Portuguese: Beginners – Part 1

Course starts Thursday 1 October 2026

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Thursdays, 7.00-9.00pm.

The weekly course schedule below is intended to give an overview of the main topics likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.

Week 1: Apresentação I. Brief introductions.

• Portuguese varieties on the map.
• Identification and some personal data: verbs ‘chamar-se’ and ‘ser’
• Brief greetings and farewells

Week 2: Apresentação II. General introductions.

• Asking for and giving some more personal information: verb ‘ter’
• The alphabet, some diphthongs and digraphs 
• Definite and indefinite articles

Week 3: Apresentação III. Providing basic information with numbers.

• Cardinal numbers 0-100: age, address and phone numbers.
• Interrogative pronouns (synthesis)

Week 4: As férias da Rita. Describing very simple routines.

• Describing holidays
• Simple Present of regular verbs ending in ‘-ar’

Week 5: Como são os filhos da Ana? Describing people and objects.

• Adjectives for physical attributes
• Colours

Week 6: Sou do Porto, mas estou em Oxford. ‘Ser’ or ‘Estar’ – that is our question.

• Verbs ‘ser’ (permanent) vs. ‘estar’ (circumstantial)
• ‘Ser’ or ‘Estar’ followed by prepositions and adjectives
• Regular verbs ending in ‘-er’ and ‘-ir’

Week 7: ‘Com licença’ ou ‘Desculpe’? Expressions of courtesy.

• Social pleasantries in context
• Interrupting someone and apologising
• Reflexive pronouns (full conjugation)

Week 8: Revisões. Consolidation.

Week 9: Que dia é hoje? E que horas são agora? Dates and time.

• Days of the week, months, seasons
• Asking for and telling the time
• Prepositions and prepositional phrases of time

Week 10:  Feliz Natal! Boas férias! Christmas and other festive celebrations and traditions.

•     A festive message
•     Language and culture games

Key grammar points

* ‘Ser’ vs. ‘Estar’

* The Simple Present form of regular verbs ending in ‘-ar’, ‘-er’ and ‘-ir’

* Personal, reflexive and interrogative pronouns

* Definite and indefinite articles

* Some prepositions and prepositional phrases of time and space

Key functions

* Introducing, greeting and saying goodbye

* Describing people and objects

* Asking for and telling the time

* Describing simple routines

Course aims

To enable participants to communicate at a very basic level with speakers of the target language in a limited range of practical, real-life settings.

Course objectives:

• To help students develop the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for very basic routine communication in the target language.
• To enable students to use a range of high frequency vocabulary and grammar structures for very basic routine interaction in the target language.
• To equip students with an initial appreciation of the culture and civilisation of the country (or countries) in which the target language is spoken.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to:

• use very simple phrases and utterances to provide basic personal information, such as name, address, family members and nationality;
• interact in a simple way using a very basic range of language in routine everyday contexts;
• understand the gist of very short, simple written texts and audio/video excerpts containing the highest frequency vocabulary items and basic grammar structures;
• produce simple phrases and very short texts using basic structures and vocabulary items.

Level and demands

Pitched at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Find out more about our language levels.

Teaching methods

You will learn through practical, task‑based classroom activities that encourage the active use of the target language. Sessions typically integrate meaningful scenarios, pair and small‑group work, and collaborative problem‑solving in a supportive and friendly environment. These tasks bring together speaking, listening, reading, and writing, enabling you to apply the language purposefully in real‑world situations.

The course is designed to build your spoken and listening abilities while deepening your understanding of cultural nuances, etiquette, and everyday usage. We will work with new grammatical structures through meaningful, communicative tasks, and you will continue developing your reading and writing skills both in class and independently through self‑study.

Assessment methods

You will be set optional assignments to consolidate your learning and to allow you to progress at your own pace.

Ângela Sarmento-Dingsdale

Ângela Sarmento-D. is an experienced teacher of Portuguese language and culture. She holds a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (Portuguese and English Studies) and a Masters in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies from the University of Porto. During the curricular stage of her PhD, she attended courses at the University of Porto and at Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris), where she developed work in the field of Comparative Literature and Interartistic Studies. Ângela is a research member of the ILC-ML [Margarida Losa’s Institute for Comparative Literature].

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses

Textbooks

To participate in the course fully, you will need access to the following textbook:

Aprender Português 1 – Português Para Estrangeiros: Níveis A1, A2., Oliveira, Carla, et al. Lisboa: Texto Editores, 2012.

Recommended reading

Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.

Library facilities

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.

• More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website. 
• This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information

Course reading

• Aprender Português 1 – Português Para Estrangeiros: Níveis A1, A2. / Oliveira, Carla, et al.
• Gramática Aplicada – Português Para Estrangeiros: Níveis A1, A2, B1. / Oliveira, Carla, et al.

Recommended Reading List

Module code: O26P589XPW

How to enrol

Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.

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