Portuguese 1

Watch this short video about why our online Language program is one of the best in the country!

This practical beginner's course (A1.1), designed by UW–Madison for adult language learners, explores the cultural richness of the Lusophone world while helping you master the basics of Brazilian Portuguese. Learn to talk about life, family and travel with this popular course.

Our proven communicative approach emphasizes speaking competency while also building skills in listening, reading and writing. Enhance your ability to have everyday conversations. Focus is on Brazilian Portuguese with some opportunities to listen to European Portuguese. Textbook purchase required (used for Portuguese 1, 2 and 3).

Prerequisite: None

Find out if this is right level for you with these placement tests: Portuguese 1 self-placement test, Portuguese 2 self-placement test.

Course format:

You will practice speaking in small groups during weekly 30-minute online sessions led by an experienced instructor. To get to know all of your classmates, your conversation time will vary between the first or second 30-minute time slot of the hour you registered for. You should be available for either.

The live online sessions begin one week after the scheduled course start date to allow time to work through the first unit of learning material in preparation for the live conversation practice.

Online course materials introduce new grammar and vocabulary and teach pronunciation, listening, and reading skills through videos, audio and interactive exercises. Budget 4-5 hours a week to work through the online asynchronous content.

Course materials become available online on the scheduled course start date and remain accessible for one month after the course ends.

Want to know more about learning a language online? Read Dr. Julie Dahl's blog post about our online course format.

The required textbook is sold by many online vendors. Make sure to look for ISBN number 9897520597.  It is generally available on Amazon and at MEP Education.

Sections anticipated for Fall 2025 (See Upcoming Dates for open sections and more detail):

Mondays, Sept. 22–Dec. 1, 5:30–6:30 p.m. CT

Course outline:

Below are the major themes, grammar, and vocabulary covered each week. You will work through chapters 0-4 in the textbook, Nota 10. There are teaching videos, audios, cultural notes, and supplementary materials throughout the course.

Week 1

•          Greetings and goodbyes
•           Introduction to the alphabet
•          Vowels and consonants
•          Where are you from?
•          Introducing others

Week 2

•          Countries and nationalities
•          Numbers 0-100
•          The verbs ser and ter
•          Grammatical gender
•          How old are you?
•          Contractions with the preposition de

Week 3

•          How are you?
•          What do you do?
•          Introduction to making nouns and adjectives plural
•          Conjugating regular present tense verbs
•          Contractions with the preposition em
•         Question words

Week 4

•          More on making nouns and adjectives plural
•          Regions in Brazil
•          Listening tips
•          Describing a city
•          Quantifiers
•          Pronouncing the letter a

Week 5

•          Prepositions of place
•          The verb estar
•          Where is it?
•          Reading tips
•          The verb gostar
•          Numbers greater than 100

Week 6

•          Family
•          Describing yourself and others
•          Expressing preferences
•          Cognates
•          Pronouncing the letter e

Week 7

•          Adjective/noun agreement
•          Possessives
•          Ser and estar contrasted

Week 8

•          Days and months
•          Telling time
•          Describing your daily routine
•          Parts of the body
•          Pronouncing the letter i

Week 9

•          Irregular present tense verbs
•          Reflexive verbs
•          Adverbs of frequency
•          Prepositions of movement

Week 10

•          Extensive review of the content from weeks 1-9

By participating in this class you will earn:

Explanation of Continuing Education Hours