As a student of languages sometimes when you don’t know where to look it is really hard to find not just good content on the language you are studying but also find the right one for you. Different levels of knowledge require different approaches, so when you have it all well organized, you know you are on the right place. Portuguese Pod is a great hub and way to learn Portuguese.
Portuguese Pod 101 has a big library of audio lessons and each lesson has, besides the audio lesson, also has audio reviews. The audio reviews are audio files where the new vocabulary is pronounced slowly to help you get the pronunciation right.
You can also download PDFs with the script of the audio you are listening to and this way you can improve your Portuguese listening skills, since you’ll not only understand what is being said but also you’ll know how to say it.
Another great thing about the Portuguese Pod 101 audio Lessons is that the teacher giving the class is not always the same, this way you’ll get used to different accents (although as you’d expect, they all speak standard Portuguese). Imagine if your teacher had a peculiar way of saying some words. Imagine if he’s from a place that has a strange Portuguese accent as students you’ll tend to imitate your teacher and because of that you’ll end up with your teacher’s accent, even if you have never been there! You definitely won’t have that problem with Portuguese Pod 101, since you’ll be learning from and hearing different teachers.
I think this way of studying is really good, especially if you follow the scripts and soon enough you’ll find out that your level of listening has improved a lot. The more that you can listen and understand, soon you’ll be able to speak lots more as well. Listening is very important when learning any language, especially Portuguese.
There are some differences, regarding the format of the audio lessons, as the levels change on Portuguese Pod 101. For example at Absolute Beginner Lessons, most of the audio is in English; there are two speakers (a native English speaker and a native Portuguese speaker). The native English teacher usually starts the lesson and at the end the Portuguese speaker reviews the new words with you. The vocabulary is quite simple but essential, basic words such as “Thank You” etc. There’s also an important trait that consists in giving an example of how to use the word, usually by telling a story that actually happened to the teacher.
The approach in the beginner audio lessons of Portuguese Pod is very different from the Advanced Level Audio Lessons, because in here the whole podcast is told by a native Portuguese Speaker. Normally in the advanced lessosns, the topic is about something like Brazilian culture, food, forests etc, everything that allows the listener to feel close to the country he/she is learning from.
