Colloquial Portuguese Brazil

by João Sampaio, Esmenia Simões Osborne, Barbara McIntyre

Book Overview

COLLOQUIAL PORTUGUESE OF BRAZIL is easy to use and completely up to date Specially written by experienced teachers for self-study or class use, the course offers a step-by-step approach to written and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415276799
• ISBN13: 9780415276795
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil

Very helpfl book if you already have knoledge of Portuguese. Personally, I think the conversation on the CD's are very fast for someone who's trying to learn Portuguese as a begginer. I consider they should speak more slowly on the first lessons, at least. Over all, it's very helpful.

One of my favorites.

I wouldn't say that this course is for a total beginner. If you've already got some knowledge of the language (or if you've studied a different Romance language before and have an idea of how the grammar and syntax works), then this would be an excellent choice. It's a little intimidating at first -- the dialogues are almost all spoken at everyday speed, but this will help you develop an ear for what you'll really be hearing from native speakers. Each lesson includes dialogues, grammar notes, and exercises to test what you've learned. A small reference section at the end of the book includes grammar notes, an answer key to the exercises, and a short two-way dictionary of vocabulary used throughout the book. For someone who already has a good foundation in the language, this is an excellent resource. Each lesson is themed for specific situations and includes vocabulary pertaining to each theme (eating out, travelling, using the Internet, etc.), and the accompanying audio, although not perfect, is accurate in portraying the intonation and speed of native speakers. This course can be your best friend if you know how to use it to its potential. The dialogues, though plentiful, are short. There are a few reading texts scattered throughout, but these are also surprisingly short. On top of this, the review of the pronunciation guide is different from what's in the book; the book lists each letter and how it's pronounced, example words included, but the audio goes through the alphabet with different example words that a beginner won't know. If this course seems too much at first, try something a little easier. "Living Language Portuguese : The Basics" also focuses on Brazilian Portuguese and would be a great start in learning the language. There's also "Colloquial Portuguese" for those who want a better understanding of literary Portuguese and its variations.

Good reference book

Although this book was a disappointment when I was first learning Portuguese six months ago, now that I am an intermediate plus Portuguese speaker/writer I find this book an invaluable reference. It is well indexed, making it easy to find the topic I need to review. It includes enough examples to make the point clear (but not enough when I was first learning).