Learning Portuguese with Duolingo In-depth Guide 2024

A few months back, one of my friends was planning to go to Portugal for a trip. As she loves traveling, it was her first solo international trip. Obviously, she had to take care of everything all alone. When we discussed the trip, she told me how excited and nervous she was. On asking her the reason to get nervous, I got a reply “I don’t know how to talk in Portuguese.” I instantly replied, “Try learning Portuguese with Duolingo.” She took a second and asked me why I was so sure about Duolingo. I smiled and told her that I am a daily Duolingo user.

After our small conversation, she was ready to use it but with my help. So, we both started working on the Portuguese course. I knew she would enjoy this platform. There was nothing new in it. Similarly, I am sure you will love the Portuguese course on Duolingo. Let us not waste our time and get ready to know if the Duolingo Portuguese course is worth it or not.

How is the Portuguese course designed on Duolingo?

Before starting the course, I gave her an overview of how almost all the courses are designed. So when we started, there was not so much confusion. Earlier there was a Duolingo tree in which the course works. But after a few years, it was replaced with a new learning path. In this path, there are different sections in the course. Each section helps to learn the words related to a particular topic. These sections are a compilation of a set of units. For each of the units, there are set of lessons.

Trust me, I have enjoyed these lessons more than my regular college or school classes. It is the best way to make the users engaged with the content. In between this path, you will be getting a lot of other things which we shall discuss later on. At present, there are 5 sections and 81 lessons in this course.

What are the different activities that are available for learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

Just like Japanese and Italian courses, there are different activities that you will be taking as a part of the Portuguese course. Following are some of the activities that are commonly found in most of the courses of Duolingo–

• Sentence shuffle
• Mark the correct meaning 
• Picture flashcards 
• Tap the pairs
• Complete the translation 
• Select the missing word 
• Speak this sentence
• Tap what you hear
• Translation

What are the special features of learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

When you use Duolingo, you will get some special features for different courses. Some of the special features on Duolingo are stories, podcasts, audio lessons, etc. However, if you are learning Portuguese with Duolingo, you will only get one special feature – Duolingo stories.

Duolingo stories are short stories that help you to develop reading and listening skills. There are 100 stories and zero audio lessons and podcasts for this course. You will see different Duolingo characters which will be communicating with each other in Portuguese language. Whether you are just starting or have completed half of the course, these stories will help you learn Portuguese. Earlier these stories also helped you develop your speaking skills. However, they have removed this feature but may bring back this option for the stories.

Note: There was a separate tab in the old Duolingo tree. But in the new learning path, you will get them in the course itself.

What are the other features that you get while learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

Duolingo is a platform that has different features to make you engage with the content. Following are the other features that you get on Duolingo other than the special features for learning Portuguese with Duolingo-

1. XP score

Remember the time when you get awards for completing the lessons or some task by your parents? Duolingo XP is a way of living those movements again. Any tasks you perform on Duolingo will give you extra XP. They are the most important thing to win the leagues.

2. Leagues

If doing competitions is what you love, then I am sure you will enjoy the league’s features. As a competition lover, I always prefer competing with unknown people. It is because I don’t know how better they are from me. Duolingo leagues have helped me with it. I can compete with random users and know where I actually stand.,

3. Gems

There are many online games where virtual currency is used. Whenever we play Candy Crush, we collect points. When we earn the desired amount of points in it, we can use them to buy boosters. At that time these Points are the virtual currency. Similarly, Duolingo gems are the currency of Duolingo. You can buy or get various things with the use of it.

4. Friends

When you are using Duolingo, you will find a lot of other users on the platform who are learning the same language. You can follow any users to get some of the XP points. Once you follow new friends, the chances of completing the lesson increase 5 times. When you get friends on the platform, you will get friends quest.

5. Duolingo events

Duolingo events (presently known as Duolingo classes) are the best way to practice communication skills with other users. I have used them earlier, and trust me it is very useful. They are basically Skype video calls with the users learning similar languages.

Note: Earlier it was free to enter and gives you 250 gems. But with the latest update, you will have to pay for it.

6. Super Duolingo

In today’s time, there is nothing free. Even the free platforms have their paid versions. Super Duolingo is the paid version of Duolingo. The subscription plan helps remove the heart system and the ads from the platform. There are two types of Subscription plans – Individual plans and Family plans. The cost you will be paying will depend upon the type and duration of the plan.

7. Heart system

It is one of the features that always annoys me. In this system, there are only 5 hearts. Every time you make a mistake, you lose one of them. If you think what’s the problem with it, then you should know that when you will lose all your hearts, you will not be able to practice anymore. Also, refilling one life takes 4 hours which is a big wait.

Update: Earlier this system was only for mobile users. But with the recent update, they have added it to the desktop version and on iOS devices.

When you are using Duolingo you will get a heart system. In this system, you get 5 hearts which are your lives. So when you make a mistake, you will lose your life. However, if you are on the desktop version you will not find this system. It means that when you are using Duolingo on a desktop you will get unlimited health. Thus if you are stuck on the platform just because of your heart system, you must try to use the desktop version of Duolingo.

8. Streak score

It is another reward that you get for completing the lessons. Unlike the XP score, you will only get the streak score when you complete a lesson. Every time, you complete a lesson, you get a streak. Suppose you complete 1 lesson daily in a week, you will get a streak score of 7. Remember when you miss a lesson, you will lose your streak score and will have to start from starting.

What level can you get learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

It is the question that you must look for before starting to learn any language. If I talk about the level you will get for learning Portuguese with Duolingo, it is the intermediate level. This is a perfect place for you if you are a beginner or want to have basic conversations with native speakers. But if you are already an advanced learner, you must try to use other platforms.

Is Duolingo Good for Learning Portuguese?

Remember there is only content at an intermediate level. So, if you are an advanced learner, there is nothing for you. As a fresher, I can guarantee no better platform for you. Let me clarify one thing: Duolingo can not make you fluent on its own. You will have to use other alternatives as well. But as a fresher, you must start from here. There is no money for using it and the best part of it is, that it works by following the gamified approach. You will not get bored with it. Further, I have discussed all the benefits and drawbacks of learning Portuguese with Duolingo.

What are the benefits of learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

Read the benefits of it to understand why you should start learning Portuguese with Duolingo –

• Duolingo is a great place for learning the basics of the language. That is why if you are a beginner, you will love it.
• As Duolingo is free you can learn any language freely on the platform. Thus if you are on a tight budget, you must take a Portuguese course on Duolingo.
• The stories and the Duolingo events are the additional features that help you to develop your communication skills.
• As Duolingo is a game-based platform you will have to go through different fun activities and games which will help you to get engaged with the course.
• When you are using Duolingo you will see the notifications from Duo which will act as a reminder for you to go on the course again and thus is motivating.

What are the disadvantages of learning Portuguese with Duolingo?

Everything that has benefits, will also have drawbacks. Let us now focus on the drawbacks of learning Portuguese with Duolingo –

• Unlike other courses (French and Spanish), you do not get extra special features like podcasts and audio lessons.
• If you are using Duolingo on mobile you will see the heart system. Due to this, you will only be getting 5 lives. When you make a mistake you lose a life. Now it is on Desktop and iOS devices.
• If you already have the basic knowledge of the language and want to get advanced-level knowledge, this platform is not for you. You must try to get some of the good alternatives for Duolingo.
• There is less grammatical knowledge on this platform.

Conclusion

Learning Portuguese with Duolingo can be a great choice for you if you are a beginner. It is a platform that offers free courses, making it affordable for anyone on a tight budget. However, if you already are at an intermediate level and looking for advanced content, you may not enjoy it much. It is because the course is designed till the intermediate level. Remember, you can not become fluent with this platform. You will need to get other resources along with it.

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