How to Understand Portuguese – 1st Stage

Understanding Portuguese is one of the first challenges my students face when they start learning Portuguese.

If you are like them, you want to know everything as quickly as possible, but still have difficulty understanding Portuguese.

Or am I wrong?

In my experience, the main problem is that the student starts reading the same day he starts learning Portuguese.

And what’s worse… he starts writing without paying attention to understanding.

There’s a more intuitive and enjoyable way to learn, and I even offer a free mini Portuguese course to get you started.

In addition, there is scientific evidence about this way of learning…

Stage 1 – Stage 2 – Stage 3 – Stage 4

Video: The 1st step to learn Portuguese

Audio version of the video.

Podcast Episode

Have you ever noticed how children learn their first language?

At the beginning, they don’t speak. They just observe and listen.

This stage is known as the silent phase or pre-production phase.

As the well-known linguist Stephen Krashen points out, why not learn a new language the same way we learned our first one?

Trying to speak and focus on pronunciation right away often makes learning much harder. In the beginning, the most important thing is to listen a lot so you can truly understand the language.

That’s why I’m going to show you how to make the learning process more natural, just like when you learned your native language: first you understood, then you spoke, then you started reading, and finally, you learned how to write.

In this blog, I’ll explain how to go through each of these four stages, even if you have no previous knowledge of Portuguese.

Today, we’ll start with the first step: how to better understand Portuguese.

And if you already speak Portuguese, that’s fine too. You can apply these same tactics to keep improving and even refine your native language.

1. Listen to Your Favorite Music in Portuguese

I don’t know about you, but I really love music.

In fact, I know many people who love Brazilian music, even if they don’t speak any Portuguese at all.

So here’s a great place to start: listen to songs in Portuguese that also have a Spanish version.

When you already know a song in Spanish, you’re familiar with the melody and the lyrics. That makes it much easier to understand the Portuguese version without feeling overwhelmed.

By starting with music, you absorb the language more slowly and in a simpler, more natural way.

The information comes in little by little, every day. And before you realize it, you’re understanding in Portuguese a song you already knew in Spanish.

That’s why my first recommendation to improve your understanding of Portuguese is simple: listen to music.

This approach helps you avoid the information overload that many people experience when they start learning a new language and keeps the process light, enjoyable, and sustainable.

2. Watch Tutorials on Topics That Interest You on YouTube

The second tactic I recommend is watching tutorials on YouTube.

Just like with music, many people enjoy eating or cooking.

I personally love both. I’m passionate about food.

That’s why I really enjoy watching recipe tutorials, because while I’m watching, I naturally learn a lot.

So if you want to learn Portuguese and you enjoy cooking like I do, you can visit a website like TudoGostoso and learn how to prepare something new. At the end of this article, I’ll leave links to several YouTube channels with delicious recipes in Portuguese.

The great advantage here is that you can find tutorials in Portuguese about almost anything you’re interested in.

When you watch a tutorial, you start associating the person’s actions with the words they use. Movement, context, and language all come together.

In other words, you connect each action with a word and its meaning.

And this is one of the most effective ways to learn, because it happens naturally.

For example, imagine you’re watching a chef stirring ingredients in a pot and saying:

“Agora tem que mexer devagar.”

You might immediately understand that he’s talking about doing something slowly. But you may wonder, what does mexer mean?

If you had no context, it would be confusing. But because you’re watching the chef stir the pot, you realize that “mexer” means “to stir” or “to move.” And you think, “Ah, got it!”

That connection makes a huge difference, because you’re learning through association, not translation.

I do the same thing when I watch tutorials in English to practice.

Some time ago, I was watching a video where the instructor said:

“Now you drag the file.”

At first, I thought, “Drag? I don’t know what drag means.”

But then I saw him click on the file and move it across the screen. And instantly, it made sense.

“Drag means arrastar.”

The same thing will happen when you watch tutorials in Portuguese.

As I always say, try to associate words with situations, not with translations.

Avoid making lists of words and their meanings.

Instead, listen to music and watch tutorials.

This way, you start understanding Portuguese through association, intuitively. And that’s the goal.

When learning becomes intuitive, it’s much easier and much more enjoyable, because you don’t have to overthink everything.

[Complete article here]

3. Listen to Interviews on Topics That Catch Your Attention

The third tactic I recommend, and something I personally do in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, is listening to interviews.

And the reason is very simple.

Interviews help you learn how people express opinions.

In everyday life, we are constantly giving opinions and telling stories in the first person:

“I went to this place,” “Then I arrived there,” “I think it should be this way,” “In my opinion…”

By watching interviews, you naturally learn how to express yourself better.

That’s because you’re not just learning vocabulary. You’re understanding how ideas connect, how people organize their thoughts, and how one point leads to another.

For example, if you’re planning to take the CELPE-Bras exam, which is the official Portuguese proficiency certificate recognized by the Brazilian government, there’s a section where you’re asked to give your opinion.

This is exactly the part many learners struggle with. Not because they don’t understand Portuguese, but because they’re used to summarizing texts instead of expressing personal viewpoints.

But this problem has a simple solution: consume other people’s content and observe how they do it.

That’s why this is my third recommendation.

Listen to interviews.

Start by watching them, not just listening. This way, you combine video, audio, and visual context. You connect facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, and words, which makes everything much easier to understand.

When you learn within a context, the language starts to make sense naturally.

Below, you’ll find some YouTube channels where you can watch interviews and conversations in Portuguese, as well as a list of Portuguese content commonly consumed by Brazilians.

This kind of exposure will help you understand how Portuguese is really used in real conversations.

4. Listen to Podcasts in Portuguese

Podcasts are basically audio content.

Think of them like radio shows you can listen to anytime, anywhere.

And the best part? There are podcasts about almost every topic you can imagine, so you can choose what really interests you.

But why do I recommend podcasts?

Because when you listen to something you genuinely enjoy, you pay much more attention.

Have you ever noticed this? Someone tells you to watch a video, but since you don’t care about the topic, you say, “Yeah, I’ve already seen it,” even if you haven’t.

Now, when someone sends you something you actually like, you focus. You listen carefully. You remember it.

It’s the same with your favorite movie. I’m sure you remember a lot of the lines. I do, for example, with The Lord of the Rings.

That’s exactly the point.

When you like the content, you naturally retain much more information.

So besides watching videos and interviews, make podcasts part of your routine too.

There’s even an app you can download on your phone that lets you listen to podcasts offline, anywhere you want.

You’ll also find a list of some of the best Portuguese podcasts here, organized by category.

Choose what you like, press play, and let Portuguese come to you naturally.

5. Watch Movies in Portuguese

My fifth recommendation is simple: watch movies.

You can start by choosing a movie you already like and watching it dubbed into Portuguese.

Since you already know the story, you don’t need to understand every single word. You already know what’s happening.

Most of the time, you even remember what the characters are saying in your own language. So even if you don’t fully understand the dialogue in Portuguese, you still understand the situation.

And that helps a lot.

But there’s an important detail with this tactic.

Whenever possible, prioritize original content.

In other words, movies that were actually produced in Portuguese, especially Brazilian films.

Yes, I know I just suggested watching dubbed movies. That’s fine in the beginning.

Dubbed movies work as a starting point. They help you ease into the language.

But as your understanding improves, you should gradually move away from dubbed content and focus only on original Portuguese videos and movies.

Think of dubbed movies as support material. They help, but they’re not the most effective option long term.

The real progress happens when you consistently consume content in native Portuguese.

That’s why it’s important to always, always prioritize original content whenever you can.

Below, you’ll find a list of Brazilian movies to get you started.

Full post: How to Learn Portuguese with Movies

6. Take a Fun Class in Portuguese

Taking a class in Portuguese about something you genuinely enjoy is a great way to immerse yourself in the language while having fun at the same time.

So, if you get the chance, sign up for a Brazilian cooking class in Portuguese. Or take a samba class if you love dancing.

And if martial arts are your thing, a capoeira class is an excellent option.

The idea is simple: combine Portuguese with something you already like. This makes learning feel natural, not forced.

So don’t wait. Start applying the tactics I’ve just shared and take advantage of every opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and listen to Portuguese as much as possible.

Now tell me in the comments: have you tried any of these strategies to better understand Portuguese? How did it work for you?

And if this article helped you, share it with your friends so they can start understanding Portuguese more easily too.

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