Learn Portuguese Learn Portuguese? I could never do that... Exactly how I used to think, but it's easy really. I was lucky enough, before my first visit to the Algarve, to discover a technique that helped this newbie visitor cope better than she'd ever dared to hope. Husband Nev had been reading a book* by Tony Buzan and pointed out a relevant passage. Now, I didn't know this at the time, but Tony Buzan is something of a memory guru who has featured on many UK TV shows down the years. And, in this book, he claims that 50% of conversation in any language consists of just 100 words. *['Use Your Memory', author Tony Buzan, published by BBC Consumer Publishing (Books) ISBN 0-5633-37102-1] So, even though I'd heard that Portuguese nationals (especially in the tourist areas) speak pretty good English, I decided to start to learn Portuguese the easy way. I set about memorising 10 words a day, and then had Nev test me on them. And was I glad I did! People really do respond to an honest attempt to converse in their language and seem more eager to help. And that's why I'd encourage you to try this easy introduction to Portuguese for yourself. Now, I must admit that my early attempts to pronounce Portuguese words were painful, and that sometimes people had to make an effort not to grin, but that's beside the point. I did gratifyingly well in a very short time, and it proved to be a good grounding for my developing grasp of conversation. And yes, if I'm honest, I'm never going to write a best-selling novel in the Portuguese language, but then that's not what I set out to do... I really think this easy way to learn Portuguese works better than the smattering of 'tourist-friendly' phrases you read in guide books and holiday literature. Master this list, and you'll be well on your way to holding your own when conversing in the Portuguese language. Have a go - just 10 words a day... ...you'll surprise yourself. To my mind, it's "learning to speak Portuguese the painless way"! And bear in mind the most important aspect of your attempt to learn Portuguese (even this easy way)... ...you'll be much better regarded for making the effort. So don't just fall back on that hopeless cop-out of speaking English sloooowly in a LOUD voice and wondering why people are too dense to understand you! Instead, why not try to speak Portuguese the easy way. The 100 word table is easy to learn. (It even includes a basic 'phonetic guide', too, so you shouldn't make the pronunciation mistakes that plagued my first attempts). Give it a try and surprise yourself! Please let me know what you think of this 'easy' way to learn Portuguese and how you found the method worked for you. I would be fascinated to know whether you found it as useful as I did.
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