Ok, I confess…! I do not speak English very well. However, I can communicate with our visitors, like almost most of the Cariocas. If you intend to visit Rio de Janeiro and do not speak Portuguese, our official language, this post is for you! Check our tips on how to learn Portuguese before visiting Rio de Janeiro.
I’m Luiz Felipe, and there isn’t a better person in Rio by Cariocas team to write this post! Because, despite not speaking English fluently, I travel abroad a lot (I’ve been in more than 15 countries and 100 cities around the world). And whenever I travel, I try to study the local language in advance so that I can communicate in the same idiom as my hosts. After all, it makes traveling a lot more fun! So, I can guarantee that my tips will be useful for you who want to learn, at least a little bit, of Portuguese before visiting Rio.
The purpose of this post is to share what works for me as a traveler self-taught. In other words, it does not include great learnings of grammar and fluency. But it will make your experience in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil more complete. Since you will be better able to understand our friendliness and lifestyle.
1. Study the Duolingo app lessons:
Duolingo is a free app that has already taught me the basics of Spanish, Italian, and French, for example. Also available in Brazilian Portuguese, your lessons have certain limitations and are unlikely to guarantee your fluency in the language. But, if you dedicate 30 to 45 minutes of study every day, you will be able, for example, to place orders in restaurants and bars without much difficulty.
2. Study the Babbel app lessons:
Unlike the Duolingo app, the Babbel app does not have a free version. On the other hand, it is much more complete and didactic, both in terms of grammar and vocabulary. I am currently studying Spanish with Babbel, and I realize that I will reach an intermediate level within 4 to 5 months that will allow me to communicate better. Worth a try!
3. Keep Google Translator close by:
Although it is not a language teaching app itself, Google Translator is an excellent tool for your trip. Primarily because it can scan an image and translate the text contained therein only with the use of the internet, in addition to simultaneous translation through audio or writing.
That is, it can save your life when you have to read menus or buy food at the supermarket. Don’t travel without it!
→ Find out how to buy a sim card for your cellphone in Rio de Janeiro here.
4. Study every day between 30 minutes and 1 hour:
More important than long hours of study is the frequency of your studies. Little by little, you gain vocabulary and avoid forgetting the lessons studied before.
5. Watch videos, films and/or series in Brazilian Portuguese:
If your goal is to learn Portuguese to visit Brazil, you should differentiate Portuguese from Portugal to Brazilian Portuguese. After all, Brazilians have their own way of speaking, with very different phonetics and vocabulary.
Netflix has some exciting Brazilian productions. And you can also check out our list of films about Rio de Janeiro. Look for Brazilian productions and watch them with subtitles in your language and audio in Portuguese.
6. Listen and dance to Brazilian music
When you dance while listening, you activate other senses in your body, making the learning process more comfortable. Our team from Rio by Cariocas have already made this step easier for you because we have several playlists on Spotify with the best of Brazilian music. Just choose the one that best suits your style:
*Bossa nova in Rio
*Mother Funk
*Samba Carioca
*Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas
7. Write or Transcribe Portuguese Texts and Lyrics
After listening to our playlists, select your favorite songs, search for lyrics on the internet, and write them. Try to transcribe and translate only with your knowledge. And, when you don’t understand some words, search for the complete translation. Whenever you can, listen to your favorite music and follow along by reading the original lyrics. Songs are easy to record and therefore make learning a lot easier.
Last but not least, while you are studying, think about your trip to Rio de Janeiro with all possible details. Imagine your arrival at the airport, your stay, the places you want to visit, the foods you want to try, the more information, the better. Then try to incorporate these details into your daily life. Label everything you can in your home with the names in Portuguese. For example, in your room, tag everything that you will probably have in the place where you will be staying during your travel. The contact with all this will give you a great sense of the language.
→ Still not sure what to visit in Rio de Janeiro? Get inspired by also reading about these 10 unmissable things to do in Rio.
I hope you enjoyed these tips. When you’re here, we’ll love to practice some Portuguese with you! So, don’t forget that you can hire one of our Private Guided Tours, our Custom Travel Planning, and our Travel Consulting services. Perhaps, after all this, you won’t even want to go back to your city. After all, we are talking about getting to know Rio de Janeiro like a real Carioca! And this means falling in love with this Marvelous city.
