Find Portuguese lessons near me in Philadelphia

Why Learn Portuguese?

There are plenty of good reasons to want to learn Portuguese. From enjoying Portuguese movies and music to having the opportunity to study abroad and enrich your life. Aside from that, there are many other benefits to learning this language. Portuguese is widely spoken across the world and it is estimated that there are 222 million native speakers. It is a small amount compared to the number of people who speak Spanish, but it is still a pretty big number. Portuguese is the seventh most widely spoken language in the world and oddly enough, it doesn’t make it to the top ten most studied languages in United States universities. Even though there are a lot of Portuguese native speakers, there aren’t many people interested in studying it. This means that learning Portuguese can set you apart from the masses of students who know more popular languages. Speaking a less commonly studied language is also going to look good on your CV. Another positive aspect of learning Portuguese is that it is spoken in popular touristic destinations. If you dream of traveling to foreign lands, rich in culture and landscape, and you speak Portuguese, your next trip can be to Brazil. And if you’d rather find a European destination, then add Portugal to that list of countries you should visit. Portugal is famous for its beautiful cities, like Lisboa and Oporto, and its affordability. Finally, if you speak or started to learn either Spanish, French or Italian; learning Portuguese will come easy for you since these four languages have a lot of similarities. 

Challenges of Learning Portuguese

Learning Portuguese can be considered relatively easy, but you need to know that learning a new language is not an easy endeavor. With that being said, perhaps one of the biggest challenges you’ll face if you want to learn Portuguese is that it can be difficult to find in-person Portuguese courses. But not to worry, there are many options online, like private tutoring or online courses. On Superprof you’ll be able to easily find Portuguese tutors in Philadelphia. The second biggest challenge, and with any other language you wish to learn, mastering pronunciation is quite hard. Then, consider that grammar is going to be different in Portuguese than in English. There are different verbs, different forms of speech and vocabulary aren’t always the same, meaning it can’t always be directly translated. Another challenge lies in listening. We already said that learning and understanding different accents will be hard, but some words resemble others, and it’s easy to mix up the spelling of two words that sound the same but mean different things. To avoid mixups, you need to learn each word by heart and understand which one is being used from context. 

Where to Find Portuguese Tutors in Philadelphia

Finding a tutor you like is the first step to success. We said like because if you are not on the same page with someone you are trying to learn from, then you’re never going to learn. You need to make finding the perfect tutor your main priority. If you find someone qualified and experienced is good. But it will be much better if you find someone with both, qualifications and a personality you like. This way you’re going to enjoy every single lesson, you’ll look forward to the next one and you’ll keep a positive learning environment. We can guarantee you’ll find the perfect tutor for you if you dedicate some time to research and first define your goals. Like that, you can start looking for a tutor that will be qualified enough to guide you and help you meet your goals. If you go on Superprof, you’ll be able to find many profiles of tutors. You can look at their years of experience, ask for references from previous students and even compare prices. In Philadelphia, private lessons with Portuguese tutors can cost between $10 and $25 per hour. Make sure you ask if you can have a trial lesson, which is usually for free. During that first free lesson try to pay attention to their teaching techniques, their energy, and overall their methods. This can help you decide whether or not you want to hire them as a tutor. 

Faster Learning with a Tutor

Many people like private tutoring for a variety of reasons. Some know that there are many things they will learn during the private lesson with a tutor that they will never learn in a classroom where a teacher has to teach 20 other students. So, hiring a private tutor means you’ll learn many things you couldn’t possibly learn in school or any language institute. This happens because the teacher will have their entire attention and time devoted to you. If you have three hours of Portuguese per week, that means that every second of those hours will be spent on you, on your questions, on perfecting the things you find challenging and at the speed you need. With a private tutor, you will receive a more personalized approach to your learning. In a class, teachers have to accommodate the learning levels of everyone in the class which means that there is less of a chance that you receive one on one attention. On the contrary, having a tutor assures that you get all the attention that you need to progress through the lessons quickly. A private teacher will be able to personalize the course to fit your skill level, your schedule, as well as the teaching method that you prefer. All of these things will translate into faster learning and after all, there’s nothing better than learning a new language fast.