Let’s say you want to learn Portuguese and you don’t know how to start or where to go. Portuguese Pod 101 is a great place to go. It has a simple layout and the Portuguese learning material is well organised.
No matter what your Portuguese level is at the time or what you are looking for, you’ll find it on this website. After picking your subscription plan and your level you are ready to start.
The Portuguese lessons are divided in two groups basically, video lessons and audio lessons. The content is interesting and very dynamic.
One of the big advantages is that you can download the lessons and carry them around with you on your own MP3. This means that you can learn Portuguese at your convenience and when you have time. There are lots of different levels and the content covers a wide variety of topics. There is also information about Brazilian culture and an online learning system to help you remember words.
In terms of disadvantages of Portuguese Pod, the main one seems to be that it is focused on speaking and listening rather than on writing. There is some writing content on the website but due to the method used, this is not as encompassing as the listening and speaking. Another minor negative is that the grammar section where Portuguese verbs are mentioned is not very detailed. The website does give us the basic rules but not enough examples. Let’s not forget though that all of this can be easily found online, but still, it’s obvious that Portuguese Pod has given preference to the development of talking and speaking skills to their subscribers. Another gripe might be that Portuguese Pod can seem rather expensive especially if you are comparing with free tools online. Yes, Portuguese Pod 101 does charge money to get extra access for different features but the quality is worth paying for.
The Portuguese learning content is amazing and very diversified, it’s impossible not to find something you think it’s just for you. On top of this, there is all the bonus material. Studying a language online can sometimes be very lonely and difficult, since no one is there to correct you. Portuguese Pod has a forum where you can meet students like you and also gives you the opportunity of a one-to-one teaching experience with the option My Teacher.
I think that Portuguese Pod does excellent work and I’m very happy to have found it.