Portuguese Lessons in London

The presence of lusophone communities in London is undeniable. In many of the city’s neighbourhoods, you’ll bump into Portuguese restaurants, Brazilian cafes and shops with signs written in their language. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as according to the 2011 census, there are approximately 71,000 Portuguese speakers in the city that come from countries like Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde.

As the seventh-most spoken language in London, learning Portuguese will help you build long-lasting social and business relationships within the vast Lusophone community in the city. Whether you choose to study the European or Brazilian variant, this captivating language will expand your horizons and bring many wonderful experiences to your life.

Learn Portuguese for Work and Travel

For anyone living in London, a city that can be considered a centre of the global economy, being able to communicate with people from all over the world is a huge asset in any line of work. When choosing which language to study, most English speakers in the UK go for languages like French or Spanish, so if you decide to learn Portuguese, you’ll definitely stand out in any kind of job interview. What’s more, due to the increasing numbers of Portuguese speakers in the city, there are many job positions available for bilinguals in London like Portuguese Speaking Research Analyst, Portuguese Speaking Account Manager and Portuguese Speaking HR Generalist, which are all great options.

Learning Portuguese would also open the doors for you to work in beautiful locations like Porto. This historic and friendly city is a great place to experience the Portuguese lifestyle while also taking advantage of the many opportunities available for English speakers. As you might know, one of the most common jobs for British people who travel abroad is to teach English as a foreign language, but if that’s not what you want to do, there are many other job positions in Porto like Sales and Marketing Expert, Customer Service and Sales Representative. Although all these jobs only require you to speak in English, if you truly want to live in a Portuguese city, learning their language is essential to truly feel at home.

Learn Portuguese for Social

If you’re interested in Brazil, the Anglo-Brazilian Society, founded in the city in 1947, organises many events throughout the year which include talks, exhibitions, lectures and other activities intended to showcase Brazilian culture in London. In these meetings, you’ll learn about a wide range of topics that go from politics and cultural issues to Brazilian cuisine and sport. Some of the activities you may find in their calendar are events like samba lessons, cachaça tasting, caipirinha parties and film screenings. If you want more information you can visit them at the Brazilian Embassy in London located at 14-16 Cockspur Street.

Another great way to learn about lusophone communities is by tasting their delicious food. If you’re curious about Angolan and Portuguese cuisine, you should visit Lobito Grill, a restaurant famous for its secret chilli sauce recipe, and specialised in a variety of grilled meats that are cooked right in front of your eyes. The inspiration behind this restaurant comes from its owner, who grew up and learned to cook in Angola and Portugal and wanted to share a taste of his home cultures with Londoners. If you want to visit this wonderful place, you can find it at 9 Shrubbery Road every day from 11am to 11pm.

Learn Portuguese for Culture

One of the best advantages of learning a language is the chance to communicate with people from all over the world. If you want to find other Portuguese speakers, and also learn how to dance one of Brazil’s traditional dances, you should attend one of the meetings held by Forro Family - Brazilian Partner Dance. In addition to offering great Forró dance classes where you can meet a lot of native speakers, they organise Portuguese and English language exchanges every Monday where you can practise your skills. They meet at 24 Exmouth Market, and the best thing is, after the language exchange, there’s always a party where you can listen to Brazilian music and have some cocktails with your new friends!

Where to learn Portuguese in and around London?

There are as many approaches to learning a language as there are learners. Some people prefer to go straight to grammar books, others may prefer to gather with natives and some prefer to immerse themselves in the different art forms of a culture where that language is spoken. If you are part of the latter group, you should pay a visit to London’s Public Library, which has a huge collection of music in Portuguese that will make you fall in love with the language. If you don’t know any famous Portuguese singers, you might want to start with an album called Rough Guide to the Music of Portugal, which features some of the most well-known songs from the 20th century like Saudades De Coimbra, Maldito Fado and Barquinha Do Mar. On the other hand, if you are more interested in Brazilian musicians, you should listen to two of the greatest, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. The library has a great album of them called Dois Amigos, where you can listen to a live recording of them playing some of their most iconic songs.

Listening to such beautiful songs will make you connect with the language in a unique way. If you want to understand every lyric, there’s only one thing you can do and that is to start a Portuguese Course. The best place to do that, of course, is Listen & Learn. Whether you’re looking to work on your pronunciation, expand your vocabulary or you need help with your grammar, one of our teachers will create the perfect personalised lesson just for you. Just send us a quick enquiry now and one of our team members will contact you in no time to answer any questions you might have.