Beginning Portuguese Language

Objectives and competences
This course is aimed at the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
level A1. By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- understand familiar words and phrases common to daily situations and relating to
themes of personal relevance (personal information, interests, interpersonal relationships),
whenever the interlocutor speaks slowly and clearly (oral comprehension);
- understand simple words, expressions and phrases and grasping information in notices,
timetables and catalogues as well as very simple messages such as text messages and
emails (written comprehension);
- communicate in basic daily situations and in brief social interactions, with the
collaboration of the interlocutor, asking and answering simple questions of immediate
relevance and on familiar topics (verbal interaction);
- use simple expressions and phrases for describing oneself and others and to narrate
general events and routine actions (oral expression);
- write very brief informal messages and personal notes, filling in forms with personal
information (written expression).
The course also introduces certain aspects of Portuguese history, culture and ways of life in
order to help participants gain the most from their time and experiences in the country as
well as communicating with persons and contemporary realities.

The course is structured into the following components:
Themes: personal information (nationality, family, age, employment, leisure activities, daily
routines); interpersonal relationships (family, friends); environments (at home, in the city);
foods and meals (at home, in the café); shopping (prices, discounts, requests); social media
(from sms to social media); planning the near future (daily tasks, leisure times).
Communicative objectives: describing (people, places); expressing likes and dislikes;
exchanging information; narrating (general events); socialising (starting a conversation,
thanking, apologising, saying goodbye); making joint plans (for the near future).
Linguistic structures: present tenses (regular and irregular verbs); past tense (preterite);
imperative form; ser versus estar; estar a; dever; articles and determiners (definite,
indefinite); personal pronouns, object pronouns, interrogative pronouns, possessive
adjectives and pronouns; affirmatives, negatives and questions; temporal and spatial
prepositions; simple connectors; comparatives and superlatives.
Exercise typologies: oral comprehension, written comprehension, grammar exercises,
simulations and role-plays, interactive games, discussions/debates; different social formats
– class, individual, pairs and group work.