I guess what keeps me motivated is setting short-term goals for each week or month.
It’s important to set only realistic ones and actually write them down. It’s very rewarding when you tick them off your list… And it gives me this structure and motivates me more then a long-term goal of speaking fluent Portuguese.
For example for one week my goals are:
listen to 2 podcasts
have a chat with somebody in Portuguese
read a piece of news in Portuguese
practice verbs on PP for at least 5 mins
practice for a few minutes every day vocabulary using one of the apps
I like your choice of descriptive language! I always enjoy colorful thoughts. It is okay to use words like “big mouth” and “social animal!” Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise!
You have run into the same problem I have with Portuguese, namely, poor pronunciation. People who grow up in Portugal learn everything from the ground up. Those of us who visit, don’t have those advantages. So we struggle.
I use a few tools to help me out, but listening to fast language is out. It is useful to see if I have improved any, but does not help with understanding.
I recently acquired a language buddy. It was a surprise, but he is a good fit. We will see how it works! We started with the weather forecast, which is useful. Next will come restaurant conversations. In other words, I am structuring my learning to fit and help me! have no intention of doing social stuff. Too complex!
That’s her! That link is actually to her blog, which she also manages on top of her printed magazine. She has to be the most popular woman in Portugal at the moment.
Hey folk don’t despair. Yes trying to understand some spoken Portuguese is hard (impossible?) but I press on.
I have been a regular in most parts of Portugal for holidays for 30 years and my understanding of the language has grown year by year. But to quote Paige “I still feel like a toddler” sometimes even though the Portuguese are kind about my efforts to speak their language.
As an example we were bothered by a mentally challenged individual in one of the remote mountain towns. Could I remember anything else except “Nao”…No. Of course “vá embora” came back to me 10 minutes after the event!!
I spent the last few days speaking Portuguese (or a version of it) to my hosts, their retired parents and some workers in the tiny sitio of Cruz de Baixo. I joined them in their vines to start the Colheita de uva and was rewarded by lunch with the family, workers and neighbours who were helping. It was lovely. My language improved when we moved to the cevada laced with the local aguardente!!
They were very kind. “English people don’t speak other languages”, they said. “You do very well”. Untrue of course but that was some motivation!
Trying is so rewarding. Be proud of your own efforts. There are English folk living in the Algarve for 40 years who can’t even order a draught beer in Portuguese!!
I work from home, with UK/US clients, and rarely go out – so my opportunities to speak Portuguese are very limited. The result is that I freeze up if I get a telephone call, say, from a Portuguese courier.
We have some Portuguese friends, but their English is so excellent that socialising is a choice between me talking rubbish in pidgin-Portuguese or us actually having a nice evening together.
I suffer from a kind of “cultural cringe” about being an Englishwoman unable to communicate well in the local language. It all feels a bit colonial. My husband, who is Russian, is much less embarrassed about relying on English in situations where words fail us.
I suppose my greatest fear is to find myself in some kind of emergency situation where I just can’t communicate properly. That’s a motivating factor, as well as the general embarrassment about being useless!
Olà. Neste momento a minha motivação para aprender português é o virus Covid-19!
Moro na Inglaterra e desde seixta-feira todos os restaurantes e os ‘pubs’ estou fechados até …quem sabe!
Tenho 70 anos e o nosso goberno diz que as pessoas da minha idade têm que ficar na casa!
Acabo de terminar um curso de espanhol, então decedi aprender mais português na casa.
Na realidade eu não fico na casa, temos aqui ‘social distancing’ - podemos sair mas não nos estar proximos nas otras pessoas.
Temos um pequeno barco no rio e a minha mulher e eu passamos tempo no barco onde estamos seguros. Normalmente ela não gosta de passar muito tempo no barco e estou sozinho (como se diz em português 'every cloud has a silver lining?).
Hà razões para não aprender português - a gramática é complicada e os portugueses não pronunciam todas as palabras, mas o país é muito bonito e as pessoas são muito acolhedoras.
If anyone would care to correct mistakes I would be very grateful.
I have even more time and motivation (keeping my mind occupied) for learning Portuguese:
Na minha ultima mensagem disse que podíamos sair na Inglaterra, mas o goberno diz agora que temos que ficar na casa e podemos saír só para ir de compras (só uma pessoa) e para fazer exercício uma vez por día.
Felizmente a nossa filha e seus filhos moram na casa próxima (são nossos vezinhos).
Temos dois cães que estou sempre feliz e precisam de excercício. O tempo hoje é muito bom e felizmente temos um jardin.
@patrickmcmahon5544, esta situação de isolamento social tem essa pequena vantagem de nos dar mais tempo para outras coisas, incluindo aprender português. Noto alguma influência do espanhol na tua escrita, mas percebe-se muito bem Aqui em Portugal, a situação é semelhante, mas todas as medidas de contenção foram aplicadas aqui mais cedo. Para continuar esse assunto, podes visitar este tópico, onde temos falado sobre isso: Portugal and Covid-19: Fears, Comments, Thoughts - #23 by joelrendall
Meu motivação para continuar aprender português esteve porque meu viajar a Portugal em Junho. Infelizmente, eu sou eu não vou à Lisboa isto ano. Estou destroçado. Eu tenho esperança eu vou ao Portugal no ano próximo. Fiquem seguros e ficar em casa.
As coisas são muito preocupantes no momento, mas não podemos nos deixar sentir “despedaçados”. Até certo ponto, não há lugar como o lar. Boa sorte, Julia!
Também perdi uma viagem marcada para Março e devo perder outras viagens também este ano… Entendo a tua frustração! Continua a estudar português e ao menos, para o ano, saberás comunicar ainda melhor
Hi all! I know this is an old post, but I just thought I would share a fun challenge that could help if anyone is feeling like they need a jumpstart. Joel and Rui are recording another podcast and are asking members to submit recordings of themselves reading excerpts from this Shorty: https://www.practiceportuguese.com/shorties/diario-de-uma-quarent-o-ena-ii/
If you want to contribute, just click that link and then go to “Get featured in our next Podcast Episode”. We would love to hear speakers of all levels, so don’t be shy even if you’re a beginner! In fact, that’s even better! Mistakes are great learning opportunities.
Thank you to everyone who submitted recordings! We received quite a few, so we are going to go ahead and close this one now. Rui and Joel will record the Podcast soon, so keep an eye (or ear?) out!
Hi Molly! I have been listening to the podcast. I know the guys requested beginner speakers to record. I am VERY beginner!!! I’m sure they would have a field day on my entry. But… I would love to know how to participate in the podcast if they need it. Thank you!
And it gives me this structure and motivates me more then a long-term goal of speaking fluent Portuguese.
Aqui em Portugal, a situação é semelhante, mas todas as medidas de contenção foram aplicadas aqui mais cedo. Para continuar esse assunto, podes visitar este tópico, onde temos falado sobre isso: 
