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 [...]
Oct
1
2009
1
2009
Cortina Conversational Brazilian Portuguese: The Easy Method by Williams & Pessoa
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
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 [...]
Sep
3
2009
3
2009
Teach Yourself Brazilian Portuguese Complete Course (Book & CDs) by Sue Tyson-Ward
Score:
1 2 (3) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
“Three outta ten!”
Pros:
multiple dialogues per chapter; price
Cons:
choice of vocabulary and phrases seems random and uninspired; the Portuguese introduced is of the textbook variety; incomplete coverage of grammar
Teach Yourself Brazilian Portuguese isn’t an awful entry in the TY series, but it isn’t stellar by any means. Its [...]
Sep
2
2009
2
2009
PORTUGUESE in 10 Minutes a Day (book and CD-ROM) by Kristine Kershul
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 8 9 10
“Six outta ten!”
Pros:
lots of simple exercises to keep pace quick; useful words and phrases; lovely presentation; colorful, attractive drawings
Cons:
nearly entirely vocabulary-driven; price for such a basic knowledge; lots of repeat and rewrite; Brazilian only (a “con” if you’re learning European Portuguese)
Overall, I’m ambivalent about Portuguese in [...]
Sep
1
2009
1
2009
The Everything Learning Brazilian Portuguese Book: Speak, Write, and Understand Portuguese in No Time by Fernanda Ferreira
Score:
1 2 3 4 (5) 6 7 8 9 10
“Five outta ten!”
Pros:
price; exposure to useful Brazilian Portuguese; conversations and phrases don’t sound “textbook-ish”; material is well organized
Cons:
dry presentation; lack of relevant conversation topics covered
Call me crazy, but I have trouble keeping “Everything”, “Dummies” and “Idiot’s” guides straight. And that applies to their Portuguese lessons, too. [...]
Aug
6
2009
6
2009
Portuguese For Dummies, by Karen Keller
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 8 9 10
“Six outta ten!”
Pros:
straightforward, relaxed presentation; good fluent real-life phrases; audio CD with dialogs; price
Cons:
lots of notes and silly explanations may distract some learners; Brazilian only (a con for European learners); some mistakes in text; odd phonetic approximations/pronunciation key may distract others (including me)
The For Dummies series [...]