Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
covers Brazilian and European usage; lots of phrases; well organized; color-coded and easily searchable; audio CD reads some examples to you
Cons:
Portugal-focused, leaving out info about Brazil and some Brazilian usage; no reference page numbers in the vocabulary/dictionary (needs quick search by word or phrase); [...]
Displaying posts written by
nativlang
who has written 48 posts for Portuguese Language Learning Reviews.
Oct
7
2009
7
2009
Berlitz Portuguese Phrase Book & Audio CD by Emily Bemath
Oct
7
2009
7
2009
Say It Right in Brazilian Portuguese: The Fastest Way to Correct Pronunciation by EPLS
Score:
1 2 3 4 (5) 6 7 8 9 10
“Five outta ten!”
Pros:
short, small travel phrasebook; decent organization; index and table of contents; a couple basic cultural and travel bullet points at each section; English-Portuguese vocabulary list; helpful, if not gimmicky, pronunciation key alongside all words for those readers that “get it”
Cons:
if you don’t get the [...]
Oct
1
2009
1
2009
Harrap’s Pocket Portuguese Grammar
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 (7) 8 9 10
“Seven outta ten!”
Pros:
covers European and Brazilian Portuguese; solid organization by major grammar topics; color and formatting design clearly sets relevant topics apart for easy look-up
Cons:
too compact to cover some of the more difficult aspects of many topics; explanations focus on formation over real-life usage; index not [...]
Oct
1
2009
1
2009
Cortina Conversational Brazilian Portuguese: The Easy Method by Williams & Pessoa
Score:
1 2 3 4 (5) 6 7 8 9 10
“Five outta ten!”
Pros:
price, especially if you send away for the free CD/cassette; plenty of conversational back and forth; difficulty increases progressively; each example is highlighted by slightly different variations to practice
Cons:
exercises require repeating and assimilating but without much guidance from the course; some topics are useless [...]
Sep
28
2009
28
2009
Michel Thomas Method: Speak Portuguese (for beginners)
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
lively and engaging audio; focus on Portuguese grammar and word-building skills; strong attempt to introduce Portuguese words into your everyday use from the very beginning; no expectation that you’ll memorize vocabulary lists; audio activities integrated into the conversation of each lesson; the instructor gradually [...]
Sep
28
2009
28
2009
goPortuguese: Speak and Read AudioBook CD (Pimsleur)
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 (7) 8 9 10
“Seven outta ten!”
Pros:
good way to sample the Pimsleur method; decent booklet accompanies the course; strong Portuguese audio lessons; coverage of the basics; MP3s and standard audio CDs for diverse ways of using the program
Cons:
Brazilian Portuguese only (a “con” for European Portuguese learners); these first eight lessons [...]
Sep
21
2009
21
2009
Conversational Portuguese in 7 Days by Fleming and Rainbow
Score:
1 2 3 4 (5) 6 7 8 9 10
“Five outta ten!”
Pros:
covers a good mix of phrases and vocabulary; some audio to get an ear for Portuguese; decent price; explains some basic grammar in context
Cons:
some “days” will take you longer than a day to process; skims over some major points so fast you might not [...]
Sep
21
2009
21
2009
Portuguese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar by Sue Tyson-Ward
Score:
1 2 3 (4) 5 6 7 8 9 10
“Four outta ten!”
Pros:
short explanations and good examples; overall decent organization; good coverage of beginner-intermediate Portuguese grammar topics; low price
Cons:
no exercises; unclear relation between some sections and chapters; missing a crucially needed look-up system for reference use
Sue Tyson-Ward’s Portuguese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar promises an in-depth [...]
Sep
21
2009
21
2009
Speak in a Week Brazilian Portuguese, Week 1, with Audio CD
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 8 9 10
“Six outta ten!”
Pros:
engaging, easy to use phrasebook approach; good pacing; audio complements booklet; attractive, lightweight package
Cons:
hard to search for specific information (words and phrases); for beginners only; makes no attempt to approach to conversation or grammar; Brazilian only (which is only negative if you’re traveling to [...]
Sep
10
2009
10
2009
Ultimate Portuguese Beginner-Intermediate (CD/Book) by Living Language
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 (7) 8 9 10
“Seven outta ten!”
Pros:
lots of Portuguese conversation topics; good exposure to grammar; complementary audio; solid grammar review at end of book; price
Cons:
presentation of grammar sometimes inadequate; longer vocabulary lists to memorize without context; basic and less effective exercises; cultural notes are mostly distractions
Ultimate Portuguese Beginner-Intermediate covers most [...]