Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 (7) 8 9 10
“Seven outta ten!”
Pros:
covers a lot of grammar; exposure to wide array of written Portuguese in ten lessons; good extra material; will have you reading large amount of Portuguese by the end; can be completed in three months if dedicated; lots of practice with the written language, [...]
Dec
15
2009
15
2009
Hugo Language: Portuguese in Three Months by Maria Fernanda Allen
Dec
11
2009
11
2009
Portuguese Phrases For Dummies by Karen Keller
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 8 9 10
“Six outta ten!”
Pros:
decent coversage of phrases; lots of explanations about language and phrase use in Brazil; pronunciation guide; introduction to grammar; strong vocab index with page numbers; engaging text and formating; Portuguese phrases given in useful spurts rather than long lists
Cons:
Brazilian only (explicitly treats language usage [...]
Dec
11
2009
11
2009
Portuguese Memory Book by Harrison and Welker
Score:
1 (2) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
“Two outta ten!”
Pros:
many of the memory jingles are clever; does a decent job of highlighting English words and word-parts that simulate pronunciation of Rio Carioca dialect
Cons:
pronunciation is Brazilian only; long list of vocabulary; no context for vocabulary; awkward technique for memorizing 500+ Portuguese words; no pacing [...]
Oct
7
2009
7
2009
Berlitz Portuguese Phrase Book & Audio CD by Emily Bemath
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); [...]
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
Aug
4
2009
4
2009
Rosetta Stone Version 3: Portuguese (Brazilian), Level 1 with Audio Companion
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
connects ideas with words well; good coverage of basic phrases and conversation; great image and multimedia-rich presentation; useful activities
Cons:
markets itself as the be-all-end-all of language learning, but isn’t; basic phrases are very standard and not as “fluent” or realistic as some courses; vocabulary-heavy; Portuguese [...]