Find Out How Your Children Can Learn Portuguese Online

It’s Never Been Easier for Kids to Learn Portuguese Online

Native Portuguese speakers who have relocated to a country in which Portuguese isn’t spoken might find that their children grow up learning only the local language, and not the parents’ native language. If you speak Portuguese but your children don't, you can assist them in learning Portuguese as a second language with the help of online private tutors.

Where Can You Find the Best Online Portuguese Tutors?

The internet has made the world much smaller and more accessible, so even if you grew up in Portugal or Brazil and moved abroad, you can keep in touch with your family back home easily. While your children can speak with their relatives on FaceTime or Whatsapp, will they speak the same language?

Finding tutors to help your children speak Portuguese can greatly increase their communication with Portuguese-speaking family members. Eurekly is a terrific site that hosts many Portuguese tutors, and you can search for those who have experience teaching children. 

The tutor you choose can work with your child and their unique needs so they can reach the ultimate goal of Portuguese fluency. 

Benefits of Learning Portuguese Online

During COVID-19, the world learned just how valuable Zoom and other video streaming platforms are. While there’s no replacement for frontal learning, learning online is the ultimate convenience. You don’t need to travel, leave your house, or even get dressed.

Moreover, with other learning options like local, in-person tutors or after-school classes, you need to adhere to the schedule of the instructor. Not so when learning with online tutors from Eurekly. Because there is such a large and varied selection, you don’t need to go through hoops rearranging your schedule. Instead, you can have your pick of tutors and choose the one who fits into your schedule. 

Of course, we need to talk about price as well. Local, in-person tutors can cost a fortune because their skills are in high demand and the supply is low, but online tutors offer competitive rates because they know that you have many options to choose from. Prices per session at Eurekly start as low as $5. 

Online Tutors Offer Personal Attention

Another great aspect of learning Portuguese online is the attention that private tutors can give to your child. It’s a completely different experience from learning in school because your child is the only student the instructor is focusing on. Children thrive on positive attention, and those good vibes can ultimately help them learn the language faster. 

Brazilian Portuguese vs. European Portuguese

Which version of Portuguese do you speak? Whatever it is, you’ll undoubtedly want your child to learn the same version. When searching for online tutors, make sure to choose one who specializes in the type of Portuguese you want.

While many language learners say that Brazilian Portuguese is easier to learn than European Portuguese, it really depends on your child’s background and natural proclivities. If your child speaks Spanish, learning Portuguese will be easier since the two languages are closely related. 

Is English Related to Portuguese?

English is another language that is similar to Portuguese, even though it has Germanic roots and the latter has Romantic roots. However, if your child knows English, they will likely have an easier time achieving fluency than children whose native languages are Russian, Japanese, Swahili, or others that are completely unrelated. 

English and Spanish have many cognates, words that share the same roots and sound similar. Some examples include: 

• Animal and animal

• Total and total

• Basically and basicamente

• University and universidade

On the other hand, English and Portuguese share a good deal of false friends, words that sound similar but actually have different meanings. Examples of false friends in English and Portuguese include: 

• Alias and alias (by the way)

• Grip and gripe (the flu)

• Legend and legenda (subtitle)

• Pull and pular (to jump)

In short, knowing English can give your child a leg up when it comes to learning Portuguese, but there are still pitfalls to look out for. 

Can Children Learn Portuguese Easily?

It’s considered “common knowledge” that children learn languages more easily than adults, but is it really true? According to the University of Melbourne’s Scientific Scribbles, it’s not necessarily that children are better learners than adults, but rather that children’s brains are designed to pick up languages easily. They’re not actively learning—their brains are passively absorbing new languages. 

As people age, their brains lose their plasticity, which makes it harder for them to pick up foreign languages. However, studies have shown that adults are better at language-related problem solving and learning artificial language rules.

While children may have an easier time since they don’t need to exert as much effort to acquire a language, adults are capable of remembering and applying rules to the new language. The bottom line is, learning a new language at any age is possible. If getting your child Portuguese lessons is on your bucket list, don’t wait another day to get started.