expressions, including greetings, questions, numbers and more, the Berlitz Phrase Book and CD offers business and leisure travelers key words and phrases needed for a trip abroad.In print and audio, its up to date, relevant content makes the Berlitz Phrase Book and CD an essential tool for today's travelers.Each foreign language phrase is repeated - slowly at first and then at normal speed - so learners can build confidence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Must have for anyone traveling to a Portuguese speaking country
The book and CD contain all the phrases you should need on a trip.In addition, the compact book contains a dictionary and maps of both Portugal and Brazil.Recommend loading the CD on your iPod or iPhone so you can practice the pronunciation and easily lookup the appropriate phrase when needed.Differences between Continental and Brazilian Portuguese are identified when they apply. ... Read more

Product Description
A thoroughly original picture dictionary featuring beautiful artwork. The vibrant pictures encourage the reader’s creativity while learning to identify objects and words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book!!!
This is a perfect book to teach portuguese to children. I speak portuguese and always wanted to find a book to help me teach the kids I babysit, and this one is perfect. I will for sure buy another one whenever I have my own.

Milet Picture Dictionary (English-Portuguese)
This dictionary is great for teaching a young child vocabulary in Portuguese even if you do not speak Portuguese (or are a bit rusty) because of the English translation under each word and accompanying colourful illustration. Each page (or page spread) covers a specific topic like colours or vegetable or animals, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
Ponto de Encontro is the first Portuguese language textbook that gives the student the choice to learn either Brazilian or European Portuguese. While it seeks to emphasize commonalities, Ponto also highlights and preserves important differences in both vocabulary and grammar. This program provides an ample, flexible, communication-oriented framework for a beginning or intermediate student of Portuguese. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great textbook for a class, not the best for self-study
First of all, this is a thoughtfully-designed textbook that feels current and modern, having been published only in 2007. The pages are lively and absorbing, and each chapter is filled with a huge variety of exercises, readings, and cultural notes.I particularly enjoy the numerous readings on Portuguese-speaking countries and cities, and I appreciate that the authors have made a big effort to include lusophone Africa and Asia into the cultural mix, in addition to the many regions of Brazil and Portugal.The cultural focus is on the entire Portuguese-speaking world, and it makes for a very worldly introduction to Portuguese, though I do have to wonder if this is really the best approach for language learning, given the vast differences that exist between the colloquial vernacular in places as far-flung as Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Maputo, Recife, and Cape Verde.

The grammar explanations are in English and are among the most thorough, nuanced, and contemporary explanations I have found in any Portuguese text (including "Essential Portuguese Grammar"), with plenty of useful examples that highlight the differences between Brazilian and European/African usage.This makes it an excellent and authoritative reference that I turn to whenever I have grammar questions.

As an independent learner not using this book as part of a class, there are some difficulties I've found in using Ponto de Encontro.The exercises are varied but weighted heavily toward interaction in groups, which is not much use if you're studying alone.I have been making better use of the accompanying student activities manual, which includes more written exercises.The publisher's website also includes a good number of audio listening exercises.But for self-study exercises, I think a book like Falar, Ler, Escrever is more useful.

A bigger issue is that the organization of the book, while great for a multi-year course series, is not well suited to fast-track self-study.The authors have made a conscious decision to avoid foregrounding grammar, instead organizing each chapter around broad thematic topics (Family, Travel, etc.), and sprinkling in small nuggets of grammar here and there - a common format for a school textbook, but one which makes its use as a reference book much more difficult, as it can take a long time to locate a particular grammar topic.Those whose main interest is in absorbing grammar in a progressive and systematized way will be frustrated, as, for example, you may encounter the preterit of regular verbs buried in Chapter 5, but the preterit of irregular verbs may not be discussed until two chapters later.The very useful conditional tense won't be discussed at all until page 482. So tedious was this baby-step approach that I gave up on trying to work through the book in order after just the first two chapters, and I began to just jump to the sections that interested me - though even this is a challenge since you will have to consult the index every time you want to review, say, the imperfect tense.

Don't get me wrong - the intervening material and exercises are interesting and enriching, but it makes for a poor reference when the grammar topics are widely separated and presented in a capricious order.

Another problem - one that plagues every textbook, it seems - is that there is little discussion of "usage".The differences between formal written and informal spoken Portuguese are vast, and they are multiplied by the vaster regional differences among the lusophone countries.Many times the student will encounter two or three ways of saying the same thing, and the book does a reasonable job of differentiating the European/African variants from the Brazilian variants. But it's still disappointing to see "há" presented as the primary way of saying "there is/are", when the vast majority of Brazilians would say "tem".I think usage can only be absorbed by interacting with a native speakers, so it's probably up to a teacher or tutor to impart these more sophisticated aspects of the vernacular, and I don't fault the book too much for this, especially given its worldly focus.

The video contains both european & brazilian portuguese
Despite the fact that the header in the Amazon listing says European edition, the video contains examples of Portuguese as spoken in Portugal and in Brazil.
So far I've only checked the first couple of exercises but here's my take. My birth language is English and my acquired language is Spanish. My ear adapts more easily to the European version but I know that I also need to comprehend the Brazilian version. (There are 11 million Portuguese & 200 million Brazilians. And don't forget Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde & others)
The other thing I note is that there's a more balanced representation of life stages (child, young adult, mature adult) in the European version. The Brazilian version is heavily weighted towards youngsters...late teens to mid 30's.
It's an excellent supplement to the textbook.

love this set
I am teaching myself with this set and it works well. I enjoy using the different materials, such as the activities manual and webresources. Very well done.

Really intuitive book
The Ponto de Encontro textbook provides students with precise language skills from the first lesson.Although, because Spanish is my native language, it feels easier to connect the grammar and logic of the Portuguese language with Spanish, both being of the same origin.But generally speaking, the book is a really good reference source.

Ponto de Encontro is a truly wonderful language learning textbook!
I have read the other reviews on this site about this set and none of them taken the time to describe the entire set as a unit and how they are there to help you to really learn Brazilian or European Portuguese should you decide to use all of the resources available.

The completeness of this entire set is impressive as they have left no stone unturned: textbook (that teaches either Brazilian or European Portuguese, or you can learn BOTH, per your preference), separate activity manuals for each of the two Portuguese language types, an answer key in one inexpensive edition that covers both activity manuals as well as the companion oral/visual language DVD for BOTH separate as well as equal Brazilian or European Portuguese, the DVD of Portuguese speakers talking about each of the topics, chapter by chapter, of the textbook for BOTH separate as well as equal Brazilian or European Portuguese, and a 3-CD audio set for the textbook itself with a very nice and clear index listing of every track with each chapter and section. They don't stop here either! They also have an on-line site for learning Brazilian and European Portuguese with audio, interactive activities, flashcard system and tests that, when completed, you can choose to send to your teacher, to the teacher's assistant, to a friend and to yourself in plain text or HTML formats!

The text book "Ponto De Encontro: Portuguese as a World Language," is very well put together with sound step-by-step learning of either Brazilian or European Portuguese per your own choice. The chapters cover what one really needs to learn to be successful with their learning of Portuguese. By the 4th Chapter or Lesson, counter to one objection in an earlier review, most of the chapter, including instructions are written in Portuguese! Further on, they are entirely in Portuguese. There is a very good guide to the entire book on pages iii-xv, all aspects of each Lesson are described: communication,dialogues (described in Enlglish); introductory prose titles (described in Portuguese), grammar covered (described in English), further and more complex prose titles (described in Portuguese), Reading, speaking and writing exercises and training (described in both English and Portuguese); and, finally, geography lessons (listing regions in Portuguese).

From 16 to 27 pages of activities for each chapter in the textbook, filled with consistently reinforcing material step-by-step and from involved activity to activity, you can not go wrong with this book. The textbook itself is 570 pages of instruction while the activity book has 442 pages. I have studied Russian as well as Irish and I have never seen, for either of these languages, an accompanying activity book in a series that would be as extensive and almost as lengthly as the original textbook. (Well, V Puti, a Russian set does this and is the only exception!) I have thumbed my way through the book (I am an English as a Second Language teacher by profession) and it is pedagogically sound in all elements and the activities are relevant to the language learning itself. It does not (as do some activity books) get too carried away with introducing way too much new vocabulary that is not relevant to the tasks and the textbook and guides the student through everything quite well.

I would suggest that, along with the "Brazilian Student Activities Manual to Accompany 'Ponto de Encontro': Portuguese as spoken and used in Brazil" (Remember that there is also the "European Student Activities Manual for 'Ponto de Encontro': Portuguese as a World Language" for those learning Portuguese as spoken and used in Portugal) you should also get the "Answer Key to Accompany Brazilian and European Student Activity Manuals for Ponto de Encontro." If you are studying on your own without a teacher, this will be quite valuable. In many language sets, answer keys only come with the "Teacher's Edition" and this is a welcome addition to the set and can be purchased as "new" for only $8.00.

I also have purchased the DVD of dialogues in Portuguese that includes the same dialogs with different speakers in a disk that includes all of the dialogues in both Brazilian and European Portuguese. Not only are the speakers native to each country or region, they are also filmed in each respective area, giving you the feel of each region for the Portuguese that you are studying. The activity manuals also include activities to go along with the videos on the DVD!

Now, this entire set, new, can be rather expensive. I purchased the CD, DVD, and book used here on Amazon. I only bought the Brazilian Portuguese Activity Manual and the Answer Key as new items. This helped me to cut the overall cost of all new materials by a rather tidy sum such that I could purchase the ENTIRE set! Even at full cost for new here on Amazon, I really feel that this entire set is a bargain as you will definitely learn, through diligence and following the program that this set offers, to speak, to listen to, to read and to write Portuguese like a native (high intermediate to low-advanced) by the end of the series. Of course, beyond this set (things that you should also do as you are working with the set), learning can be achieved through regular reading of original texts, watching movies, watching Brazilian or Portuguese TV on-line, finding a Portuguese "friend" or two, or three or whatever on-line who uses Skype for regular conversational practice and (if you are lucky, as am I) you may also find a friend who is actually a language teacher who can help you with Portuguese grammar, colloquialisms, pronunciation and can provide more "cultural notes" that make learning any language more fun, entertaining, and immersive!

Get the set, be dedicated, use it well, use Skype - don't be shy!, and do the work so that you can really achieve the great success in learning Portuguese (Brazilian, European or both) that this set offers!

... Read more

Product Description

PORTUGUESE in 10 minutes a day® Book

Customer Reviews (13)

Not what I expected
My boyfriend is from Brazil I wanted to learn some basics so I could talk to his parents although this booklet was fun and interesting it dove into things too fast and was not what I wanted or expected the only information I absorbed and retained was from the CD the book I found somewhat useless...

Ideal for beginners or a tourist-to-be
A simple and inviting approach to lead you into beginning Portuguese, sort of like a book written for children's learning ( full of encouragements! ) With one CD, you can imagine very limited audio is included.

Great beginner book
I've used lots of materials and several books and this one is still my favorite.All the flash cards and stickers were very helpful in the beginning as well to learn common objects around the house.

Not recommended
I bought this book for an impending trip to Brazil. I've since returned from the trip.
Things I didn't like about this book:
- It's pretty dated. From the pictures, to the method. There are better books out there.
- The CD does not follow the book - at all. It's like they were two different products, and someone just slapped the CD in between the last two pages.
- There needs to be a quick-start. Things like "hi", "thank-you", "please".... the words you use immediately.
- The CD NEEDS TO FOLLOW THE BOOK - so that you can listen to the words you are leaning. Any book that doesn't do this is useless in my opinion.

Portuguese book
Tha shipping was very quick and the book seems to be useful. I am satisfied with the service. ... Read more

Product Description
Compact Portuguese, a stand-alone 10-lesson (5 hours) program, teaches beginning language strategies for essential communication and traveling needs.

HEAR IT, LEARN IT, SPEAK IT®

What is the Pimsleur® difference?

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Portuguese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Portuguese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or even thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,

• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,

• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,

• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without books, written exercises, or drills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Basic, but great help with understanding accents.
As someone who has been teaching herself Portuguese at home with various materials I have found it difficult to find any sources on European Portuguese. Every course I have come across deals only with Brazilian Portuguese. Infact, the home course I am taking is in the Brazilian dialect. However, the difference in accents between the two dialects are considerably different to the non-native ear. I live in Ireland and although I love speaking Brazilian Portuguese the chances of me getting to go to Brazil to use it are a lot smaller than my chances of going to Portugal! So I needed some source material to get the hang of the accent.
This product deals primarily in the Lisbon accent and I found it to be a great help. By the end of the first two hours of study I was able to watch Portuguese television and understand the native speakers a great deal better. Now, I had been studying Brazilian Portuguese for a few months beforehand, I'm not saying I understood TV instantly! I just mean that when I used Pimsleur European Portuguese it was like a veil had been lifted and I understood the Lisbon accent a whole lot better.
On the flip side if you are a holidaymaker and you wish to go to Portugual on a trip, this audio is quite contrived and geared towards someone who would be taking a business trip rather than a tourist. But, I found it helpful for the use I needed from it. I think it depends what you are looking for, whether you would find this useful or not.

The faults of Portuguese transcribe here
First, this is still the best audio method you can buy. Others are chaos compared. You will learn, and remember what you learn, tho Pimsleur is no substitute for using the language with what manifestations your own will would interact with Others in real life.

THe problem with Pimsleur, at least the Brazilian, is inconsistency. For example, when the word "faz" is used, at first it is pronounced, in English phonemics (an oxymoron if ever), "fahs". Without warning, that is, without an explanation that there is an alternate, and probably more frequently used pronouncing of the same word in this conjugation--the native speakers begin saying the word as, "fize". As in: "O que o senhor faz? (fize)"

There are several other such inconsistencies. THe strict Pimsleur formula, in part generated by the amount of time the CD medium has to offer, seems to prohibit a brief, but to me, necessary explanation, that other pronouncings are in the script. I'd like to think the actors are not merely lapsing. Another example: "a esposa dele". THis is pronounced by the female instructor, "aye eesposa' While the elision of a and e can result in an "aye" sound, or, in Portuguese, ai, many Pimsleurites, and I'm one, who try to visualize the actual written content would come up with, "ai esposa". If I seem picky, yeah, rite. I think one, and only one way of pronouncing your new language shoud be learned, and this will, when the time comes, greatly help fluency.

Learning a new language
I just started this but so far the program makes it really easy to learn.

Going to Mozambique
I had 6 months to learn enough Portuguese before my trip to Mozambique, Africa.Pimsleur's program has given me a great beginning to the basics.My daughter (living in Africa) shares that my dialect is spot on. She is very impressed with how far I've come with no background in the language. I am on the last CD in the program with 5 months of time to absorb more. This finds me needing an intermediate to advanced program. This is the only short-coming I can find.I also found myself craving a workbook. However, I would recommend this for anyone who has not studied thelanguage. The audio is extremely effective and really gets the dialect inside your head.They say speaking is 20 times more effective than reading.I think it is a positive that it has left me wanting more.

Very helpful for traveling in Portugal
I found this CD series VERY helpful for the preparation of our recent trip to Portugal. It should be stressed, however, that this is indeed for European Portuguese, not Brazilian.
Although I also speak Spanish, and expected there to be many similarities, I was surprised that there are substantial differences.The cognates are certainly there, but often the pronunciation is radically different.I especially found it interesting that the pronunciation for "rr" and an initial "r" in Portuguese is usually pronounced somewhat like an english 'H' or Spanish "J". "Restaurant" sounds kind of like "HEES-too-rant"... "carro" sounds like "CA-ho" in english or "cajo" in Spanish.
Anyway, I am very pleased with this program.I wish an advanced Pimsleur European Portuguese was also available. ... Read more

Product Description
Developed by the experts at Living Language, this book offers a highly effective combination of conversational Brazilian and European Portuguese with grammar and culture. It covers the equivalent of two years of college-level study.

40 lessons, each with a lively, authentic Brazilian or European Portuguese dialogue that includes the most common and useful expressions for
everyday conversation.
English translations and explanations of Portuguese grammar and usage, pronunciation, vocabulary, and cultural notes.
Quizzes and review sections to check your progress.
A complete summary of Portuguese grammar, and verb charts covering all major tenses.
A section on letter writing for business or social occasions.
An extensive two-way glossary.
While this book stands on its own as a complete course and an invaluable reference, you'll find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Along with the recordings, Living Language Ultimate Portuguese cassette packages include this manual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Why WE use the word "meia" instead of number SIX.
Portuguese is my native language. I just want to help the reviewer from Bradford who is curious about the use of the word MEIA when we refer to number six on the phone. "Meia" is short for "meia-dúzia" that means "half-a-dozen". The pronunciation of numbers 3 and 6 are nearly similar, and could be easily mistaken one for another it the line were bad. Remember, in English, many say, for instance, two-oh-oh-9 and not two-zero-zero-nine, for 2009, where we certainly mean the number and not the letter of the alphabet, and so on. I hope that can help.

Ultimate Portuguese Book and Cassette Set
It is somewhat a good set, but it has a lot of typographical errors.
There is a section that does not give people an explanation as to why they use the word "meia", instead of the number 6, when making phone calls.I do not recommend the Living Language Ultimate Portuguese book and cassette set to anyone.

A pity for the too-many errors.
I bought the book and got to page 91 so-far... I think the method of learning Portuguese with English translation should work fine for English speaking students.
What bothers me is that there are too many errors in spelling, and translation. It seems like whoever wrote the dialogues and exercises was not the same person who translated them, otherwise they would have noticed that some examples that were chosen do not translate well. This results in confusion and contradiction along the book. If you already know some portuguese and aware of these errors, you can benefit from this book... otherwise, find another.

Good Book, Very Helpful, But...
This is a valuable and beneficial book. It contains relevant and up-to-date information, but there were many typographical errors. These ranged from incorrect spelling (in both English and Portuguese)to obvious mis-translations of basic and familiar words and phrases. I have only a slight background in Portuguese, and was able to spot many mistakes. These may go unnoticed by a novice reader of the language. Nonetheless, when completed with this course you should have no problems in conversing with Brazilian and European speakers.

Good value for a great course !
This is a great course and value for the money. The speakers and recording quality are excellent. After taking Pimsleur Portuguese I and Barron's Portuguese, I found the approach in this course to be fun and interesting with lively, relevant dialogs.

If you already know Spanish, you can pick up Portuguese very quickly after learning the rules of pronunciation, because so many of the words are exactly the same or nearly the same as Spanish. However, be forewarned, Portuguese has several sounds that don't exist in English or Spanish. Also, the same word can have different pronunciations, so herein lies challenges of learning Portuguese. However, the tape series provides you with a realistic experience of the various pronunciations that you will encounter with different Portuguese speaking people.

If you are a raw beginner with foreign languages, then the pace of the spoken dialogs and the rapid introduction of new words and tenses in this series may be challenging, but don't become discouraged. Repetition is the mother of all language learning, so review each chapter and tape several times before proceeding. You will find that it gets easier each time that you review.

My only criticism is the number of typos. I saw 5 in the first 185 pages, e.g. pg. 185, "agora = know", but it should = "now". The book was just published in 2000, so hopefully the editors will correct the errors in future editions. But don't let a few typos stop you from buying and enjoying this course. I have purchased several of the Living Language Spanish tape series in the past, and I found this Portuguese course to be the best and most enjoyable one to date.

Since there aren't as many courses available in Portuguese as some other languages, I just hope that Living Language will soon publish an "advanced" series by the same authors as a sequel. ... Read more

Product Description
PLEASE NOTE: Our books are designed for classroom study. An answer key is not available for this book. Para a Frente! is a second-year Portuguese textbook for college-level students. It does a systematic review of grammar, adding fine points to the basics, and giving lots of exercises. It can be used in classrooms devoted to either Brazilian or European Portuguese.
The content of the lessons deals with familiar themes using the telephone, getting around hotels, doing banking, the family, problems in the airport, the weather, restaurants and food, using the post office, hobbies, cars, and daily life.
A major feature of the book is a Vocabulário temático, which lists vocabulary pertinent to the cultural content of the lesson in three columns one with vocabulary used in both Brazil and Portugal, one with words used in Portugal only, and the third with words used exclusively in Brazil.
The most charming part of the book is a series of wonderful readings by modern Brazilian authors, including Rubem Braga, Rachel de Queiroz, Monteiro Lobato, Carlos Drumond de Andrade, to name a few.
There is a wealth of oral and written exercises, together with suggestions for written themes.
This book has been the standard textbook for second-year Portuguese courses in the United States for almost twenty years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

EXCELLENT Portuguese grammar ...
This is an excellent choice for you if you are looking (as I was) for a fairly complete treatment of Portuguese grammar at an intermediate to advanced level.The authors do a great job of explaining subtle grammatical points such that one can understand why things work a certain way in Portuguese as opposed to
English. The book is also fairly comprehensive.I don't think you can go wrong with this one!

Great Vendor
I got exactly what I needed and the book is in excellent condition. Thank you!

Para a Frente!
I bought it for the course I am in at a University.So, it was exactly what I needed.

This book has some very complex reading.A lot of vocabulary I didn't know.You better be pretty good at Portuguese if you want to read the passages in here.

Great book for both continental Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese
I do have the older edition, but when the book fell apart, I did get another one.I like this book especially because it will say and spell out difference in Portuguese from Portugue to Brazil.(Some people from Portugal say Brazilians do not really speak Portuguese!)

Another advantage of this book, is it is not one of those hardcover huge books that belong in a backpack.This book is just a paperback, or at least the green older edition was that.

This one is a permanent part of my collection of Portuguese grammar and conversational books.

Excellent, comprehensive intermediate Portuguese texbook
This textbook is excellent.Be advised however that this is in fact a textbook, designed for serious college level learning in a classroom environment.That said, I am having great success using the text on my own while living and learning in São Paulo, Brazil.If you are familiar with foreign language study, have the discipline to actually do the exercises, and have a way to reinforce the material with real life conversation and reading material, then I couldn't recommend this more.The formatting is excellent and the chapters are divided conveniently into concise but explanatory sections focusing on thematic vocabulary, exercises, grammar lessons, and readings.

This textbook is particularly good for students with a basic grip on portuguese vocabularly, grammar, and usage, looking to improve their skills for a more fluent and professional level or reading, writing, speaking, and understanding.Or, like me, if you already have a great deal of recent Spanish study behind you and will be spending time in a Portuguese speaking country, you could skip straight to this textbook for a bit of a 'conversion' course; the languages are similar enough that this textbook - focusing on review and refinement of Portuguese language skills - suits that purpose perfectly.

The textbook is representative of its low price only in the sense that it is a paperback with black and white photos and standard paper.It will still take a beating though.And the content itself is unbeatable.If you fit into one of the circumstances above or are encountering this textbook in a classroom environment, you will be very pleased. ... Read more