Latest news and stories about language learning in Portugal for expats and residents.
The municipality of Vila Nova de Poiares in the Coimbra district is launching a new Portuguese language course for foreign residents. Starting in September, the program is designed to help English-speaking expats improve their language skills and support their integration into the local community.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian) will allocate €2.5 million to support migrant integration through the 'Gulbenkian Integration Initiative (2026–2027)', with applications open until April 10. The programme targets civil-society projects that assist newcomers' civic and economic integration, honouring the founder's own refugee background. NGOs, community groups and municipalities working on migrant services should consider applying before the deadline.
The National Education Council highlights that access to Portuguese as a Non-Native Language is insufficient, while the Council of Portuguese Communities prepares to discuss educational and electoral reforms with the government.
Students at the future Faculty of Medicine at the University of Macau will be able to learn Portuguese during their course, facilitating access to the profession in Portugal, the director of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon told Lusa today.
Do you know about the Galician standardisation plan? And are you aware of the influence of Kimbundu on the Portuguese language, seen in words like 'bué' and 'carimbo'? Marco Neves explains it all and also recommends the book of the week.
The tests carried out this year show improvements in Mathematics averages and in written production in the 4th and 6th grades. In Portuguese as a Non-Native Language, the writing score rose by more than 12 percentage points.
The 2026 Learning Monitoring Assessment (ModA) results show negative averages in written Portuguese production for the 6th grade, scoring 47.9 out of 100 points, while 4th graders averaged 50 points. Despite this, progress was noted compared to 2025, with scores rising in both 4th and 6th grades. Mathematics results also showed slight improvements in both years. The data, published by the EduQA Institute, also indicates growth in Portuguese as a Non-Native Language (PLNM) scores. A total of 514,402 tests were administered across the country, with high participation rates despite industrial action, aiming to track student progress in basic education.
While living with a Catalan child, the friction between Portuguese, Castilian, and Catalan shows that learning a new language means accepting the challenge of becoming a beginner reader once again. A column by Vivien Merciel Suarez.
Text by Centro de Línguas de Lagos There is no better way to feel at home in Portugal than to start speaking the language – even if your first attempts The post Say Olá! appeared first on Portugal Resident.
I have silently abhorred the way Portuguese people avoid the subjunctive – there are already those who laugh when they hear it – but I confess that I secretly admire the fox-like cunning with which they manage to escape it. A chronicle by Miguel Esteves Cardoso.
Marco Neves marks the European Day of Languages and decodes the 24 official EU languages. He also explains when the word “Portuguese” was first used to define our language.
The history of these 50 words that came from the world into Portuguese also tells the story of the evolution of the languages and civilisations we are part of.
Using artificial intelligence, quantitative linguistics, and statistical modelling, it was possible to calculate how the vocabulary of a living language is born, ages, and disappears.
The course focuses primarily on teaching functional Portuguese applied to everyday life. The first edition will run from October 14 to March 15, 2027, and will have a total duration of 75 hours.
Tito took his father to the barbershop. The friendly barber asked how he wanted his sideburns, and Inês, who was standing right there, already imagined herself having lunch. While in Brazil 'costeleta' refers to both a meat chop and the hair that extends to the beard, in Portugal there is no such confusion: here it is called 'patilha', and that is that. See the full comic strip below. DN Brasil is the branch of Diário de Notícias dedicated to the Brazilian community living in or planning to live in Portugal. The texts are written in Brazilian Portuguese. The Kids in... the rematch! Joining a gym in Portugal can feel like... a Portuguese lesson.
A reflection on the linguistic nuances and shared history between Portugal and Brazil.
The president of the Camões Institute guarantees that she wants to focus on the “career and remuneration enhancement of teachers of Portuguese language abroad,” highlighting their role in education.
An expert welcomes a “historic moment” for the teaching of Mirandese language and culture. There are 565 students learning the language across the country. “It is a long-standing demand,” says Alfredo Cameirão.
According to the official in charge, the contents of this first learning manual were developed by Mirandese language teachers and specialists from the EMPLM and the Association of Mirandese Language and Culture (ALCM).
International residents looking to move beyond textbook Portuguese will be able to practise the language over coffee, on nature walks, with local craftspeople and even during the medronho harvest in The post Learn Portuguese in inland Algarve’s Querença appeared first on Portugal Resident.
The Mirandese translation of the comic book 'Asterix in Lusitania', by French authors Fabcaro and Didier Conrad, will be published in October, the Leya publishing group revealed today.
This time the Portuguese are out for revenge... they also find some words we use quite strange, like 'celular' (mobile phone), which sounds more like something related to a cell than a telephone, or 'calcinha' (panties), which sounds like a diminutive of 'calça' (trousers)... Let's face it: they have a point! DN Brasil is the branch of Diário de Notícias dedicated to the Brazilian community living in or planning to live in Portugal. The texts are written in Brazilian Portuguese. Joining a gym in Portugal can feel like... a Portuguese lesson. The Kids from Ponte. We Brazilians don't even spare the words.
Reflecting on a 2008 meeting with King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, the author recounts the humorous cultural confusion of wanting to offer a 'bacalhau'—a Portuguese slang term for a firm handshake—to the monarch. The piece also discusses the King's recent health struggles, his legacy, and the future of the Norwegian throne as Crown Prince Haakon prepares to succeed him amidst his own family challenges.
In 'The Nature of Language', Alexandra Soares Rodrigues demystifies 'good Portuguese', addresses animal communication and AI, and recalls how a post-COVID pathology highlighted the importance of the voice.
Why do Brazilians say “Copa”? And where did the famous Portuguese “ão” come from? Marco Neves answers these questions and also explains how “roubar” can, in certain cases, be used in a positive sense.
You arrive thinking you are just going to work out and suddenly you hear: 'Put your backpack in the locker, put on your tracksuit and head to the changing room. Then we'll start on the treadmill.' Admit it… the first time, you were also trying to decipher this 'new language', weren't you? In this week's comic strip, Bibi, Tito and Stella discovered that, in Portugal, sometimes the workout is for the body… and also for the vocabulary! See more: DN Brasil is the branch of Diário de Notícias dedicated to the Brazilian community living or planning to live in Portugal. The texts are written in Brazilian Portuguese. Miúdos da Ponte. When the Portuguese is the same… but not quite. Miúdos da Ponte. Do you suffer from endorreia?
A reflection on cultural identity and the feeling of being an outsider due to a language barrier despite having roots in Portugal.
From the mix of languages we hear on holiday to animal onomatopoeia around the world, Marco Neves explains how the brain processes sounds and how mastering multiple languages can be a superpower.
Between chance encounters and literary discoveries, an account of a first contact with the Galician language and the pleasant realization that there is a neighboring cultural universe that requires no translation. A chronicle by Vivien Merciel Suarez
The speaker highlights the importance of maintaining connections with the younger generation of the Portuguese diaspora, noting that many do not speak the language and may learn through video content.
